Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Sorry, just noticed its alphabetized ...

Brian wolf wrote:John is this list in order and official ?

looks like you posted it anyway , LOL, but I didn't say not to, and the vote is over

but that was fast

Brian wolf wrote:Sorry RichardBak, Parker jilted again. Did his relations with black ballplayers in Detroit/Pitts derail his chances ? What is the issue with him not getting elected ?

The only ones who know for sure are those who didn't vote for him. But yeah, you have to think his views on race have become an even bigger issue over the last few years, with all that's going on. I've long thought he deserves to be in. Maybe someday he and Al Wistert will get their busts.

I don't think its much different than the HOVG. Not enough folks with an interest/appreciation of history combined with not enough folks who are objective makes for a bad combination. Personally, I would prefer they make it official and rule all the two-way players ineligible. Otherwise what you wind up with is stuff like Bill Hewitt becoming a punchline for a joke on ESPN because he made the centennial top 100.

A few thoughts on Wistert:

Had the blocks that he and Bucko Kilroy made to open the hole for Van Buren's TD in the 48 Championship gotten today's type of media coverage, my opinion is that they would likely both be in the HOF.

I got to know Al some after he was in his 90s. He once told me that he thought the reason he wasn't voted into the Hall in the early days was that he didn't serve in the war -- he had an injury when he took his physical that kept him out. He thought that some of the early voters held a bias against that. I never asked him how he arrived at that notion, but that was his thought by the time I got to chat with him. And, as someone else noted, the early voters might have had a much better chance to see him play. Fans and voters now have only a few films, and it's been that way probably for the majority of voters for quite a while.

His number has been retired by the Eagles, so the organization certainly thought very highly of his talents. They haven't retired Pete Pihos' or Tommy McDonald's numbers and they're in the HOF.

GameBeforeTheMoney wrote:He once told me that he thought the reason he wasn't voted into the Hall in the early days was that he didn't serve in the war -- he had an injury when he took his physical that kept him out. He thought that some of the early voters held a bias against that.

Thanks @GameBeforeTheMoney. Great point on Wistert. I remember reading that in your book. It does seem to me they added some players to the HOF on the basis of being veterans so it wouldn't surprise me at all if it also kept some people out. Also, he was a lineman, not a position that generates a ton of headlines.

Hoping Howley, Gradishar or Wistert get the final two senior nominations before the format is revisited for 2025 -With hopefully, two seniors per year- but also be happy for Dilweg or Lewellen, IF the voters get their stuff together ?

I'm still hoping Ox Emerson gets in. That being said, besides Emerson, Dilweg, Lewellen, Wistert, Howley, and Gradishar shouls all be in and all belong in the Hall, in my opinion.

TanksAndSpartans wrote:

GameBeforeTheMoney wrote:He once told me that he thought the reason he wasn't voted into the Hall in the early days was that he didn't serve in the war -- he had an injury when he took his physical that kept him out. He thought that some of the early voters held a bias against that.

Thanks @GameBeforeTheMoney. Great point on Wistert. I remember reading that in your book. It does seem to me they added some players to the HOF on the basis of being veterans so it wouldn't surprise me at all if it also kept some people out. Also, he was a lineman, not a position that generates a ton of headlines.

Thank you. Yeah, that's a great point about him being a lineman as well. No dazzling stats, no feature articles, etc.

Think they should go the baseball route of having seperate committees for seperate eras if they are only going to be looking at candidates from the 60s onwards. Given the late date of the Halls founding I think the lionshare of worthy candidates who've been denied are from before 1960 .