Issue Date: October 9, 2005

Sports

Hall of Fame: Who's next?

We challenged ESPN and Fox Sports Net experts to debate who deserves to be in Canton as part of pro football's best.

By Tim Wendel

In August, we opened up a sports fan's classic water-cooler conversation: Who belongs in baseball's Hall of Fame? Now, with the NFL season underway, we want to make some noise about the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Induction into football's hall is a high honor. Only 197 players are enshrined, although 18,000 have competed throughout pro football history. Earlier this year, quarterbacks Dan Marino and Steve Young made it in. In February, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon and Reggie White will be considered for the first time, along with holdovers Michael Irvin, Derrick Thomas and Art Monk.

To stir things up, we recently spoke with two high-profile authorities on the subject: ESPN's Mike Golic and Fox Sports Net's Chris Rose. Golic played in the National Football League for nine years as a defensive tackle and now joins Mike Greenberg on ESPN's morning radio show, "Mike and Mike in the Morning." He also appears on ESPN as a football analyst. Rose was a ball boy for the hometown Browns while growing up in Cleveland; currently, he hosts "Best Damn Sports Show Period."

In a conversation with USA WEEKEND Magazine, the two discussed who's a lock, who's getting robbed and what it takes to get in: So, what really matters when it comes to making the hall? The numbers or championship rings?
Golic: For me, the bottom line has to be championships won. There's your measuring stick.
Rose: That's true. And, even then, some deserving guys are having a difficult time. Take Art Monk of the Redskins. He was a great third-down receiver. Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. Monk and that great offensive line were the constants for those championship teams. The problem is, you can only induct three to six guys a year. Now you have a bunch of top names worthy of induction later this year, and that's going to squeeze out guys who are still out there who belong.
Golic: I don't see how Monk makes it with guys like Michael Irvin now eligible. We've seen such a jump in the number of catches from receivers these days that I'm afraid a guy like Monk gets lost in the shuffle.
Rose: But Monk had five 1,000-yard seasons. He had a record 106 catches in 1984!
Golic: Still, I don't see how he gets in.

Dallas was the team of the 1980s. How are the Cowboy stars of that era going to fare?
Rose: I've heard the argument that of the Cowboys' Big Three -- Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith -- Aikman could be the one overlooked there.
Golic: And that would be a shame. But you run into the same thing with the old Bills. Quarterback Jim Kelly is in; defensive end Bruce Smith will be. But running back Thurman Thomas and receiver Andre Reed? Thomas was a three-down player, and Reed made so many catches over the middle. Will one of those Bills be forgotten?

How about quarterbacks: Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and Atlanta's Michael Vick? Does McNabb get in without winning a Super Bowl?
Golic: Even though it contradicts what I said, I hope so. McNabb and Steve McNair will be remembered for their ability to run, toughness when throwing the ball and leadership.

Where does that leave Michael Vick?
Golic: He has got to improve at throwing.
Rose: But he's a threat on the field!
Golic: But we're talking about how he stacks up against the best. He's more confident in his legs than his arm.

Do you think the lunch-pail guys -- the linemen -- are getting the shaft? It seems like the "glamorous" players get the most consideration.
Golic: They sure do. But even an old lineman like me realizes that's how things are. We're in the era of fireworks.
Rose: I appreciate what linemen do. The only time they get any attention is when they do something wrong.

Oh, then you'd lobby for Mike Golic to make the hall, right, Chris?
Rose: Well, not Mike. But more linemen for sure.

Tim Wendel's books include "Castro's Curveball."