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Today, I turned my focus from last weekend’s games to the upcoming schedule on tap in the NFL in Week 11. As I perused the schedule, three games in particular jumped out at me. That’s because the Colts, Cardinals, and Titans all play games on the road in the cities where they used to reside.

Indianapolis returns to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. The Colts were born in Baltimore in 1953 before relocating to the Hoosier state in 1984. This relocation draws, by far, the most passion from fans. I was reminded of this a few weeks ago when I attended the 39th Annual International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) Conference in Baltimore. It was hosted by the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum/Sports Legends at Camden Yards. By the way, that’s a must see next time you’re in Baltimore. Sports Legends had a terrific exhibit about the Baltimore Colts. The city has so much pride and even though the Colts left town more than a quarter century again, it’s quite apparent the loss still stings today. I’m always amazed at the debate that still surrounds the Colts franchise and how so many in Baltimore agonize that the franchise left the city.

While the Ravens winning sure cures some of what ails the older football fan in Baltimore; the cities of St. Louis and Houston seem to have had a less traumatic recovery from losing its NFL team. Both cities seem fully entrenched in following the Rams and Texans respectively. I suspect a smaller percentage of fans sitting in Edward Jones Dome or Reliant Stadium will carry the same venom toward their opponent this weekend than those watching the Colts battle the Ravens at M&T Stadium.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

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You can hardly make it through a NFL game on television without having an announcer use the line, “he’s a future Hall of Famer” or “he’s on his way to Canton.”

Over the years of working at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I’ve had the privilege to be a part of many conversations with enshrinees of this hallowed hall. One thing that has always struck me is how humbled most are to have received their sport’s highest honor. It is because of this humility, rarely will an individual ever take for granted that they are worthy of being enshrined. Even those players or coaches you’d call a “lock” will fear jinxing the possibility by ever really talking about it before it actually happens.

But, as fans, we relish the opportunity to share our thoughts on whether a player, coach or other individuals are worthy of a bust in Canton. Talk to any Broncos fan about Karl Mecklenburg or Terrell Davis. Go ahead and tell a Bears fan that Richard Dent shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame. And, while you’re at it, why don’t you seek out a Raiders fan and tell him or her how happy you are that Ray Guy hasn’t been enshrined yet!

Okay, am I striking a nerve with you yet? Well, let me tell you that our 44-person Board of Selectors is in the final stages of evaluating all 131 preliminary nominees for the Class of 2010. On Thanksgiving Weekend, that group will trim the list to 25 semifinalists.

So, have been doing your homework? This season, for the first time ever, we are letting fans just like you debate the merits of our nominees. Thanks to our friends at JCPenny/Van Heusen, we are excited to give you a platform where you can not only voice your choice by engaging in the discussion but you can also cast your vote!

I ask all the Raiders fans, are you really satisfied that punter Ray Guy currently stands at No. 6 in the voting on the site. What about all the Cowboys fans who are often times claim that there is a bias against their team. Are you going to just watch Tony Romo and Austin Miles each week and ignore the fact that Ed “Too Tall” Jones ranks 18th in the fan voting?

Calling all Broncos fans….you know that Floyd Little will be part of the finalists this year since he’s one of the two senior nominees already selected. But, what about Terrell Davis? Have you finally succumbed and now agree with those critics who say his career was too short? Well, apparently you have, since he is No. 29 in the fan voting!

Enough of my “locker room” speech. Get out there and vote. Visit the Voice your Choice site now and cast your vote for your favorite nominees for the Class of 2010!

www.jcp.com/fans  or  www.Fanschoice.com

 

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If you’re among the nearly 5,000 who are fans of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Facebook then you already know what our page looks like. If you’re not, then go ahead and become a fan. You’ll find us at www.Facebook.com/ProFootballHOF.

