The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee’s five 2013 inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with their positions, teams and years active follow in alphabetical order:
– Larry Allen, Guard/Tackle: 1994-2005 Dallas Cowboys; 2006-07, San Francisco 49ers.
In Allen’s 14 seasons, he played 203 games, was named first-team All-Pro seven straight years, first-team All-NFC six times. The second-round pick in 1994 moved to tackle late in 1997 and entire 1998 season, and earned All-Pro honors at position. He played every position on offensive line except center during 12 seasons with Dallas before signing with the 49ers as a free agent in 1996. Allen was elected to 11 Pro Bowls and named to NFL All-Decade Teams of 1990s and 2000s.
Carter played 234 games and his first career catch, a 22-yard touchdown, was a sign of what was to come. A durable receiver, he played a full 16-game season in 13 of his 16 seasons. In 2000, became only the second player in NFL history to catch 1,000 career passes. Recorded 1,000 receiving yards in a season eight straight years. Carter broke the 100-yard receiving plateau 42 times during his career and was second on the NFL’s all-time list for total receptions (1,101) and receiving touchdowns (130) at retirement. His 130 TD receptions came from 13 different passers. Was first- or second-team All-Pro 1994, 1995, and 1999. Selected to play in eight Pro Bowls (1994-2001)
As a 6-2, 265-pound defensive tackle, Culp made six Pro Bowls and was a second-team All-Pro four times. He was drafted by the Broncos, who tried to move him to the offensive side of the ball before trading him to the Chiefs. He was traded to Houston in a blockbuster deal and led the team to back-to-back AFC title games.
– Jonathan Ogden, Tackle: 1996-2007, Baltimore Ravens
Ogden was named to 11 Pro Bowls and was the leader of offensive line that helped Ravens amass more than 5,000 yards of offense in back-to-back seasons, 1996-97. He was noted as strong pass protector as well as effective run blocker at 6-9, 325 pounds. He started at left tackle in the Ravens’ 16-3 win over Oakland Raiders in 2000 AFC Championship Game and 34-7 victory over New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. The NFL Alumni’s NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2002, Ogden was named All-Pro in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006
– Bill Parcells, Coach: 1983-1990, New York Giants; 1993-96, New England Patriots; 1997-99, New York Jets; 2003-06, Dallas Cowboys
The nomadic Parcells reversed the fortunes of four NFL teams in his 19 seasons as head coach. After a 3-12-1 season (1983), he took Giants to playoffs twice and in 1986 led the team to 14-2 record and defeated Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. The Giants won the East in 1989 and in 1990 won a second world championship with a dramatic victory over Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. He left coaching for two years, returning in 1993 with the New England Patriots. The Patriots were back in the playoffs after two years following the franchise’s seven-year absence and two years later won Super Bowl XXXI. In 1997, Parcells took over a 1-15 New York Jets team and led them to 9-7 record in 1997, 12-4 record and AFC championship game in 1998 for the best two-year turnaround of a 1-15 team in NFL history. He coached the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 until 2006. Parcells became first coach to coach four different teams into the playoffs when his 10-6 Cowboys played in the 2003 Wild Card Game. He was NFL Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1994.
– Dave Robinson*, linebacker: 1963-1972, Green Bay Packers; 1973-74, Washington Redskins
Signed with Green Bay and quickly built his reputation as a big-play threat on Vince Lombardi’s dynasty. Started at left outside linebacker in three straight NFL championship wins in 1965-67. A starting outside linebacker in Packers victories in Super Bowls I and II. He returned from Achilles tendon injury in 1970 to regain form as one of game’s finest linebackers. Robinson Intercepted 27 passes which he returned for 449 yards in career. He was first-team All-NFL selection three straight seasons, 1967-69, was elected to three Pro Bowls and named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s.
– Warren Sapp, Defensive Tackle: 1995-2003, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2004-07, Oakland Raiders
Sapp was a defining defensive tackle in the renowned “Tampa Two” defense. He amassed 96.5 career sacks and recorded double-digit sack totals four times. He ad more than one sack in a game 23 times, was the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, when he registered 12.5 sacks, 54 tackles, three forced fumbles, and recovered two fumbles (1999). Was a first-team All-Pro four times (1999-2002), second-team All-NFL in 1997, 1998.
