Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
PFRA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the history of professional football. Formed in 1979, PFRA members include many of the game's foremost historians and writers.
ChrisBabcock wrote:The fact that he had to ask whether Don Hutson was dominant disqualifies him from being on the "committee to decide on who gets to be in the upper room".
I agree. Reminds of the time when Lenny Wilkens coached an All-Star team that Shaquille O'Neal was on and Shaq, upon finding out that Lenny Wilkens had been an NBA All-Star in his day, responded with: "You played, Coach?"
I remember that Shaq story. That's almost forgivable to me though. It's one thing for a young guy in his 20s enjoying playing the game, vs. someone else who appreciates the history of the game. In Deion's case, if he's going to insert himself into a conversation about tiers within the HOF or having a Hall within the Hall, he better have a knowledge about who the greatest of the greats are... like knowing whether Don Hutson was dominant.
ChrisBabcock wrote:The fact that he had to ask whether Don Hutson was dominant disqualifies him from being on the "committee to decide on who gets to be in the upper room".
I agree. Reminds of the time when Lenny Wilkens coached an All-Star team that Shaquille O'Neal was on and Shaq, upon finding out that Lenny Wilkens had been an NBA All-Star in his day, responded with: "You played, Coach?"
I remember that Shaq story. That's almost forgivable to me though. It's one thing for a young guy in his 20s enjoying playing the game, vs. someone else who appreciates the history of the game. In Deion's case, if he's going to insert himself into a conversation about tiers within the HOF or having a Hall within the Hall, he better have a knowledge about who the greatest of the greats are... like knowing whether Don Hutson was dominant.
Yeah, I don't really hold that against Shaq. Lenny Wilkens played in the NBA dark ages....if you've ever seen footage of 1960's Russell vs. Wilt games, it looks like baseball footage from the 1890's. Terrible quality. Thank God for NFL Films and the Sabols. And Lenny Wilkens wasn't a big name player, TBH.
And, as you said, Deion's premise is different. It reminds me of the MLB HOF Veteran's Committee, where Joe Morgan would just sandbag any possible HOF candidate with the comment of "he wasn't as good a player as me". And then it shifted to the opposite extreme, where Tony LaRussa is enshrining Harold Baines. So...yeah, terrible idea all around.
