Jerry Kramer - WHY so long??

[74_75_78_79_]

What WAS the 'logic' all this time of him NOT being inducted into Canton all this time?? And does this end all those '60s Packers still not being in yet? Or are there others that still need to get in there from those Classic '60s Lombardi Packer squads?

[bachslunch]

I don’t think there are too many other Lombardi era Packers left over that are utter HoF musts now that Kramer is finally in. Bill Forester (4/4/none) isn’t at all unreasonable — or Gale Gillingham (5/5/none) if you consider him to be part of that era since his career started at the very end of it.

One could conceivably consider folks like Bob Skoronski (0/1/none but great in film study) or Fuzzy Thurston (2/0/none, also reportedly good in film study) or Boyd Dowler (0/2/60s) as well, though there are too many other folks not in — including many old time Packers like Dilweg, Lewellen, Howton, and Dillon — who strike me as higher priority.

[ChrisBabcock]

Dilweg, Howton and Dillon would top the list of "Packers not in the Hall the deserve to be" in my opinion.

[bachslunch]

Have posted this before, and I guess I'll post it again.

Speculating:

-his book “Instant Replay” may have ruffled some feathers.

-he missed most of 1964 and some of 1961 to injury.

-some voters, like Dr. Z, apparently weren’t sufficiently impressed with his level of play. Remembered reading somewhere that some voters thought his teammate Fuzzy Thurston was more accomplished, but no idea how true that was. Kramer’s weakness, given what the film study report at Ken Crippen’s site suggests, appears to have been pass blocking — so his game was not flawless. He was reportedly extremely good as a blocker on screen passes and running plays and was an excellent pulling guard, though.

-he may have been a victim of Packer overload. He is now the 12th starter on those 60s championship Packer teams elected to the HoF.

-despite having been a 5 time 1st team all pro and appearing on the all 60s decade team, he only made 3 pro bowls.

[JohnH19]

The fact that he was named to the 50th anniversary team in 1970 should have made him a first ballot inductee regardless of any possible reasons for keeping him out.

[SixtiesFan]

Have posted this before, and I guess I'll post it again.

Speculating:

-his book “Instant Replay” may have ruffled some feathers.

-he missed most of 1964 and some of 1961 to injury.

-some voters, like Dr. Z, apparently weren’t sufficiently impressed with his level of play. Remembered reading somewhere that some voters thought his teammate Fuzzy Thurston was more accomplished, but no idea how true that was. Kramer’s weakness, given what the film study report at Ken Crippen’s site suggests, appears to have been pass blocking — so his game was not flawless. He was reportedly extremely good as a blocker on screen passes and running plays and was an excellent pulling guard, though.

-he may have been a victim of Packer overload. He is now the 12th starter on those 60s championship Packer teams elected to the HoF.

-despite having been a 5 time 1st team all pro and appearing on the all 60s decade team, he only made 3 pro bowls.

"his book 'Instant Replay' may have ruffled some feathers."

I've seen that before as a reason Kramer couldn't get in the HOF. It's been pointed out that the block on Jethro Pugh was a double-team block and Ken Bowman should have received equal credit. Bowman has said Jerry Kramer seized ALL the credit in post-game interviews and with his book.

It's worth remembering that Kramer kicked three field goals in the Packers 16-7 victory over the Giants in the 1962 NFL Championship game.

[Citizen]

He was a tireless self-promoter who for years took every chance to tell the world how great he was and how richly he deserved enshrinement. HoF voters are only human; they don't like being told what to do. I'd say it was Kramer's own inflated ego, among other factors, that kept him out this long.

[bachslunch]

He was a tireless self-promoter who for years took every chance to tell the world how great he was and how richly he deserved enshrinement. HoF voters are only human; they don't like being told what to do. I'd say it was Kramer's own inflated ego, among other factors, that kept him out this long.

Good point. Have read that the same self-boosterism thing negatively impacted Benny Friedman's HoF candidacy as well.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Good point. Have read that the same self-boosterism thing negatively impacted Benny Friedman's HoF candidacy as well.

Yep, same here. I actually think Friedman was right in the stuff he said, but when your playing career ended long before the HOF began, probably not the best way to play it.

[JohnH19]

HoF voters are only human; they don't like being told what to do.

That just makes the voters sound like petulant children. As I said in my previous post, no player on the 50th anniversary team should have had to wait any length of time to be inducted.