Wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Wide Receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame John Stallworth caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards, and 63 touchdowns during his 14-season career with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974-1987. He was voted to four Pro Bowls, played in six AFC championship games, and four Super Bowls. He joins 15 other modern-era wide receivers in the Hall of Fame. Here's a rundown of their careers.
Raymond Berry - 1955-1967 Baltimore Colts - Originally a 20th-round draft pick, Berry Fred Biletnikoff - 1965-1978 Oakland Raiders - He hauled in 40 or more catches in 10 straight seasons. Name All-AFL/AFC four times, Biletnikoff had 589 career catches for 8,974 yards, and 76 touchdowns. Tom Fears - 1948-1956 Los Angeles Rams - A precise pattern-runner, Fears led the NFL in receiving his first three years in the league including an 84-catch season in 1950. He held single game record of 18 receptions, and recorded 400 catches for 5,397 yards, and 38 TDs. Elroy Hirsch - 1946-1948 Chicago Rockets (AAFC), 1949-1957 Los Angeles Rams - "Crazylegs" Hirsch also played halfback in his career. Led the NFL in receiving and scoring in 1951 as 10 of his 17 TDs that season were long bombs. Career marks include 387 catches for 7,029 yards, and 60 touchdowns. Charlie Joiner - 1969-1972 Houston Oilers, 1972-1975 Cincinnati Bengals, 1976-1986 San Diego Chargers - Joiner played 18 seasons, 239 games which is the most ever for anyone at his position. He was a key element of the Chargers' "Air Coryell" offensive attack. Career stats include 750 catches, 12,146 yards, and 65 TDs. Steve Largent - 1976-1989 Seattle Seahawks - A seven-time Pro Bowl pick, Largent had 70 or more catches in six seasons, and 50 or more 10 times. He finished his career with 819 catches, 13,089 yards, and 100 touchdowns. Dante Lavelli - 1946-1949 Cleveland Browns (AAFC), 1950-1956 Cleveland Browns (NFL) - Lavelli, nicknamed "Gluefingers," was named All-AAFC twice and All-NFL two times. He hauled in 386 passes for 6,488 yards, and 62 TDs in his career. Don Maynard - 1958 New York Giants, 1960-1962 New York Titans, 1963-1972 New York Jets, 1973 St. Louis Cardinals - Maynard caught a career-high 72 passes in his first season with the Titans in 1960. He went over 50 catches and 1,000 yards five times in a career in which he caught 633 receptions for 11,834 yards, and 88 touchdowns. Tommy McDonald - 1957-1963 Philadelphia Eagles, 1964 Dallas Cowboys, 1965-1966 Los Angeles Rams, 1967 Atlanta Falcons, 1968 Cleveland Browns - McDonald, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, had a career ratio of touchdowns to receptions of 1 to 5.9. He retired as the sixth all-time leading receiver with 495 receptions, for 8,410 yards, and 84 touchdowns. Bobby Mitchell - 1958-1961 Cleveland Browns, 1962-1968 Washington Redskins - An exceptionally fast runner, Mitchell began his career as a halfback with the Browns. Switched to wideout with Washington and finished career with 521 catches and 14,078 combined yards. Pete Pihos - 1947-1955 Philadelphia Eagles - Pihos was an All-NFL choice six times in nine seasons and caught the winning touchdown pass in the 1949 NFL Championship. He led the NFL in receiving three straight years and had 373 career receptions for 5,619 yards. Lynn Swann - 1974-1982 Pittsburgh Steelers - Graceful moves and tremendous leaping ability led to Swann's superlative catches that highlighted his career. He was the MVP of Super Bowl X and caught 336 receptions, for 5,462 yards, and 51 touchdowns in his career.
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set a NFL championship game record with 12 catches for 178 yards in '58 Championship. He amassed a then-record 631 receptions for 9,275 yards, and 68 touchdowns.
Charley Taylor - 1964-1975, 1977 Washington Redskins - Taylor started his career at running back before becoming a wide receiver in 1966. He retired as the game's all-time leading receiver with 649 catches for 9,140 yards, and 79 touchdowns.