Choosing a Senior Preliminary List For The HOF

[Brian wolf]

The HOF just released a preliminary senior list for screening and cut-down to 50 players by the end of the month. Anyone can submit a write-in or email vote, which is encouraged and expected but you still have to wonder if the notation and filtering process is good enough? Is there, or are theyre, qualified historians who can make sure the best candidates are listed and not omitted from the process?

There were 183 senior candidates listed, but many have a snowballs' chance in hell of making the HOF and what's frustrating are the number of multiple All-Pros and accoladed players who didn't make the list. How are these players omitted?

Yes, players who helped contribute to championships or records have an advantage over great players on bad teams, but even some of those players were absent from this preliminary list.

It simply has to be taken more seriously than it is. We know subjectivity plays a role for fans, voters, historians and media alike but we are talking about a football league with over 100 years of history, not just the last 50.

Multiple All-Pro Senior Candidates Omitted From 2025 List

3 or more 1st Team AP designations excluding the AFL

Riley Matheson -- 5
Duane Putnam -- 3
Dick Huffman -- 3
Jim Ray Smith -- 3
Bill Forester -- 3
Marvin Powell -- 3
Bruno Banducci -- 3
Leon Gray -- 3
Ralph Neely -- 3
John Niland -- 3
Les Bingamin -- 3
Greg Lloyd* -- 3
Gene Brito -- 3
Jim Lachey -- 3
Forrest Blue -- 3

*Not sure if Lloyd is senior eligible

2 AP 1st Team designations excluding AFL

Jim Benton -- 2
LeRoy Irvin -- 2
Roy Green -- 2
Harlon Hill -- 2
Hanford Dixon -- 2
Herbert Scott -- 2
Cornell Green -- 2
Riley Odoms -- 2
Isaiah Robertson -- 2
Jim Katcavage -- 2
Charlie Johnson -- 2
Abe Woodson -- 2
Gary Johnson -- 2
Keith Millard -- 2
Gene Washington* -- 2

*Washington is listed as three designations but I feel was confused in 1969 by AP voting, by the Viking's Gene Washington who is also listed?

Many AFL players with 2 or more AP designations were not listed. Most of these players played prominent roles on teams that won or went to multiple championship games, including members of the Bills, Oilers, Chargers and Chiefs. I commend the AFL players that were listed.

Some players I listed might have made the list, I apologize as I tried to edit this post. John Turney and Pro Football Journal would have a more complete listing of multiple All-Pros from other sources --NEA, UPI, Sporting News etc ...

[Brian wolf]

Other prominent, well known omissions from seniors list

John Brodie
John Hadl
Tommy Thompson
Kent Hull
Cookie Gilchrist
Abner Haynes
Gary Clark
Wes Chandler
Russ Washington
Larry Brooks
Bob Baumhower
Cedric Hardman
Coy Bacon
Matt Blair
Billy Thompson
Russ Francis
Jerry Smith
Pete Retzlaff
Sonny Randle
Rick Casares
James Brooks
Don Perkins
Bill Gregory
Dexter Manley

Guess which players make the list ... ?

James Harris
Bobby Hebert
Jeff Hostetler
Don Meredith
Ron Jaworski
Doug Williams
Hewritt Dixon
Willie Gallimore
Marv Hubbard
Mark Van Eeghan
Sammy Winder
Homer Jones
Bob Scarpitto
Pat Studstill
John Taylor
Bobby Walston
Luis Sharpe
Ray Childress
Ben Davidson
Rosie Grier
Lou Rymkus? -- listed on defensive line? Mostly an offensive tackle but worthy and won 1st AFL Championship as HC
Otis Sistrunk
Bubba Smith -- great before injury
Bill Stanfill -- see above
Dan Conners
Matt Millen
Fred Williamson
Don Mosebar

I like Don Doll but he only played six years.
Alan Ameche completed only five seasons.
Cecil Isbell only played five seasons.

There are others listed that probably shouldn't have been but it's subjective and doesn't excuse the above omissions.

[SixtiesFan]

I see Chuck Foreman, whom we've just been discussing made the list. So did Larry Brown, Timmy Brown, and Byron "Whizzer" White among others.

The late Supreme Court Justice White hated the name "Whizzer."

[Brian wolf]

I hope I am wrong, but despite a screening and cutdown to 50 players, we will basically see the same 29 senior semi-finalists from last year with these players possibly left off for recentism. Only ties may help them.

In Jeopardy?

Powell
Isbell
Wistert
Conerly

Ties could help and I don't foresee a surprise candidate coming out of the 50 chosen.

[conace21]

It looks like someone was asleep at the switch. Sean Landeta was originally listed one the list of 183 Senior preliminary nominees. The only problem is that to be eligible a Senior, a player must have played no later than the 1999 season. Landeta played until 2005. The revised page now lists 182 nominees.


The HOF announcement said that "Qualifications include five years of service and at least one recognized postseason honor." But yet, Byron "Whizzer" White is on the list, and he only played in three NFL seasons. Doug Williams is also on the list, and he never made a Pro Bowl, All Pro team, or All Conference Team. I guess maybe the Super Bowl MVP award could be considered a postseason honor?

[JohnTurney]

Guess which players are Raiders on the included kist? Raider Nation nominated a ton of people. A nomination by anyone gets you on the list

Hewritt Dixon
Marv Hubbard
Mark Van Eeghan
Tom Keating
Ben Davidson
Otis Sistrunk
Dan Conners
Rod Martin
Matt Millen
Fred Williamson
Don Mosebar

And I am sure I may have missed a few. None of those guys grab me.

[rewing84]

I hope I am wrong, but despite a screening and cutdown to 50 players, we will basically see the same 29 senior semi-finalists from last year with these players possibly left off for recentism. Only ties may help them.

In Jeopardy?

Powell
Isbell
Wistert
Conerly

Ties could help and I don't foresee a surprise candidate coming out of the 50 chosen.

id say of those four im thinking wistert and conerly will be bypassed im a maybe on isbell i think powell will move on hopefully

[Brian wolf]

In an ideal world, Wisniewski would go in as a modern and Grayson as a senior, but Raiders Nation won't get that lucky.

I would love to see another reshuffling of the deck with senior nominees but it looks like since 2023, the queue has been set and can the screening process really impact it? With Hester being elected, will Billy Johnson and Steve Tasker still have a chance to advance?

[ChrisBabcock]

This is obviously a pipe dream, but what if the committee just used the PFRA's Hall of Very Good as their preliminary list. I know... I know....

[Brian wolf]

You're right Chris ... when I saw the preliminary list, I rushed back and looked at all the players that are in the HOVG, and wrote down who were missing, including players that I want to make the HOVG.

It's frustrating just looking at the first five classes of the HOVG, the number of players that still haven't been elected to the HOF.
Many have, and not all of them are worthy, but historians recognized them then, so why can't voters now?