The Class of Football

by Adam Schefter

  He blew his whistle, tossed the football to the defensive squad, and told them to play volleyball utilizing the goalposts. As we watched these giants batting a football back and forth, Clark turned to me and said, “The greatest athlete on the field is Doug Atkins.”

  Weeb Ewbank, who signed him to his first pro contract, said of Doug, “Doug Atkins is the most magnificent physical specimen I have ever seen.” In a recent TV interview, George Halas was asked what he thought of Doug Atkins and we have it on tape, so I know it is true. Coach Halas said, “Doug Atkins was the greatest defensive end I ever saw.”

  Doug Atkins

  Football has been good to me. I have enjoyed lots of it and some I haven’t enjoyed so much. Of course, Coach Halas has kept my spirits up and aggravated me every once in a while. One time the coach and I were talking about contracts and we were talking about a matter of $500, and we got into a pretty heated argument. Coach Halas said, “If I give you that money, you would only spend it.” I said, “Coach, that’s what I want it for!”

  Bobby Bell

  Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker

  Class of 1983

  An All-AFL/AFC selection nine times, Bell scored nine touchdowns, including one on an onside kick return.

  Presented by Texans, Chiefs, and Saints Coach Hank Stram

  Number one, Bobby always had the capacity to see clearly and believe strongly. He thought he could do anything and do it better than anybody else.

  Number two, he had a great attitude. He wasn’t a stock market player; he wasn’t up or down. He was always the same. He was great. He loved to practice, he loved to play. He had a lot of faults, but he knew when to play and when to work.

  Number three, he didn’t permit himself to be susceptible to the negative influence of other people. He knew what he wanted and if there was any kind of a problem on the squad, he would try to help it. He believed in what he did and what we did. That is why we went on to enjoy the great success and enjoy being one of the winningest teams in the history of professional football during that short span of time.

  He also had a great capacity to follow through with a resolution once that resolution had passed. Now a lot of people say, “I’m going to do this,” and “I’m going to do that,” and when the time comes, they get out of the mood and they don’t do it. Bobby was not that way. Once he made up his mind, he was going to do it.

  Bobby Bell

  Leaving the security of Shelby, North Carolina, for the University of Minnesota was a traumatic experience. There was no family, no friends, and the pace we had to set was demanding. But Coach Murray Warmath knew my concerns and helped weather my problems. With Coach Warmath, it was a never-ending battle, it was academic.

  There was that determination that he instilled into us athletes, student first, athlete second. And we played with so much determination and we studied with that much determination. We went to class with that determination, we competed with that determination, we graduated with that determination. So you cannot be surprised that while on the football field, we played with determination.

  There was always one thing he told me. He would say, “Bobby, I can read about you in the newspaper, but be prepared for life after football.”

  Bobby Mitchell

  Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins

  Running Back/Wide Receiver

  Class of 1983

  Mitchell scored ninety-one touchdowns, eight that came on kickoff and punt returns. He compiled 14,078 combined yards.

  Presented by Redskins President/ Attorney Edward Bennett Williams

  Many of the immortals enshrined here in these hallowed halls have gained their fame as great runners, some as great receivers, and still others as great returners. But only Bobby Mitchell can combine all these skills in a way no one ever has before.

  Bobby Mitchell

  From the University of Illinois, Paul Brown sent a scout to talk to me about football. At the time, I had only seen two professional football games in my life. I saw the Bears play a couple of times on TV, but I really didn’t have much interest in professional football. I loved track. My ticket was to wait for the Olympics in 1960. My wife said, “No way,” particularly not when Paul was going to give me $7,000.

  He induced it by saying, “You will be the next great flanker back, Ray Renfro will be retiring next year.” Of course, Ray played another ten years.

  But once I signed the contract and received my bonus, Dick Gallagher—who was head of this Hall before Pete Elliott—came to me and said, “Mr. Brown said you will be running the ball.” My wife already had spent the bonus. So I had to show up to the Cleveland Browns, scared to death at 173 pounds.

  But Paul Brown taught me all about taking care of family, and he talked to me about security, all of those things I’ve used in my life to bring me to this point.

  I was fortunate to be in the backfield with the great Jim Brown. My first four years were, therefore, very easy. It was Jim Brown up the middle, Jim Brown to the left, Jim Brown to the right. And occasionally a pitch out to Bobby Mitchell.

  I then was traded to the Washington Redskins, which started a very beautiful association with them. As [the Redskins owner] Mr. Marshall said to me, “We are taking you out of the shadows of Jim Brown.” We didn’t win a lot of games, but we cared about each other.

  My wife went through all of this. She has worked hour upon hour for many a year. On that day when I wanted to call it off because I didn’t want to go to training camp, she talked to me about what we wanted out of this. I think of the number of times that she would walk behind me so I could shine. I had the glory, she had all the stress, and I just hope that sometime during this lifetime I can find the way to say to her that I think she has been a great partner.

