1960's All-Decade Team

[rebelx24]

I did the 1950's entry in this series some time ago, so this one was definitely due.

Here's the 1960's team, as chosen by the Hall voters.

QB: Sonny Jurgensen, Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas
HB: John David Crow, Paul Hornung, Leroy Kelly, Gale Sayers
FB: Jim Brown, Jim Taylor
Split End: Del Shofner, Charley Taylor
Flanker: Gary Collins, Boyd Dowler
TE: John Mackey
Tackle: Bob Brown, Forrest Gregg, Ralph Neely
Guard: Gene Hickerson, Jerry Kramer, Howard Mudd
Center: Jim Ringo

DE: Doug Atkins, Willie Davis, Deacon Jones
DT: Alex Karras, Bob Lilly, Merlin Olsen
LB: Dick Butkus, Larry Morris, Ray Nitschke, Tommy Nobis, Dave Robinson
CB: Herb Adderley, Lem Barney, Bobby Boyd
S: Eddie Meador, Larry Wilson, Willie Wood

K: Jim Bakken
P: Don Chandler

The three QBs were probably the three best of that era; no issue with any of them.

The two fullbacks make perfect sense. At halfback, though, John David Crow is not an all-decade type of player, in my opinion. The voters could have easily substituted Lenny Moore for him (yes, Moore is on the preceding all-decade team, but I believe he's worthy of being included on two of them). Some would want Hornung omitted as well, but I can live with his inclusion.

The split ends are both appropriate choices in my book, but I think I'd add Bob Hayes as a third man at the position. I'm not real sold on Boyd Dowler as a flanker on this team. Bobby Mitchell was a much better player at the position, and I would take him over Dowler. Tommy McDonald was also a better player, and I might even consider including him on the team to end up with three flankers, all of whom coincidentally played for Cleveland at some point in their careers (with McDonald and Collins being teammates for a short time).

Mike Ditka, who made the 75th Anniversary team as one of the tight ends, should also have been on this team as a second tight end. Maybe him being voted onto the former team was an acknowledgment by voters of his rather careless omission from this one.

Forrest Gregg and Bob Brown are both worthy of being included at tackle. However, Ralph Neely, good as he was, doesn't quite measure up to some of his competition in the decade. For one thing, Rosey Brown was still playing up to the middle of the decade, and his greatness from the '50's carried over seamlessly. Secondly, you had the excellent Bob Vogel, who seems to have been flying under the radar for quite a while now. I'd remove Neely and stick Brown and Vogel on the team. Dick Schafrath was another player I considered, but I think he's a little behind Brown and Vogel, and like Neely, ends up on the outside looking in.

Howard Mudd was a guy who had a couple of excellent years in an injury shortened career, and that was it. It's quite baffling that the voters would choose him for this team with all the excellent guards playing in this era to choose from. Jim Parker, who was mistakenly voted in at guard on the previous decade's team, needs to be off of that one entirely (even as a tackle, I would argue) and on this one at this position. I'd go a step further, since I don't like just three players at this position, and propose including a fourth guard: Ken Gray, a terrific player who really has never gotten his due, mainly because he played an overlooked position on some Cards teams that were, for the most part, pretty awful. Worthy of note, Hickerson's sometime linemate Jim Ray Smith was an excellent player in his own right, and really seemed pretty close to Gray achievement-wise as far as their careers go. However, within this decade, Smith's resume isn't as good as Gray's, so I think he misses the cut. He'd probably be one of those players that would end up on a mid-'50's through mid-'60's team, if such a thing existed.

There should be a second center, and newly minted HOFer Mick Tingelhoff fits the bill.

I would put Gino Marchetti on this team as another DE. He's already on the '50's team, which he deserves to be, but given the caliber of player he was, he absolutely needs to be on this one, too. The three players already here are obviously plenty deserving, so no more changes need to be made.

At defensive tackle, the three guys already on the team were indeed among the best of their era, so no arguments with any of them. The trouble is, the team is missing the fourth best-of-era player, Henry Jordan. He needs to be added.

