After picking teams of Hall-of-Fame worthy players not enshrined from the NFL's first 40 years (1920-40 and 1940-60), I'm ready to take the next step. I'm picking my third two-decade team of Hall-of-Fame outsiders, and it's the toughest exercise yet.
That's because it covers roughly a 20-year period, 1960-80, that spans an era with a new league (the American Football League) and expanding rosters. So what? So that limited spots in each class of the newly created Pro Football Hall of Fame, with an inevitable result: A lot of qualified candidates were omitted.
Well, now it's time to address them, and I will.
As before, I'm not fussy about a player's career fitting exactly in the time frame of 1960-1980. If someone played a few years before 1960 ... or his career extended into the 1980s ... I'm not concerned. They can be included if the majority of their pro football experience was in the 1960s and 1970s.
If you want, we can call it the "1960-ish-to-1980-ish" team.
And, no, not all the players listed are definitively Hall-of-Fame worthy. Some position groups are stronger than others. But as you will see, there are plenty of deserving candidates who check boxes that voters traditionally value -- All-Pro honors, statistics, rings, intangibles and the "eye test."
In addition, I factored in conversations I've had over the years with writers like Paul Zimmerman, John Steadman and Will McDonough, plus people like the late Mike Giddings, Sr., of Proscout, Inc., as well as interviews with former NFL players, many of whom are in the Hall of Fame..
Ready? Me, too. Let's get started.
OFFENSE
CENTER
No, Hauss was never the best center in pro football during his career. That was usually someone like Jim Otto, Mick Tingelhoff or Jim Langer. But few remember Hauss' consistency. While he may not have been the best, he was always in the top five.
By what measure? In his 14 seasons, he was first-or second-team All-Pro, first-or-second-team All-Conference and/or a Pro Bowl selection 11 times. Granted, his highest honor was first-team on the player's All-Pro team (NEA), but he was second on the AP or PFWA team a handful of seasons.
He never missed a game and started his final 194 -- impressive for a guy who was 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds.
Van Note's 18-year career spanned 1969-86, so his career bleeds into the next decade the most of anyone here. But he belongs in this era even though, like Hauss, he was never the best in the league. But he often was in the upper tier.
GUARDS
This is the loaded position for this period.
Let's start with Jim Ray Smith. His career overlaps the 1950s, but he best fits here and is vastly underrated. Though many ardent football fans would have a tough time identifying him, Smith was a four-time All-Pro (three consensus) for some very good Cleveland Browns teams. He's an honorable mention.
You can throw John Niland into the mix, too, as an honorable mention. He was a six-time Pro Bowler for some great Cowboys' teams. Two AFL guards -- Walt Sweeney and Ed Budde -- could fit here, as well. They went to a combined 16 AFL All-Star Games/Pro Bowls. But I put them on my second-team.
Then there's Doug Wilkerson, the longtime Chargers' stalwart. He could pull, move people in front of him and was a great pass protector. He played for a poor team in the 1970s and didn't get much recognition until the Air Coryell Chargers. Had "Baby Huey" (a nickname given him because of his unnatural strength) played for a contender, he'd have been a 10-time Pro Bowler.
It was difficult leaving Wilkerson out of the top two, but, in the end, I ranked him third-best of this group.
So the two picks are Bob Kuechenberg and Ed White. Their careers extended into the 1980s, but they're most closely tied to what I am calling the NFL's third vicennial. Neither player brought home a surfeit of "alls," though they had some. What they had, however, was the respect of their peers. "Kooch" was the prototype for Hall-of-Famers John Hannah and Joe DeLamielleure, with the two identifying him as the model for how to play guard in the NFL.
White was the classic strongman, often participating in made-for-TV strength competitions and NFLPA arm wrestling contests. Plus. he was versatile. Both he and Kuechenberg could ... and did ... move to offensive tackle when asked to fill in for injured players.
TACKLES.
George Kunz is the top tackle not in Canton from this era. He was elite for a team that was anything but -- the Atlanta Falcons -- then was traded to the Colts where he was part of their 1975-77 resurgence before injuries took their toll.
The other tackle is an odd and tragic case. Chiefs' tackle Jim Tyrer is not in the Hall of Fame because of a 1980 murder/suicide when he took his own life and that of his wife. Their deaths shocked an NFL world decades removed from understanding CTE and its connection to severe depression.
Tyrer's children and his wife's parents have since forgiven him, but the seniors committee has not. Nevertheless, if we're talking about his resume ... and only his resume ... it's beyond reproach.
Russ Washington was a 6-foot-7, 300-plus-pounder overshadowed by Kunz and Hall-of-Fame tackles of the 1970s. But he was the biggest and possibly most athletic individual among all of them. At least, he was according to Jack Youngblood.