In 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1975 to 1987, Walton Payton literally rewrote the NFL record books with his ball carrying feats. He rushed 3,838 times for 16,726 yards & 110 touchdowns, both records. He caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards & 15 more touchdowns. Altogether, he scored 125 touchdowns, 2nd most ever & he accounted for a record 21,803 total combined net yards during his 13 year career.
He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Hall of Fame NFL player and coach Mike Ditka described Payton as the greatest football player he had ever seen—but even greater as a human being.
During his first few years at high school, his older brother Eddie was on the football team, and Payton did not play partly to avoid competing with him. After Eddie graduated, the football coach asked Payton to try out for the team, and he agreed on condition that he be allowed to continue playing in the band. Once he began to play football, as a junior, he achieved instant success as a running back.
At 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), he was not especially large, but his speed and strength made him one of the team’s featured players. Jefferson High School was integrated with neighboring Columbia High School that year; Payton and his teammates were upset that their head coach, Charles L. Boston, had become an assistant and Payton boycotted some of the spring practices in protest, but returned during the fall season. He then earned state-wide honors as a member of Mississippi’s all-state team, leading Columbia to an unexpected 8-2 season. His performance helped ease the local tensions surrounding desegregation.
College career
Though Payton had established himself as one of the state’s best running back prospects, he received no invitations from Southeastern Conference colleges or universities, which were accepting only a few black players at the time. He decided to pursue his collegiate career at the historically black, Jackson State University, where his older brother Eddie had played football (declining a scholarship offer from the University of Kansas, where fellow Chicago Bears running back legend Gale Sayers had played).
While attending Jackson State, Payton played alongside many future professional football players, including Jerome Barkum, Robert Brazile, and Jackie Slater. As a member of the Jackson State Tigers, Payton rushed for more than 3,500 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Also, he broke the NCAA‘s scoring record by rushing for 65 touchdowns during his college career. In 1973, Payton was selected for the All-American Team. The following year he was named Black College Player of the Year. Payton graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.
He acquired the nickname “Sweetness” in college. The nickname’s origin is ambiguous: it is variously said to have stemmed from his personality, from his athletic grace, or as a sarcastic description of his aggressive playing style. In 1996, Payton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. On January 18, 2010, it was announced that Payton would be one of eleven members of the inaugural class inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame on February 20, 2010.
Walter Payton- Best Running Back Ever
1975–1982
The Chicago Bears drafted Payton in the first round of the 1975 NFL Draft, as the fourth overall pick. The Bears had endured several losing seasons after the retirement of the iconic Gale Sayers in 1972. Payton’s first game was not particularly successful; he was held to zero net rushing yards on eight attempts. His best performance of the season was the final game against the New Orleans Saints, where he rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries. Payton finished the season with only 679 yards and seven touchdowns.
Payton was eager to improve his performance. During the 1976 NFL season, Payton rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. After the season, he was selected to play in the 1977 Pro Bowl, where he was declared the Pro Bowl MVP. The next year, he rushed for 1,852 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, becoming the league’s leading scorer for the season. He earned numerous awards that season, including the Associated Press and Pro Football Writers of America’s Most Valuable Player awards. A memorable game of the 1977 NFL season was against the Minnesota Vikings on November 20. He rushed for a then-record 275 yards, breaking the previous record of 273 yards held by O. J. Simpson.
In that record-setting game against the Vikings, Payton was suffering with a 101-degree fever and intense flu. His longest run was for 58 yards, and he caught one pass for 6 yards. His record stood for 23 years until Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals ran for 278 yards in 2000. By the end of the decade, Payton had received additional accolades for his exploits as a blocker, receiver, emergency punter, and quarterback.
1983–1986
The Bears struggled to assemble consecutive winning seasons, landing only two playoff berths since his arrival. The lack of success prompted the Bears’ management to replace Neill Armstrong with Mike Ditka for the season that began in the Fall of 1982. Ditka, a tight end during the 1960s and 1970s who would also join the Pro Football Hall of Fame, led the Bears to a 3–6 (strike-shortened) record in 1982. He led the Bears to an 8–8 finish in 1983 and to a 10–6 finish in 1984.