Larry Morris was a good, solid player, but a nonsensical choice for an all-decade team; his teammate Joe Fortunato, who was voted onto the '50's team for some reason, should be on this one instead, in Morris' place. I'm also not sure that I like Tommy Nobis' inclusion here, as he was a good player, but a guy whose legacy is still being debated and whose resume pales in comparison to that of some of his peers. I'd put two guys in to replace him (making a total of six players at the LB position): Maxie Baughan and Chuck Howley, both of whom were terrific and deserve to end up in Canton some day. Then there are Bill George and Joe Schmidt, carryovers from the 1950's, who were still really good in this decade and theoretically could be on this team as two spare players at the position. I probably wouldn't put either one on this team, so as to avoid a glut of linebackers, but considering them definitely reminds one of how long their productivity lasted.

The corner choices are all fine, although I would add Cornell Green as a member of the corps.

There should be at least one more safety. I would have chosen the late (and nearly-forgotten) Jimmy Patton for a fourth spot. I also think the multi-talented Mel Renfro has a strong case to be here as an extra player at the position.

I'm fine with Bakken at kicker and Chandler at punter.

Any comments or observations?

[BD Sullivan]

McDonald was signed by the Browns after Collins hurt his shoulder in 1968. He's credited with given a monster halftime speech during the divisional playoff game against Dallas that turned a tied game into a 31-20 upset victory that sent Don Meredith into retirement.

[NWebster]

Add Ditka, Jim Johnson, Paul Warfield, Marchetti, Howley.
Few subtractions but I could get over Morris.

[Gary Najman]

I would add also Erich Barnes at cornerback: 5 Pro Bowls in the 60s, 3 All-Pro teams (plus other 3 Second teams or All-conference), 31 interceptions in the 60s, only missed one game in the decade, playing for three different teams.

[Gary Najman]

At Pro Football Reference they also made their team, some interesting names:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/a ... e_1960.htm

I like Fran Tarkenton, he would get my nod as 3rd QB behind Starr and Unitas.

[rebelx24]

At Pro Football Reference they also made their team, some interesting names:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/a ... e_1960.htm

I like Fran Tarkenton, he would get my nod as 3rd QB behind Starr and Unitas.

Interesting. I actually have Tarkenton pencilled in as a replacement for Ken Stabler on the all-'70's team, but I can see a rationale for him being here.

[JohnTurney]

In 1994 the NFL had a group of HOF writers and Sabol and a couple of others picks a Combined NFL-AFL All-1960s team

I think it is much better than the original.


Charley Taylor, wide receiver;
Lance Alworth, wide receiver
John Mackey, tight end
Jim Otto, center
Jerry Kramer, guard
Billy Shaw, guard
Ron Mix, tackle
Forrest Gregg, tackle
John Unitas, quarterback
Jim Brown, fullback
Gale Sayers, halfback
Paul Hornung, halfback

Deacon Jones, defensive end
Willie Davis, defensive end
Bob Lilly, defensive tackle
Merlin Olsen, defensive tackle
Ray Nitschke, linebacker
Dick Butkus, linebacker
Bobby Bell, linebacker
Willie Brown, cornerback
Herb Adderley, cornerback
Johnny Robinson, safety
Larry Wilson, safety

Jim Bakken, kicker;
Don Chandler, punter;

[DukeSlater]

Erich Barnes, I agree, should be on this team.

Off topic: Barnes, Lester Hayes, Lemar Parrish and Louis Wright are all more deserving as corners over Dick LeBeau in the HOF, in my opinion. Also, I think they are better choices (arguably) than Emmitt Thomas for Canton.

[rebelx24]

Erich Barnes, I agree, should be on this team.

Off topic: Barnes, Lester Hayes, Lemar Parrish and Louis Wright are all more deserving as corners over Dick LeBeau in the HOF, in my opinion. Also, I think they are better choices (arguably) than Emmitt Thomas for Canton.

Seconded. All four of those guys ought to be elected at some point in time, and were definitely better than LeBeau and Thomas both. I can actually live with Thomas being in Canton; I think he just meets the qualifications for the lowest tier of HOF-type player. But yeah, he shouldn't have been voted in before these four. LeBeau should have stayed in the HoVG, period.

[rebelx24]

To be honest, I hadn't given Barnes serious consideration for this team, even knowing that he was a good player. Yeah, perhaps he would be deserving of a CB spot, although I wouldn't sacrifice Cornell Green (my choice for a fourth corner) to put him on there, so maybe they can both be on the team. Jimmy Johnson, who NWebster suggested, also has a good case, but I think that Green and Barnes have the edge over him (he's on the '70's team anyway).