The Pro Football Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring the best-of-the-best American football players who revolutionized and changed the game forever.
While the Canton voters have gotten the vast majority of their Hall of Fame choices right, they’ve still made their fair share of mistakes. More specifically, they inducted guys who weren’t deserving while also continuously passing on all-time greats who should’ve been enshrined long ago.
With that said, let’s dive into five Hall of Famers who don’t
Doesn’t Belong: Joe Namath
“Broadway Joe” was the face of New York sports for much of his 12-year run with the organization. He had a larger-than-life personality, and his off-the-field swagger made him more than just an athlete in the Big Apple.
Namath became a New York sports icon forever when he led the Jets to a Super Bowl 3 championship over the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts. Namath memorably guaranteed a Jets’ win even though they were 19.5-point underdogs, and yet they took down the powerhouse Colts by a final score of 16 to 7.
But if you take away Namath’s Super Bowl win, there’s absolutely zero reason for him to be in the Hall of Fame. He was a four-time AFL All-Star but also made just one Pro Bowl following the AFL-NFL merger.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Namath completed just 50.1 percent of pass attempts for his career. He had 173 touchdowns against 220 interceptions, finishing with a career quarterback rating of 65.5.
Namath, truth be told, was a below-average quarterback. He had his one flash-in-the-pan moment in Super Bowl 3. So have many other quarterbacks, and you’re not hearing calls for Joe Flacco, Trent Dilfer or Jeff Hostetler to be in the Hall of Fame.
Nope, Namath should not be in the Hall of Fame. But when you p
Should Be In: Jim Marshall
Marshall is best known for his timeless “Wrong Way Run” blooper in a 1964 game between his Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
Y’know, where Marshall scooped up a loose football and ran it towards his own team’s end zone for a safety, believing he was scoring a touchdown? Okay, so it was a silly gaffe, but that shouldn’t be Marshall’s legacy.
He should have been a proud Canton member decades ago. The resume speaks for itself: A 1969 NFL Championship, 130.5 career sacks, two Pro Bowl nods and three second-team all-pro selections.
As a Viking, Marshall made 270 consecutive starts — an NFL record that has since been smashed by Brett Favre. That said, the 270-consecutive-starts mark stands as a record for defensive players.
Marshall made up a quarter of the Vikings’ “Purple People Eaters” defensive front that also featured Carl Eller, Alan Page and Gary Larsen. Marshall also helped the Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances, though they were all losses.
Hey, if Jerry Kramer and Drew Pearson can get in decades after their playing careers, then so can Marshall. There is some hope. But it’s absolutely ridiculous that the Vikings’ icon wasn’t enshrined within his first decade of eligibility.
Perhaps one day…
Doesn’t Belong: Lynn Swann
It’s almost as if the Hall of Fame committee had a rule where any above-average player for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” dynasty automatically got entry into the Hall.
Case in point: Wide receiver Lynn Swann.
Swynn played on a star-studded Steelers offense that featured fellow Hall of Famers in QB Terry Bradshaw, running back Franco Harris, center Mike Webster and fellow wide receiver John Stallworth.
Swann was a member of all four Super Bowl championship teams in the Steel Curtain era, and he was named Super Bowl 10 MVP.
But folks, he was only a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team all-pro. Secondly, Swann’s numbers by no means scream “Hall of Fame.” What if we told you that he had zero 1,000-yard seasons?
Swann caught 336 passes for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns. There are guys who put up more than double his receiving yards total that aren’t in the Hall of Fame.
Not to take away anything against Swann’s excellent run in Steel City. But the stats don’t lie: There is simply no way he should be in the Hall of Fame. He was just one of many good players on an all-time great Steelers squad.
Should Be In: Sterling Sharpe
If a neck injury didn’t force him to retire after his age-29 season in 1994, Sharpe would’ve been a Hall of Famer in his first year of eligibility.
Here’s the fun fact, though: Sharpe was so freaking good during his seven-year career that he should be in the Hall of Fame anyway. I mean, Terrell Davis only had four elite and healthy seasons, and Canton still inducted him…so why can’t they do the same for Sharpe?
The older brother of Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, Sterling hit 1K receiving in five of his seven NFL seasons. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and 3-time First-Team All-Pro who led the NFL in receptions three times and in receiving yards twice.
Sharpe won the “Triple Crown” of receiving in 1992 after leading the NFL in catches with 108, in receiving yards with 1,461 and in receiving TDs with 13. You just rarely ever saw numbers like that from pass-catchers in a single season.
In seven seasons, Sharpe had 595 receptions, 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns.
Doesn’t Belong: Jackie Smith
Sadly, NFL fans best remember Smith for his costly drop in the end zone of Super Bowl 13 between his Dallas Cowboys and the Steelers — and not the man who’s enshrined in Canton.
Before joining Dallas for his final season in 1978, Smith spent 15 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned five Pro Bow nods and four Second-Team All-Pro selections during his run with the organization.
But Smith was never once a first-team all-pro, and his stats weren’t exactly eye-popping here. He had one campaign of 1,000 yards receiving, and he only exceeded four receiving touchdowns in ONE season.