Payton continued his success by rushing for more than 1,400 yards in both seasons. On October 7, 1984, Payton broke Jim Brown‘s career rushing record of 12,312 yards. In 1985, Payton rushed for more than 1,500 yards, helping the Bears establish the league’s second-best offense. The Bears’ 46 defense of that season would go on to become one of the best in NFL history, setting a record for fewest points allowed.
Payton performed with his teammates in the widely released 1985 music video The Super Bowl Shuffle. The Bears went on to a 15–1 record that culminated in a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. Although Payton’s offensive prowess had assisted the Bears throughout the 1985 season, the New England Patriots prevented him from reaching the end zone. According to quarterback Jim McMahon, he was targeted by two or three defenders on every play. In a later interview, Ditka stated that Payton’s lack of a touchdown in this game was one of his major regrets.
1986−1987
Payton, who was a 12-year veteran, amassed 1,333 yards in the 1986 NFL season. The Bears won the NFC Central Division, but lost to the Washington Redskins 27–13 in the divisional round. At the end of the 1986 season, he announced that he would retire after completing the 1987 NFL season. During his last season with the Bears, Payton split carries with his successor, Neal Anderson, and rushed for only 533 yards. Payton’s career ended with another loss to the Washington Redskins in the divisional round of the playoffs by the score of 21–17 on January 10, 1988.
Over his entire career, Payton rushed for 16,726 yards, which broke the record for most rushing yards by any NFL player in history, and scored 110 touchdowns. He caught 492 passes for 4,538 yards and 15 touchdowns. Payton set several team records, including most career rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns, and touchdown passes by a running back. His jersey number was retired by the Bears, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. The only game he missed in his 13-year career was in his rookie season of 1975.
Playing style
Payton’s motto was “Never Die Easy”, which is also the title of his posthumously published autobiography. Payton attributed this motto to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State. In practice, this meant that Payton refused to deliberately run out-of-bounds and always delivered some punishment to his tacklers before being forced off the field or forced down.
Walter Payton – Beyond The Glory
One of Payton’s signature maneuvers was the “stutter-step”, a high-stepping, irregularly paced run. He developed this as a way to distract his pursuers during long runs, saying that it startled them into thinking and gave him some advantage over players who were actually faster runners. In his autobiography, he likened the stutter step to a kind of “option play”: when he was stutter-stepping, defenders would have to commit to a pursuit angle based upon whether they thought he would accelerate after the stutter-step, or cut — he would read this angle and do the opposite of what the defender had committed to.
He re-invented the practice of stiff-arming his tacklers, which had gone out of favor among running backs in the 1970s.[20] At times, he used his high school experience as a long jumper to leap over his opponents, landing on his head in the end zone to gain a touchdown in a game against the Buffalo Bills. His running gait was somewhat unusual, as his knees were minimally bent, and the motion was largely powered from the hip. This may have given his knees, a football player’s most vulnerable joints, some protection, although he underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in 1983. He referred to this procedure as an 11,000-yard checkup.
After scoring touchdowns, Payton declined to celebrate; instead, he would often hand the ball to his teammates or the official. He disapproved of the growing practice of touchdown celebrations; he preferred post-game antics such as rushing into the locker room and locking his teammates out in the cold while taking a long shower. Although Payton would have won the respect of his peers and coaches by his running alone, he made 492 receptions and over 4,000 yards over his career and was a consistent threat in the passing game.
Personal life
Payton married Connie Norwood in 1976. During his rookie years he resided in a home on the north side of Arlington Heights, Illinois. The couple had two children, Jarrett Payton (born 1980) and Brittney (born December 26, 1985) and resided in South Barrington, Illinois.
Payton pursued various business ventures in retirement, including becoming co-owner of Dale Coyne Racing in the CART IndyCar World Series. He also drove in several Trans-Am Series events, including a 1993 race at Road America in which his car overturned and caught fire. He suffered burns but escaped serious injury.
In February 1999, Payton announced that he had a rare autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis, which may have led to his cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). He spent his final months as an advocate for organ transplants, appearing in many commercials to encourage others to donate organs, although by the time his first appeal was recorded, his illness was already too far advanced for transplantation to have been a viable option.