Dick Schafrath was a Browns' left tackle, a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler who blocked for the immortal Jim Brown.
TIGHT END
Hard to find one. You pick.
Perhaps converted outside receiver Pete Retzlaff? Maybe. Or how about Russ Francis? He's the one who could play. OK. But does his career spill too far into the 1980s to qualify?
I'm not sure, either, but Fred Arbanas is my pick. He was among one of the best-ever blockers at his position and was the tight end on the All-Time AFL team. So I'll go with him.
After looking at guys like Riley Odoms, Raymond Chester and others, the runner-up is Francis based on what he did in the 1970s. I'd love to see him play today, as he'd be a cross between Travis Kelce and George Kittle.
QUARTERBACK.
There were a few candidates, but. in the end, Ken Anderson edges Jack Kemp, Roman Gabriel and John Brodie. His career bled into the 1980s, but I think of him as a 1970s' player ... even though his MVP season was 1981.
Kemp did not have great passing stats, but he has two AFL championship rings. And Gabriel and Brodie? They get honorable mentions. They had good stats, and each had an NFL MVP to their credit. But, in the final analysis, winning is an important measure for a quarterback, and Kemp got it done. Others did not.
RUNNING BACKS
Larry Brown was an MVP and ran tough, carrying Washington to the 1972 NFC title. The Vikings' Chuck Foreman and his spin move were terrific, but his five Pro Bowls are what get your attention. They're tied for the most of any back from this era not in Canton.
Foreman was often in the mix as the NFL or NFC Player-of-the-Year Award. He was a 1,000-yard rushing back who consistently challenged for the league lead in pass receptions and was one of the first backs to become a bigger part of pro football's passing game.
The 1960 AFL Player of the Year, Abner Haynes, was one of the top players in the younger league for its first five years. I paired him with Lydell Mitchell, who played mostly for the Colts, as my second-team choice.
Of all the running backs from 1960-80 not in the Hall of Fame, Mitchell has the most rushing yards and the most yards from scrimmage. Also, among non-HOF running backs, he caught the most passes. I bet you didn't know that.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Del Shofner's career began in the late 1950s, but his top years were in the 1960s. The tall, slender Texan was a five-time consensus All-Pro, more than all but Jerry Rice, Don Hutson, and Lance Alworth.
So, who should line up opposite Shofner? Otis Taylor? Art Powell? Lionel Taylor? How about Harold Jackson?
You've read that he led the NFL in the 1970s in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown receptions, but you can expand that "peak" to include one year of the 1960s and two years of the 1980s -- 1969-81. In those 13 seasons, the diminutive Jackson led the NFL in those same three categories -- catches, yards, scores -- and was fifth in yards per catch.
Not many receivers from his era were that productive in all major categories for that long a period.
Art Powell, the Hall-of-Fame senior finalist voted down for the Hall's Class of 2024, and Otis Taylor are my second-teamers.
DEFENSE
ENDS
Another deep position with two who had short careers with high peaks -- Rich Jackson and Earl Faison -- and two who excelled on great teams -- L.C. Greenwood of the 1970s' Steelers and Jim Katcavage, who was part of the Sam Huff-led Giants.
My picks are with the high-peak guys, Jackson and Faison.
Jackson was a favorite of Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman, who in 1991 first wrote about his Hall-worthiness in Sports Illustrated, the year Zimmerman joined the Hall's board of selectors.
"Tombstone" Jackson's knock was not his skills. Those were legendary; it was his lack of longevity -- playing just seven seasons but healthy for only 4-1/2.
Like Tombstone, Earl "Tree" Faison had a short career. With Jackson, damaged knees failed him; with Faison, it was an injured back that ended his career. He was a four-time All-AFL player in six seasons, and, though regarded as one of the strongest players in pro football, he ran a 4.8 40.
Greenwood was a second-team all-decade choice of the 1970s and a six-time Pro Bowler. His sack total was not as high as some of his contemporaries, but he passed the eye test. Whenever you saw him, he was pressuring quarterbacks. Plus, he played his best in the biggest games, turning in two of the greatest performances by any defensive end in a Super Bowl in IX and X.
Katcavage had some monster years in the early 1960s.
TACKLES
Like Jackson and Faison, Tom Sestak is another AFl defensive lineman who had a short career but a super-high peak.
The Bills' star was somewhat of a cross between Bob Lilly and Merlin Olsen -- bigger and probably stronger than Lilly and quicker than Olsen -- but his seven-year career excluded him from any realistic chance for the Hall. That's not true today, but Sestak's name was long out of consideration when others with short careers (Ken Easley, Terrell Davis and Tony Boselli) were enshrined.
Roger Brown was dominant at times, and, at 300-ish pounds, was one of the biggest defensive tackles of the era with great quickness. He went to six Pro Bowls, and recent research shows he produced double-digit sacks four times.