The page gives us a good pulse on what football fans want from us. A comment posted on our wall yesterday gave us a great idea for a story today on Profootballhof.com. Many football fans heard on Sunday about how Ted Ginn made history by returning a pair of kickoffs for TDs. But, lost among the many highlights were the specific details around his amazing day against the Jets.

So, we thought we’d test our fans with a daily trivia question posted on our Facebook page. It asked who was the last player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game. The answers from our fans varied. We posted the answer later in the afternoon. Then, one fan shared that he knew the answer but was wondering if Mel Gray or Eric Metcalf had ever done it.

It became quite evident that the rare accomplishment needed documented. So, if you go to today’s story, you’ll get the full details around the eight players in NFL history who’ve returned two touchdowns in the same game.

One simple posting on our Facebook page reminds us as well as you that the more engaged you become with us – whether through Facebook or on Twitter, or by commenting on my blog – the more we can give you what you want!

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In early August just as I was preparing for our annual enshrinement ceremony, I read with great enjoyment that Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon will be honored as the first member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new Ring of Honor.

When the Buccaneers return from London, they get a week off and then return to Raymond James Stadium to face the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 8. It is at that game that they’ll honor the franchise’s first-ever draft pick and the first Buccaneer to earn a bust in Canton.

I’ll get to Lee Roy in a moment. But first, let me talk about what the Bucs are doing. If you visit our section on the history of the NFL teams, you’ll notice a tab labeled “Team Greats” for each of the current 32 clubs. This is where we promote how the teams honor their individual greats. It’s here where you can find direct links to the Dolphins Honor Roll, the Packers Hall of Fame, the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame among the many other ways teams honor the best players, coaches, and others from their past.

If you click on the Buccaneers, you’d see a link to the history section of their website. In a couple of weeks, we’re changing that so our website will link directly to the Bucs’ Ring of Honor.

You see, all of us at the Hall of Fame come to work each and every day with one goal in mind. And that’s to uphold our mission statement (see it here).

If you just clicked on that link, you noticed that our mission statement starts with the line, “to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to professional football.”

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, including the recent six-man Class of 2009 – Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson, Jr., and Rod Woodson – has only 253 members. Of that group, 219 were players.
“Our” players represent the greatest 219 players from the 20,000-plus who’ve played in the National Football League since it started in Canton, Ohio in 1920.

That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been hundreds and hundreds of other great players who won’t make it to Canton but nevertheless had spectacular careers.

We applaud all of the teams who go to these great lengths to pay tribute to those individuals who’ve helped make the NFL the envy of all other sports leagues.

So, hats off (or should I say helmets off) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the new Ring of Fame.

Lee Roy Selmon is the obvious choice to be the first honored in the team’s Ring of Fame. And that has nothing to do with the delicious menu at his restaurants in the Tampa area. I ate at his place during the Super Bowl last year and my dinner was outstanding. And, no Lee Roy didn’t pay me for that quick promo.

Selmon has always been the face of this franchise. When the expansion team started up in 1976, he was the first ever draft pick. He quickly established himself as one of the most dominating pass rushers of his era.

While many recall that the Bucs’ began by going 0-26, many forget to remember quite how quickly the franchise’s fortunes turned. Tampa went from 0-14 in ’76, 2-12 in ’77, and 5-11 in ’78 before winning the NFC Central Division with a 10-6 record in 1979 just its fourth season. Two years later, the team won another division title. Through it all, Selmon was the Bucs leader.

He amassed 78.5 sacks during his career and added nearly 400 more quarterback pressures. Seeing No. 63 coming was one of an NFL quarterback’s worst nightmares from 1976 through 1984. The six-time Pro Bowl lineman hung up his cleats after the ’84 season.

Eleven years later, he was standing on the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio being honored as the first member of the Buccaneers to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On November 8, he again enjoys the limelight as the team places him permanently into the Ring of Fame.

Congratulations to Lee Roy. And, congrats to the Buccaneers!

 

Selmon, Lee Roy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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