Pro Football Hall Of Fame Eludes Broncos Again

The Pro Football Hall Of Fame class for this year was announced this past weekend. The players who will be inducted this summer are Junior Seau, Jerome Bettis, Charles Haley, Tim Brown, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff, Ron Wolf, and Bill Polian. These are great names but is yet another year that a Denver Bronco won’t be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

The Broncos had two players this year who made it to the final vote, Terrell Davis and John Lynch. They were passed over. The Broncos haven’t had a Hall Of Famer since Shannon Sharpe in 2011. That’s four years ago.

The Broncos are one of the ten original American Football League teams that are playing in the National Football League. There are only four Hall of Famers that have ever been inducted from their franchise. The Buffalo Bills, Kansas Chiefs, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Tennessee Titans, and the Miami Dolphins, who entered the league in 1960 with the Broncos have more players in the Hall Of Fame.

Every time a Denver Bronco is on the ballot, the committee votes for players who are on teams that are more respected. These include Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, and Detroit Lions.

It doesn’t seem right. The Denver Broncos have great players who aren’t in the Hall Of Fame including Steve Atwater, Randy Gradishar, Dennis Smith, Rod Smith, and Karl Mecklenburg,

The Broncos have been one of the most successful teams in the AFC. They have won their division 13 times and 7 seasons have gone to the Super Bowl. They won the Super Bowl twice. Only three teams have been to the Super Bowl more. Dallas, New England and Pittsburgh have been to the big game eight times. How is it that the Broncos have only four Hall Of Famers?

The Broncos deserve more respect from the committee to enshrine more players. The next two Broncos who should be in the Hall Of Fame are Rod Smith and Steve Atwater. Both of them played on the Broncos’ Super Bowl winning teams. Rod Smith has all major records for an undrafted wide receiver. Steve Atwater went to the Pro Bowl eight times and was on the NFL 1990’s All Decade Team. How long will it take them to be selected to the Hall Of Fame? Hopefully, it will be soon. Another Bronco who should be selected into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame is Champ Bailey. Bailey ended his career with 52 interceptions. That’s 26th on the all time list. He made the Pro Bowl an astounding 12 years in a row. He will have to wait five more years to be considered.

How can the Broncos receive more respect from the Pro Football Hall Of Fame Committee? Who will be the next Bronco to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame?

4 Comments

  1. You are right. The Broncos deserve more recognition. I guess the “powers that be” at the highest level think that Denver is still populated by native tribes and everybody lives in a teepee.

  2. I think former defensive end Paul Smith, who is in the Bronco Ring of Fame should be in the HOF. In all seriousness, I can’t believe TD isn’t in.

    • The knock on TD was the fact that he didn’t have a long career. As you know, you take TD off of the Super Bowl teams they don’t win them. He is a Hall Of Famer in my book.

  3. Wish I knew enough about the Broncos to answer your questions. Your summary about various Broncos being overlooked clearly shows “That’s not fair!!” Don’t know who makes up the selection committee, but I would hope said committee membership changes on a frequent basis.

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