Anthony Munoz Supports Jaguars Legend Tony Boselli’s Hall of Fame Candidacy: ‘He Deserves to Be in Canton’
If there is any expert on offensive line play, it is likely Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Anthony Munoz. When he says something about a blocker, it is worth listening to. After all, he is considered one of the best, if not the best, offensive linemen in NFL history.
That is what makes Munoz's support of Jacksonville Jaguar legendary left tackle Tony Boselli so noteworthy. Munoz has long supported Boselli's candidacy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he threw even more praise Boselli's way in an interview with Jaguars Today on Jacksonville radio station 1010 XL/92.5 FM on Wednesday.
For the fourth consecutive year, Boselli is a finalist to be inducted into Canton. After failing to be voted in the first three times, Boselli and the Jaguars are hoping the fourth time is the charm when the inductees get announced during NFL Honors, a two-hour award special which will air Saturday at 9 p.m. Earlier in the day, cases for Boselli and other finalists will be made to the 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
Munoz and Boselli are both former USC Trojans, but Munoz said it is irrelevant where Boselli went to school -- he simply deserves to wear a gold jacket.
"You know, first of all, people always hate on me when I promote Tony Boselli. 'Oh he's another Trojan!' I say hey if he went to Appalachian State and I watched the guy play, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame," Munoz told Jaguars Today.
"I went right into broadcasting when he entered the league so I had a chance to watch him several times, and I watched him, of course, being a Trojan. You do watch the guys that played at the school where you played and went to school there," Munoz continued.
"You know, intensity wise, technically, I mean. And people keep pointing to the career, it wasn't long. No, but he was the best when he played."
This is high, high praise from Munoz considering his pedigree and knowledge of the position. Munoz points out the obvious argument against Boselli, which is the fact that his career only lasted seven seasons in Jacksonville before injuries forced him into eventual retirement.
But despite Boselli playing in only 91 games in his career, he was a dominant force, and Munoz said this should be enough to get him into a Hall of Fame that so far has eluded the former Jaguars great.
"Tony should be in, and hopefully Saturday at the honors we will see the big guy walk out on stage," Munoz said. "He deserves to be in Canton."
Boselli was the Jags’ first-ever draft selection in the 1995 NFL Draft and played with the team until 2001. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his last seasons with the Jags, was a first-team All-Pro three times (1997-99) and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame second-team All-1990s Team. There has been little debate about the quality of his career, but the lack of longevity has been what has kept him out of Canton thus far.
For Boselli's and the Jaguars' sake, the hope is this is the year voters will at long last begin to side with Munoz's line of thinking and induct Boselli into the Hall of Fame, fitting him with a gold jacket and giving him football immortality.
You can listen to the rest of Munoz's interview with Jaguars Today here.