In April of that year, Payton made a final public appearance at a Chicago Cubs game with Mike Ditka, where he threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch. Author Don Yaeger worked with him during the last weeks of his life to create his autobiography, Never Die Easy.
On November 1, 1999, Payton died from the complications that arose from his illness. He was 45 years old. During the same week, the NFL held special ceremonies in each game to commemorate his career and legacy. In addition, the Chicago Bears wore special #34 patches on their jerseys to honor Payton. His body was cremated after his death.
Payton’s legacy continues through the charitable Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. His own appeals—and after his death, his foundation’s—for greater awareness of the need for organ donations are widely credited with bringing national attention to the problem. After his appeals, donations in Illinois skyrocketed, and the regional organ bank of Illinois was overwhelmed with calls. In response, the City of Chicago inserted organ donation requests into city-vehicle-registration mailings in early 2000, and, by August 2000, 13,000 people had signed on to the program. The foundation continues to run a program that Payton organized to donate toys to underprivileged children across the Chicago area each Christmas. The family established the Walter Payton Cancer Fund in 2002.
During his tenure at the University of Miami, Jarrett wore a #34 jersey to honor his father’s memory. In 2009, Jarrett married on March 4, which was intentionally set to coincide with Payton’s jersey number.
The city of Chicago has honored Payton’s memory in several ways. In 1999, the city created a special city sticker that featured Payton. The profits from the sales of these stickers along with the special license plate created by the State of Illinois are given to support organ-donor programs across Illinois. Also, the city named a high school, Walter Payton College Prep, in his honor. In September 2007, the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center opened the Walter Payton Liver Center. Chicago Metra commuters have long been witness to a simple “#34 Sweetness”, painted on a bridge piling of the Air Line on the south end of the Chicago Union Station yards. The CBS sitcom Mike and Molly honored Payton in 2011 with “The Walter Payton Elementary School”.
Until its sale to Two Brothers Brewing in 2011, Walter Payton’s Roundhouse continued to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the Aurora, Illinois site. There are two athletic awards named after Payton. The NCAA gives the “Walter Payton Award” to the best offensive player from a Division I FCS (still often known by its former designation of Division I-AA) football team. The NFL hands out the “Walter Payton Man of the Year” award for player achievements in community service during a particular season.
The Chicago Bears honored Payton’s career and life on November 1, 2009 by airing a special tribute video during halftime. The video consisted of highlight clips from Payton’s career and interview segments from Mike Ditka, Virginia McCaskey, Richard Dent, and many other members of the Bears organization. Payton’s wife, daughter, son, and mother were present to watch the video, which aired on Soldier Field‘s Jumbotron.
After Payton’s death, Nickol Knoll Hill, an old landfill site turned into a golf course in Arlington Heights, Illinois, was renamed “Payton’s Hill”. There are two plaques on the hill to remind visitors of the hill that it was where Payton used to train in 1970′s/80′s. Payton did his morning run at the hill everyday. Pictures and memorabilia of Payton cover the walls of the golf course club house.
By Mark Maske, Published: September 26 | Updated: Monday, September 27
The National Football League completed an eagerly awaited deal with its referees Wednesday night to end its lockout of the sport’s regular officials and pave the way for them to return to the field immediately.
The league and the NFL Referees Association announced they had agreed to an eight-year labor pact and planned for the regular officials to work Thursday night’s game in Baltimore between the Ravens and the Cleveland Browns. They are to officiate a full slate of games Sunday.
“Our officials will be back on the field starting [Thursday] night,” NFL CommissionerRoger Goodell said in a written statement. “We appreciate the commitment of the NFLRA in working through the issues to reach this important agreement.”
The agreement between the league and the referees’ association ends the NFL’s use of the replacement officials who worked the entire preseason and the first three weeks of regular season games, sometimes with chaotic results.
Scott Green, the president of the referees’ association, said in a written statement: “We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week’s games.”
Negotiators for the two sides began the task late Wednesday night of putting the agreement into writing.
The officials are scheduled to meet Friday and Saturday to take a ratification vote. In the meantime, the NFL agreed to lift the lockout for Thursday night’s game. It is to be formally ended once a written deal is approved by the referees. No ratification vote by the NFL’s franchise owners is required.
Representatives of the two sides met into the night Wednesday. It was their second straight long day of negotiations after they’d made progress Tuesday during meetings in New York that began in the morning and lasted into early Wednesday morning.
