Packers Greats Part of Hall of Fame Backlog
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Pro Football Hall of Fame has long had a backlog of deserving candidates. One of those was Green Bay Packers legend Jerry Kramer. A member of the NFL’s 50th anniversary team, Kramer was inducted into football’s shrine in Canton, Ohio, in 2018. His wait? A preposterous 48 years.
Others are still waiting – and may be waiting forever unless the Hall of Fame opens the door to more legends of yesteryear.
The nine members of the Hall of Fame’s seniors committee have an incredibly difficult challenge. Their job is to sift through dozens of qualified finalists, then choose one for induction. For 2022, it was former Raiders receiver Cliff Branch.
RELATED: Cliff Branch deserving; so is Sterling Sharpe
One of those voters is Rick Gosselin of SI.com’s Talk of Fame Network. Gosselin said he’s got a list of 108 players worthy of at least being discussed. Each year, the seniors committee discusses only 15 players.
That’s a mere drop in the bucket. Of the 108, 94 never have been finalists. In that group are 58 players who were voted to all-decade teams. Fifty-three of those have never been discussed, including four first-team all-decade players. Amazingly, a member of the NFL’s 100th anniversary team, returner Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, has not been discussed.
Gosselin said eight Packers are part of his list of 108: all-1920s end Lavvie Dilweg, all-1930s back and record-setting passer Cecil Isbell, five-time Pro Bowl guard Gale Gillingham, Pro Bowl offensive tackle Bob Skoronski, all-1960s receiver Boyd Dowler, all-Pro tight end Ron Kramer and five-time Pro Bowler and record-setting receiver Sterling Sharpe.
Asked which were most deserving, Gosselin said: “Boyd Dowler and Ron Kramer were both selected to the NFL’s 50th anniversary team. There were only 45 players selected to that team covering the first half-century of NFL football. Forty-three of the 45 have been enshrined in Canton. Only Dowler and Kramer have been left behind -- and neither has ever been a Hall of Fame finalist to have their careers discussed and debated by the selection committee. If you were identified as one of the greatest players in the NFL’s first 50 years, you deserve consideration for the Hall of Fame. Neither player has received that consideration.”
Gosselin’s solution? Check out his piece at The Talk of Fame Network.
