The 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Saturday, Aug. 5, with some of the best players in the history of the National Football League being welcomed into the game’s immortality. After decades of hard work and sacrifice, these players will be honored as the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Very few players are selected for his honor. Of the nine inductees, they had to beat out a crowded field of finalists only after making it through the preliminary process of nominees. Now, after being some of the best at their positions for a decade-plus, the football world will honor them on Saturday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.
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Who are the Hall of Fame inductees for 2023?
DeMarcus Ware, Zach Thomas, Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis, Ronde Barber, Don Coryell, Chuck Howley, Ken Riley and Joe Klecko are the nine inductees of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class on Saturday.
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Now let’s take a look at each of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.
2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class guide
DeMarcus Ware
- DeMarcus Ware career stats: 229 quarterback hits, 171 tackles for loss, 138.5 sacks, 35 forced fumbles, 25 pass deflections, eight fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown
- DeMarcus Ware teams played for: Dallas Cowboys (2005-’13), Denver Broncos (2014-’16)
- Accolades: Nine-time Pro Bowl selection, seven-time All-Pro selection, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, Super Bowl champion
Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, DeMarcus Ware became one of the best pass rushers of his era. Selected out of Troy, the 6-foor-4 edge rusher earned 15 TFLs and eight sacks in his rookie season alone. By 2006, he was named second-team All-Pro and finished with his first Pro Bowl selection. After earning seven All-Pro selections n Dallas, Ware finished his career with the Denver Broncos, winning Super Bowl 50.
Ronde Barber
- Ronde Barber career stats: 197 pass deflections, 47 interceptions, eight defensive touchdowns
- Ronde Barber teams played for: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1997-2012)
- Accolades: Five-time Pro Bowl selection, five-time All-Pro selection, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, Super Bowl champion (XXXVII)
Ronde Barber was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 66th overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-10 cornerback out of Virginia barely saw the field as a rookie, appearing in just one game. It would be one of the rare times in his NFL career that Barber wasn’t playing. From 1998-2012, Barber started 232-of-240 games, setting the NFL record for most consecutive starts by a defensive back (215). He made first-team All-Pro three times (2001, ’04, ’05) and spent his entire career in Tampa Bay.
Joe Thomas
- Joe Thomas awards: 10-time Pro Bowl selection, eight-time All-Pro selection, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Cleveland browns Ring of Honor
- Joe Thomas career earnings: $122.85 million in 11 seasons
Joe Thomas holds the NFL record for most consecutive snaps played (10,363) and that’s just a part of what defined his Hall of Fame career. Taken by the Cleveland Browns with the third overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Thomas made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. He would go on to be second-team All-Pro in his second season and earned first-team All-Pro honors (2009-’11, 2013-’15) for the majority of his career. Unfortunately, the Browns went 48-128 with Thomas on the roster and he never appeared in the playoffs.
Darrelle Revis
- Darrelle Revis stats (career):
- Darrelle Revis teams played for: New York Jets (2007-’12), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2013), New England Patriots (2014), New York Jets (2015-’16), Kansas City Chiefs (2017)
- Accolades: Seven-time Pro Bowl selection, four-time first-team All-Pro selection, Super Bowl champion (XLIX), NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
Darrelle Revis was drafted by the New York Jets with the 14th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. At his best, Revis was one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history. In 2009, he held opposing quarterbacks to a 32.3 passer rating when they targeted him (Pro Football Focus) and he allowed a career 65.6 quarterback rating in over 5,346 career coverage snaps. Putting that into perspective, a 65.6 quarterback rating would’ve ranked 55th among NFL quarterbacks in 2022, right ahead of John Wolford (64.6).
Ken Riley
- Ken Riley career stats:
- Ken Riley teams played for: Cincinnati Bengals (1969-’83)
- Accolades: Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor, 1983 first-team All-Pro, two-time second-team All-Pro selection (1975-’76)
Not only is Ken Rhodes the newest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was also once selected for a Rhodes Scholar Candidacy. Chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Florida A&M with a sixth-round pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, Riley was one of the best cornerbacks of his era. The 5-foot-11 corner recorded four-plus interceptions in each of his first three seasons and had five-plus interceptions in seven different seasons, including a career-high nine in 1976. After his playing career was over, Riley returned to Florida A&M as head coach (1986-’93) and then shifted to athletic director (1994-2003). He died of a heart attack in June 2020 at the age of 72 years old.