The other second-team tackle on my team is the L.A. Rams' Larry Brooks, who received some sort of "all" every year from 1974-80 except one. That was 1975 when he missed half the season with a knee injury.
Ernie Ladd is next in line. When "The Big Cat" turned it on, he was elite. He teamed with Faison on the Chargers defensive line -- dubbed "The Fearsome Foursome" before that moniker stuck with the Los Angeles Rams.
The problem with Ladd was that he didn't always "turn it on". At 6-feet-9 inches and over 300 pounds (listed at 290, but he was closer to 315 or more), he could've been one of the best ever.
MIDDLE LINEBACKER
Tommy Nobis beat his brains out for a lot of years in Atlanta and won little thanks for his troubles. Nevertheless, he's been close to Hall election more than once as a senior and still has a shot.
He's followed by Bill Bergey who was a play-making machine. He ended his career with 27 interceptions and 21 fumble recoveries.
I'd be remiss if I didn't name Lee Roy Jordan as an honorable-mention choice. His career total of 32 interceptions is impressive for a middle linebacker.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
First and foremost is Maxie Baughan. He was a smart player who was a nine-time Pro Bowler and earned a NFL championship ring as a rookie.
The AFL's answer to Baughan is Larry Grantham. The man simply made big plays -- with tackles for losses, interceptions, fumble recoveries and quarterback sacks. He was either first-or-second-team All-AFL or chosen to the AFL All-Star Game in every year of the AFL's existence. Plus, he was on the AFL's All-Time team (second-team).
Mike Stratton and Joe Fortunato also have solid cases. Stratton was a top AFL linebacker for years and joined Grantham on the AFL's second All-Time team. Fortunato's career began in the mid-1950s, so he straddles eras. But he has plenty of All-Pro creds, with most of them coming in the 1960s.
CORNERBACKS
Lemar Parrish went to seven Pro Bowls as a cornerback (and one as a returner) and was rated so highly by George Allen that opponents avoided him. The other pick is Abe Woodson who was similar to Parrish. A great cover guy who could return kicks.
Dave Grayson and Pat Fischer are next. Grayson was also an elite safety in addition to being an All-AFL corner. Fischer played 17 years and picked off 56 passes.
SAFETIES
The Rams' Eddie Meador finally is getting some support from the seniors committee and might be in line as one of its three finalists in 2025. Good. He should be. Meanwhile, Jimmy Patton is largely forgotten, but he shouldn't be. He was a five-time All-Pro with the N.Y. Giants. If you count just AP All-Pro teams, only Jack Christiansen (six) and Johnny Robinson (six) had more.
Then there's this: Patton had as many as Ronnie Lott, Ed Reed and Larry Wilson. Think about that for a minute. All three were first-ballot choices.
The Dolphins' safety duo of Dick Anderson (1973 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year) and Jake Scott are the second-team choices. They were ballhawks and excellent tacklers.
KICKERS
The late Rupert Patrick, a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association, wrote a book entitled, "A Statistical History of Pro Football", and in it, he developed a metric that allowed for the comparison of kickers across eras. The website Pro Football Perspective did something similar, and both identified -- more or less-- the same kickers as standing out statistically above their peers.
Using those analytics, plus the postseason honors of relevant kickers, I settled on the Cardinals' Jim Bakken as my first-team kicker over Garo Yepremian. Bakken has the additional credential as a clutch kicker, especially in the mid-1970s when the "Cardiac Cards" were squeaking out comeback victories.
PUNTERS
Bobby Joe Green and Jerrel Wilson are two of the best punters in this era, but, contrary to conventional wisdom, my pick is Green.
"But Wilson was an All-time AFL!" I can hear you say. "He led the AFL or NFL in punting five times. How is he second to Bobby Joe Green?"
Here's how: Green's net punting average was higher. The difference between his gross average and net average was smaller (often a key metric), and he had fewer punts blocked and fewer returned for touchdowns.
No, not all blocked kicks or returns are the punter's fault, but when you dig into the subject you find that some consistently were better at avoiding those super-negative plays than others. So that, combined with a higher net, means that Green was the better strategic punter.
I know, Wilson excelled when the Chiefs were a good team. But much of Green's career occurred after the Bears tailed off so dramatically that they became one of the worst teams in the league. So, it makes sense that he didn't gain the notoriety of the Chiefs' strong-legged thumper.
RETURNERS
Second-team—none
There's no way to separate Billy "White Shoes" Johnson or Rick Upchurch. You can look at their stats, their film, their all-decade selections or All-Pros/Pro Bowls.
It's a tie.
Look closely, and you should find (as I did) that their cases cannot be divorced. So they're not. There are two first-team returners, with no one on the second team.
