Road to Canton (via South Florida)
On the day before Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida next February, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors will meet to hold its annual selection meeting to elect between four and seven individuals who will comprise the Class of 2010. The 44-person committee will debate the merits of 17 final candidates. Two of those finalists are this year’s senior nominees, former Detroit Lions defensive back Dick LeBeau and Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little.
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Between now and Thanksgiving Weekend, Profootballhof.com will profile the groups of players who comprise this list of nominees for the 2010 class.
THIS WEEK:
Offensive Linemen
NEXT WEEK: Linebackers
PREVIOUS WEEKS:
Running Backs | Defensive Linemen | First-Year Eligibles | QBs | Special teams, Coaches & Contributors
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s honor roll of enshrinees includes 34 modern-era offensive linemen. The most recent addition to the category came last year when guard Randall McDaniel was elected. History shows that there’s a relatively high possibility of another offensive lineman earning a spot in Canton again in 2010. The last time neither a guard, tackle, nor center was included in a class of enshrinees was in 2005. In fact, 14 of the past 20 classes of enshrinees have included at least one offensive lineman and six times in that span, a class has had multiple players from the front line elected.
This year’s list of nominees includes 14 offensive linemen – seven tackles, three centers, three guards, and one player – Chris Hinton – who split time between guard and tackle.
Russ Grimm |
Two of this year’s nominees who have garnered the most interest in the past are guard Russ Grimm and center Dermontti Dawson. Grimm, a former four-time All-Pro with the Washington Redskins, has been a finalist each year since 2005. Dawson, who earned seven Pro Bowl berths during his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, made it to the final 15 of modern-era candidates for the first time last year.
The only other player on the list who has advanced beyond the preliminary list of nominees was Grimm’s fellow “Hog,” Joe Jacoby. The Redskins tackle was among the semifinalists in 2005 and again in 2008.
Here’s a closer look at the entire list of OLs under consideration for 2010 and how they stack up against each other.
Tony Boselli (T) – 1995-2002 Jacksonville Jaguars
Lomas Brown (T) – 1985-1995 Detroit Lions, 1996-98 Arizona Cardinals, 1999 Cleveland Browns, 2000-01 New York Giants, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jim Covert (T) – 1983-1990 Chicago Bears
Dermontti Dawson (C) – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Russ Grimm (G) – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
Jay Hilgenberg (C) – 1981-1991 Chicago Bears, 1992 Cleveland Browns, 1993 New Orleans Saints
Chris Hinton (G/T) – 1983-89 Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, 1990-93 Atlanta Falcons, 1994-95 Minnesota Vikings
Kent Hull (C) – 1986-1996 Buffalo Bills
Joe Jacoby (T) – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins
Mike Kenn (T) – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons
Jim Lachey (T) – 1985-87 San Diego Chargers, 1988 Los Angeles Raiders, 1988-1992, 1994-95 Washington Redskins
Max Montoya (G) – 1979-1989 Cincinnati Bengals, 1990-94 Los Angeles Raiders
Korey Stringer (T) – 1995-2000 Minnesota Vikings
Steve Wisniewski (G) 1989-2001 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
Offensive Linemen Nominees for 2010 Election | ||||||||
Honors | Championship Teams | |||||||
Player | Years | Position | All Pro | All Conf. | Pro Bowls | Div. | Conf. | League |
Tony Boselli | 8 | Tackle | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Lomas Brown | 18 | Tackle | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Jim Covert | 8 | Tackle | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Dermontti Dawson | 13 | Center | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Russ Grimm | 11 | Guard | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Jay Hilgenberg | 13 | Center | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Chris Hinton | 13 | Guard/Tackle | 2 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Kent Hull | 11 | Center | 3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
Joe Jacoby | 13 | Tackle | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
Mike Kenn | 17 | Tackle | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Jim Lachey | 10 | Tackle | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Max Montoya | 16 | Guard | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Korey Stringer | 6 | Tackle | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Steve Wisniewski | 13 | Guard | 5 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Boomer Esiason's jersey
Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player for the 1988 season. He led the Bengals to a 12-4 record and a berth in Super Bowl XXII. Esiason wore this jersey during that memorable season.
Ralph Wilson receives ring
Class of 2009 enshrinee Ralph Wilson, Jr. received his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring at halftime of the Bills-Texans game at the stadium named after him.