The 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class was announced on Saturday night in the lead up to the annual NFL Awards program, which recognizes the best of the best from the NFL season.
Taking the stage together after the announcement (minus the late-great Junior Seau), here is your 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class with some brief blurbs about each soon-to-be inductee.
Junior Seau, Linebacker (San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots)
Long before Seau tragically took his own life in 2012, he was known as one of the all-time great linebackers. The former All-American at USC was a Day 1 starter for the San Diego Chargers, tallying over 200 total tackles and eight sacks in his first two NFL seasons. From that point on, Seau’s presence was known around the league. He finished with 100-plus tackles nine times, earned 12 trips to the Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All-Pro six times. His passion on the field helped many different defenses dominate throughout his career, including a 2007 New England Patriots squad that finished the regular season undefeated. One of the all-time greats, Seau will be inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously next summer.
Jerome Bettis, Running Back (Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Otherwise known as The Bus, Bettis was among the most intimidating running backs of his era. He put up six consecutive 1,000-plus yards seasons, including 1,665 in 1997. Bettis also scored 91 touchdowns and finished with over 15,000 total yards from scrimmage. He earned six Pro Bowl appearances and won a Super Bowl title with Pittsburgh back in 2005.
Ron Wolf, Executive (Mainly, Green Bay Packers)
Wolf started his career as a scout for the Oakland Raiders back in 1963. He had a hand in the selections of the likes of Art Shell, Ken Stabler, Jack Tatum, Howie Long and Marcus Allen.
However, Wolf’s lasting impact remains his nine-year tenure as the Green Bay Packers general manager. One of his first decisions in Green Bay was to hire Mike Holmgren as the team’s head coach. He would then follow that up by trading for Brett Favre and signing former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Reggie White. During his time as the Packers general manager, they finished 40 games over .500 and made two Super Bowl appearances (one win).
Charles Haley, Pass Rusher (San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys)
It’s a crying shame that Haley had been a finalist in each of the last few years. He helped revolutionize the pass-rush position in the NFL. From 1986-1991 with the San Francisco 49ers, Haley tallied 63.5 sacks and won two Super Bowls. After moving on to the rival Dallas Cowboys in 1992, Haley proceeded to put up 33 sacks in four seasons, winning three more Super Bowls in the process.
Will Shields, Guard (Kansas City Chiefs)
During his playing days, Will Shields was considered the best interior offensive lineman in the NFL. Heck, he has to be considered one of the best guards to ever play. He earned 12 consecutive Pro Bowl trips from 1995 to his retirement in 2006. He also helped lead the way for some amazing seasons from Priest Holmes (over 6,540 yards and 61 touchdowns from 2001-2003) and Larry Johnson (nearly 4,300 yards and 40 touchdowns from 2005-2006).
Tim Brown, Wide Receiver (Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
After missing out on the cut multiple times in the past, one of the greatest receivers of the modern era will finally be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He ranks fifth on the all-time reception list, sixth in receiving yards and is tied for seventh all-time with 100 touchdowns. Brown also put 1,000-plus yards nine different times and was named to the NFL’s All-90’s Team.
Other Inductees
Bill Polian, Front Office Executive (Multiple Teams)
Mick Tingelhoff, Center (Minnesota Vikings)
Outside Looking in
Kurt Warner led his clubs to two Super Bowl appearances and one championship in parts of 11 seasons as a starter. And while he didn’t really join the NFL ranks until the ripe age of 28, Warner proved that he belonged with the big boys. He threw 20-plus touchdowns six different times and surpassed the 4,000-yard mark three times.
When the St. Louis Rams made Orlando Pace the first overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft, it was readily apparent that he was destined for a Hall of Fame career. In 12 seasons with St. Louis, Pace earned seven Pro Bowl trips and three First-Team All-Pro honors. He was tasked with protecting the immobile Kurt Warner before being forced to protect another less-than-athletic quarterback in Marc Bulger. All the talk of “The Greatest Show on Turf” surrounds the skill position players that made up the Rams dynamic offense, but Pace was as valuable as any of them. However, he’s going to have to wait another year.
Speaking of “The Greatest Show on Turf,” Torry Holt‘s domination over a four-year span simply cannot e overstated. From 2000 to 2003, the former first-round pick racked up 371 receptions for nearly 6,000 yards. A victim of the numbers game, Holt will one day find himself in Canton.
Marvin Harrison, who has been plagued by character concerns since leaving the NFL, was one of the most productive receivers in the history of the game prior to his retirement in 2008. He finished a 13-year career with over 1,100 receptions for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns. All good enough to rank him in the top-seven in NFL history in each category. He also still holds the single-season mark for most receptions—143, set in 2002.
Full List of Finalists Who Didn’t Make it
Morten Anderson, Kicker (Multiple Teams)
Don Coryell, Head Coach (St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers)
Terrell Davis, Running Back (Denver Broncos)
Tony Dungy, Head Coach (Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts)
Kevin Greene, Pass Rusher (Multiple Teams)
Marvin Harrison, Wide Receiver (Indianapolis Colts)
Jimmy Johnson, Head Coach (Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins)
John Lynch, Safety (Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos)
Kurt Warner, Quarterback (St. Louis Rams, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals)
Photo: NFL.com