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Joe Klecko
- Joe Klecko career stats:
- Joe Klecko teams played for: New York Jets (1977-’87), Indianapolis Colts (1988)
- Accolades: NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1981), four-time Pro Bowl selection, three-time All-Pro selection, New York Jets No. 73 retired
Joe Klecko is the second of two New York Jets’ all-time defensive greats to make it into the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. He was drafted with a sixth-round pick (144th overall) in 1977. Klecko, a 6-foot-3 defensive lineman erupted for eight sacks as a rookie and reached double-digit sacks in his fourth NFL season. Incredibly, Klecko recorded 20.5 sacks in 1981, becoming just the ninth player in NFL history at the time to record 20-plus sacks in a season. He moved to defensive tackle in 1983, recording 22 sacks as an interior pass-rushing specialist in his final 77 games.
Don Coryell
- Don Coryell teams coached: St. Louis Cardinals (1973-’77), San Diego Chargers (1978-’86)
- Accolades: NFL Coach of the year (1974), Los Angeles Chargers Hall of Fame, three-time NCAA Divison II champion (1966-’68, San Diego State)
- Don Coryell coaching record: 117-95-1
NFL offenses likely aren’t where they are today without Don Coryell. The creator of the “Air Coryell” offense, Coryell brought explosive offenses that attacked defenses vertically to the NFL. He fundamentally changed pro football for the better, playing an instrumental role in the game becoming more high-scoring. Coryell’s offenses led the NFL in yards five times, led the league in points three times and his play-calling generated top-10 offenses in 12-of-14 seasons as a head coach. Coryell died on July 1, 2010, at age 85.
Chuck Howley
- Cbuck Howley stats: 26 sacks, 25 tackles for loss, 18 fumble recoveries,
- Chuck Howley teams played for: Chicago Bears (1958-’59), Dallas Cowboys (1961-’73)
- Accolades: Super Bowl MVP (V), Super Bowl champion (VI), six-time Pro Bowl selections, six-time All-Pro selection, Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
After being drafted by the Chicago Bears with the seventh pick in the 1958 NFL Draft, Chuck Howley was a non-factor early in his career. The 6-foot-3 linebacker didn’t start a single game in his first two seasons and then suffered what many feared to be a career-ending injury in August 1959. However, Howley decided to make a comeback in 1961, with Chicago trading him to the Dallas Cowboys for second- and ninth-round picks in the 1963 NFL Draft.
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It proved to be one of the best trades in Cowboys’ history. Howley immediately became a starter in Dallas and earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 1965. In Super Bowl V, despite losing 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts, Howley was Super Bowl MVP. A year later, the Cowboys won Super Bowl VI. All 26 of Howley’s interceptions and 24-of-25 sacks in his career came in 13 seasons with Dallas.
Zach Thomas
- Zach Thomas stats: 1,107 solo tackles, 74 tackles for loss, 40 pass deflections, 20.5 sacks, 17 interceptions and 16 forced fumbles
- Zach Thomas teams played for: Miami Dolphins (1996-2007), Dallas Cowboys (2008)
- Accolades: Seven-time Pro Bowl selection, seven-time All-Pro selection, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, two-time NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year
The Miami Dolphins took a chance on a 5-foot-11 linebacker out of Texas Tech with the 154th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. Zach Thomas would go on to become one of the best linebackers of his era. He found success instantly, making the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 1996 and placing second for Defensive Rookie of the Year. By his third NFL season, Thomas was named first-team All-Pro and finished third for Defensive Player of the Year. At the peak of his Hall of Fame career (1998-2006), Thomas made first- or second-team All-Pro in seven of nine seasons, leading the NFL in tackles twice.
