Behind the Bronze: Kellen Winslow

Hall of Famers Published on : 11/23/2010

Two-hundred-sixty bronze busts reside in the Hall of Fame Gallery inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They "immortalize" the greatest players, coaches, and contributors that this game has produced.
 

Kellen Winslow


Kellen Winslow was one of the most prolific pass-catching tight ends in NFL history. He had an incredible 89 catches in his second season in 1980 and followed that with 88-catch seasons in 1981 and 1983. In all, the five-time Pro Bowler amassed 541 career receptions. He was enshrined in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Kellen's HOF Bio>>>

Behind the Bronze Series:

Jack Ham>>>
Joe DeLamielleure>>>
Charlie Sanders>>>
Dave Wilcox>>>
Randall McDaniel>>>
Jack Youngblood>>>
Willie Lanier>>>
Mel Blount>>>
Sonny Jurgensen>>>
Larry Csonka>>>

Hobbies: Golf. Golf.

Last Book You Read: John Grisham's The Confession.

Favorite Movie: Denzell Washington in Crimson Tide.

Favorite Music: Oh, I'm so moody. It just depends what mood I'm in. I can go from classical to jazz all the way to R&B and every now and then a little country & western. I'm all over the place with music.

Favorite Food: I don't have a favorite food.

Favorite Current NFL Player: The kid who's playing tight end in Tampa!

Favorite Athlete in Another Sport: Muhammad Ali.

Favorite NFL Team as a Child: St. Louis Cardinals.

First Job: I had a newspaper route.

Your Favorite NFL Stadium During Your Career (other than Jack Murphy): Kansas City. Great field, good fans, very fair fans.

One Person Who Influenced You Most: Dr. Walter Daniel. He was the Vice-Chancellor at University of Missouri-Columbia. He adopted me. If I could point to one person who I owe a lot to about the way I think, it would be him.

Did you have any pre-game rituals/superstitions? Tape couldn't be too tight on your ankles, it had to be just right. And, a new pair of socks. I had to be comfortable.

Was there a reason for choosing No. 80? In San Diego, they didn't give you any choice.

Watch: Kellen Winslow recalls his most memorable game.

Toughest Opponent: The guy who gave me the most trouble was Mike Davis who played for the Raiders and finished his career with us. He was a free safety who was big and tall. And, Jerry Robinson of the Eagles who finished up with the Raiders.

How would you spend time during the offseason? I either had a job or was in school.

What makes you most proud about your Hall of Fame career: Honestly, it's still hard for me to realize that I'm in there.

Did you ever realize at some point that you may someday make the Hall of Fame? No.

Where were you when you learned that you had been elected to the Hall of Fame? In a restaurant having breakfast with a couple of friends in the Fontainbleau Hilton in Miami Beach.

How did you go about picking Cornelius Perry as your presenter? If not for Coach Perry, I never would have played football. He convinced me to come out for football my senior year in high school.

If you could do your Enshrinement Speech over today, what would you change? Nothing.

Your greatest accomplishment outside of football: My children.