The deal was reached in the wake of a firestorm of criticism voiced at the league after Monday night’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks ended with what to most eyes was a blown call by the replacement officiating crew that gave Seattle a last-second victory. The mounting pressure by fans, media members, players and coaches to bring the regular officials back was acknowledged earlier Wednesday by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.
“Your loud voices [are] heard about getting Refs back,” Irsay wrote on Twitter. “We’re desperately trying [to] get it done! We want a deal that improves officiating overall.”
“It’d definitely be great to have them back out there,” said Lorenzo Alexander, a veteran Redskins linebacker. “Obviously they’re the refs for a reason. I think they’ll handle the games in a more professional manner and be more consistent. So it’d be great to have them back out there.”
Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III pointed out that it would be a “new experience” for him to play with the regular officials on the field and said perhaps play will be “cleaned up” a bit.
Said Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan: “It’d be nice to have them back.”
Criticism by players and media members of mistakes by the replacement officials had intensified in recent weeks, reaching a fever pitch after the Seahawks-Packers game. The NFL announced Tuesday that it backed the replacement officials’ decision to award the catch for simultaneous possession between Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate and Packers safety M.D. Jennings.
But the league also conceded the officials missed an offensive pass interference penalty on Tate that would have ended the game with the Packers winning.
Tuesday’s bargaining session was scheduled prior to Monday night’s controversy and some people close to the talks said the national furor over the call would have little or no effect on the league’s stance in the negotiations. A person with knowledge of the negotiations said Tuesday night that the owners were firmly against making any further compromises in the talks. Still, the deal was struck only about 48 hours after the final play of the Seahawks-Packers game.
The deal runs through the 2019 season and gives significant raises to the officials, who are part-time employees. The average NFL official earned $149,000 last year. Under the new deal, that is to increase to an average of $173,000 in 2013 and $205,000 in 2019.
The two sides had been particularly at odds over pensions, which seemed to emerge as the major sticking point late in the negotiations. Referees wanted to retain their pension plan, which the league apparently considered too generous, particularly for part-time employees. The NFL wanted to switch the officials to 401(k) retirement plans.
The compromise that was struck, according to an announcement by the league about the terms of the deal, would keep the pension plan in place for current officials for five years through the 2016 season, at which point it will be frozen. Newly hired officials will be given 401(k) retirement plans, as will all officials beginning in 2017.
The league also sought during the negotiations to make some officials full-time employees and to increase the overall number of officials to enhance its ability to replace those officials that it considers to be underperforming.
The deal, according to the NFL’s announcement, allows the league to make some officials full-time employees beginning in 2013. It also allows the league to hire additional officials for training and development, and gives the NFL the ability to assign those officials to work games. The league’s announcement said it could determine the number of newly hired officials. There currently are 121 officials.
“The long-term future of our game requires that we seek improvement in every area, including officiating,” Goodell said in a written statement. “This agreement supports long-term reforms that will make officiating better. The teams, players and fans want and deserve both consistency and quality in officiating.”
Shannon Eastin is in the starting lineup, set to become the first female official in an NFL regular-season game.
The 42-year-old has been assigned to work the Rams-Lions game Sunday in Detroit, where she will be the line judge.
Of course, this historic moment comes courtesy of a labor disagreement between the regular officials and the NFL, which is using replacements to start the season, Eastin among them.
Shannon Eastin takes the field in San Diego for her debut as an NFL official during a preseason game between the Packers and Chargers.(Denis Poroy / Associated Press / August 9, 2012)
NFL and MEAC representatives didn’t want to comment on her abilities, but plenty of other people have, although NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell did weigh in on the subject when it was first announced she would be a replacement.
“She’s well-prepared for it, and I think she’ll do terrific,” Goodell said. “So we’re excited about that. And there are more coming, by the way. We’ve been working along this path to try to properly train and prepare a female official, and now we have the opportunity.”
Eastin, who has a background in judo and owns a school that trains football officials, is taking the groundbreaking moments in stride.
“Knowing that I’m a female in a man’s world, I have always put the most pressure on myself,” she said earlier this summer. “I understand that pretty much everything I do is going to be magnified.
Jueseppi B.