Smith retired with 480 receptions for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns. Those aren’t Hall of Fame numbers by any means. Luckily for Smith, true star-level tight ends were few and far between in those days — so that worked in his advantage for Hall of Fame consideration.
His longevity also helped. But by no means was he ever a legitimate superstar. With all due respect, he got lucky with an incredible act of generosity by the Hall of Fame voters.
Should Be In: Patrick Willis
If Willis didn’t shockingly retire after his age-29 2014 season, then he would’ve been a lock for Canton. Same deal as Sterling Sharpe.
But another thing: Willis was on another level of greatness during his eight-year career. Same deal as Sharpe — he should be in Canton anyway, even if Willis didn’t play as long as other legendary linebackers.
Willis was a Pro Bowler in each of his first seven seasons. He only missed out in 2014 because of a toe injury that limited him to six games. Think about that for a second.
He won 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, was a five-time Pro Bowler and even got named to the 2010s All-Decade Team despite not playing in the back half of the decade. He twice led the NFL in tackles and fell just 50 shy of 1,000 for his career.
He was in the upper echelon of defensive players during his eight-year career and led San Fran to three straight NFC Championship Game appearances from 2011 to 2013.
What more does Canton want? He was eligible for the Hall years ago, and he — like the rest of us — continues to wait for the call.
Doesn’t Belong: Bob Hayes
Hayes had a decorated 10-year run with the Dallas Cowboys from 1965 to ‘74 before spending one year with the 49ers. Hayes certainly was one of the top wide receivers of his generation, but putting him in the Hall of Fame was quite a stretch to say the least.
Hayes put up 1,000-yard seasons in his rookie and sophomore years…and then he never did so again. In fact, his production just continued to decline more and more as the seasons passed.
Hayes had 900-yard seasons in 1967 and ‘68…and then he finished below that mark the rest of the way for his career. Over his final four seasons, Hayes never topped 22 catches or 360 yards in a season.
Yes, he won a Super Bowl and was named to three Pro Bowls. But his stats were never off-the-chart, and the longevity wasn’t there. Put simply, there’s no strong reason for Hayes to be a Hall of Famer…
He retired with 371 career receptions for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns. Those are numbers for the unofficial “Hall of very good.” But the Hall of Fame? Absolutely not. There are so many wide receivers who had far better careers that have been passed over time and time again.
Should Be In: Ken Anderson
One of the most underrated quarterbacks ever, Anderson spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals — which stemmed from 1971 to ‘86.
Anderson was a four-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in passing yards twice, in passer rating four times and in completion percentage thrice. His 1981 season was one for the ages, as Anderson won MVP, Comeback Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Anderson led the Bengals to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance that year, where they fell to Joe Montana and the soon-to-be dynastic 49ers.
Anderson finished with 32,838 career passing yards and 197 touchdowns against 160 interceptions. Anderson was one of the most prolific passers of his era, and you gotta think he’d be in the Hall by now if his Bengals won the Super Bowl.
But Super Bowl wins shouldn’t be the deciding factor. Anderson had much better numbers than the aforementioned Joe Namath. And keep in mind Anderson had to play in an era with other great QBs like Montana, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw and Dan Fouts.
It was hard for Anderson to stand out, but he held his own and brought the Bengals to relevance. Throw in his excellent stats, and he should have been sent to the Hall of Fame a longgggggg time ago.
Doesn’t Belong: John Stallworth
Stallworth is in the same boat as the aforementioned Lynn Swann. He was part of the Steelers’ four Super Bowl championship teams in the Steel Curtain era. He was a very-good-but-not-elite wide receiver.
But like we said earlier, it’s as if the Canton committee just wanted to put any “good to very good” Steelers player from that dynasty in the Hall. A look at Stallworth’s numbers, and you’ll simply ask yourself why he got enshrined in the first place.
The three-time Pro Bowler exceeded 1,000 yards receiving only three times in his career. He never once led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards or receiving TDs. Stallworth was a first-team all-pro only once, too.
Stallworth’s career stat line: 537 receptions for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns. Not to take anything away from Stallworth, but those numbers aren’t at all Hall of Fame-caliber. It’s not like during his career, he was ever in the discussion for the game’s best receiver.
But again, there was a benefit of playing for the Steelers’ during their glory years: Being overhyped big-time to the point where you got your own gold jacket.
Should Be In: Torry Holt
Holt, Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk headlined the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense that propelled them to a Super Bowl 34 championship plus another big game appearance two years later.
Warner, Bruce and Faulk are in the Hall of Fame. Holt, for some reason, is not.
Aside from a Super Bowl ring, Holt was a seven-time Pro Bowler who was named to the 2000s All-Decade Team. He’s 17th all-time in receiving yards with 13,382 and 22nd all-time in receptions with 920.
Yes, he was often overshadowed by co-star wideout Isaac Bruce. But Holt’s longevity and off-the-world numbers would have gotten him more attention just about anywhere else.
We know they played in different eras, but Holt’s career stats easily trump those of Hall of Famers like Swann and Stallworth. How much longer must Holt wait until he gets the call?
What other NFL players shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame, and which other retired players belong in it? Join us in the comments section below