  I miss my mother. I wish she could be here today. God, how she would laugh. She would be extremely happy that her son has made it to this point. She never understood the game, crashing into one another, beating up one another, and she never understood why they wanted to hit her son. And she always wanted me to run faster and beat them back. Mother, I love you, and I’m still around, and I beat them.

  Willie Brown

  Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders Cornerback

  Class of 1984

  Brown intercepted fifty-four passes for 472 yards, including a seventy-five-yard interception that he returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl XI.

  Presented by Raiders Owner Al Davis

  Presenting Willie Brown, the magnificent horseman who delivered fear and interceptions upon all the great wide receivers of his time; who for more than three decades, and in the years to come, will be the standard of excellence by which cornerbacks are judged.

  Only time, the great robber, beat Willie Brown at the corner. But time could not defeat him, as the legend Willie Brown will live on in this Camelot which is the National Football League’s Hall of Fame. A long time ago, I told Al Davis that if I ever made the Hall of Fame, he owed me $1 million, so Al, I guess this is the day and we’ll deal with it when we get back home.

  But I have always believed that if you can dream it, you can do it.

  Willie Lanier

  Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker

  Class of 1986

  Nicknamed “Contact” for his ferocious tackling, Lanier intercepted twenty-seven passes and also keyed the Chiefs’ upset victory in Super Bowl IV.

  Presented by Chiefs Owner Lamar Hunt

  In August of 1945, Harry Truman was president of the United States and the NFL as an entity was struggling to keep the sport alive with a roster of makeshift teams. Doak Walker and Bobby Layne were in the Merchant Marines together and V-day was just a few weeks ago. But in that scenario in Clover, Virginia, a baby was born to the Robert Lanier family. I want to say Clover in this case must have meant the four-leaf kind because it was indeed a lucky day for the football fans of America.

  Later a teenaged Willie Lanier furthered his education at a school called Maggie Walker High School in Richmond, Vir
ginia, and judging by Willie’s later financial acumen, which is substantial, that school was indeed prophetically named after the first black female bank president in America.

  Willie Lanier

  It is difficult to explain how you really feel when you stand here and realize that a stadium such as Fawcett Stadium is just like any basic stadium in the country. You play on a field the same size all over the country and you wonder at what point you really decide to try to maybe be a little bit better.

  But I think if there is one thread that runs between all of us who happen to be here, it’s that there was a tremendous amount of dedication and a belief that we had the skill to perform. Not at a level above others, but we set some sights that were only amongst ourselves and doing that allowed us to stand before you today.

  This is something that should be strived for, and I think it is important for all young people that try to make decisions that would affect their lives in the future that they recognize that these kinds of events are possible for all of you out there, regardless of background and circumstances.

  Jim Langer

  Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings Center

  Class of 1987

  A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Langer played every down during the Dolphins’ perfect season in 1972.

  I’ve had a lot of people ask me how the Dolphins accomplished what they did and how did they tick. I would like to read you one sentence. This is Don Shula talking in the early 1970s, and I quote:

  “I feel you set a goal to be the best, and then you work every waking hour of every day trying to achieve that goal. The ultimate goal is victory, and if you refuse to work as hard as you possibly can towards that aim, then you are just cheating yourself. What we want to do is dedicate ourselves to establishing a standard of excellence in the future just as the Packers did in the past. That is the challenge.”

  And ladies and gentlemen, we believed that to a man for all the time that I spent in Miami.

  John Henry Johnson

  San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions,

  and Pittsburgh Steelers Fullback

  Class of 1987

  A member of San Francisco’s “Million-Dollar” backfield, Johnson rushed for 6,803 yards and fifty-five total touchdowns.

  It’s a funny thing. My football career started and ended in Pittsburgh. Back in Pittsburgh, California, my high school coach Tom Cureton was a confidence builder. He gave me a lot of chances to play ball. He gave me the idea that I could accomplish a lot of things in sports if I wanted to and if I worked. That was the secret—if I worked….

  I would like to say something about the principal I had in high school, Mr. Sphere, and some of the teachers I had back in Pittsburgh High School. They were dedicated teachers. They helped me develop my confidence. I think what we need today is for those people to think more about those people around them in high school. Listen to what they are telling you, not only to keep your grades up, but about staying away from drugs and the importance of hard work.

  I think [Lions Hall-of-Fame quarterback] Bobby Layne liked me because I had the same attitude he had. We played hard all the time. We didn’t want to lose, we didn’t ask any questions, and we didn’t give any answers.

  I played in the famous green backfield when I started out with the San Francisco 49ers—Joe Perry, Hugh McElhenny, and Y. A. Tittle. I learned teamwork with those fellows. We were good because we worked together as a team. To them a good block was just as important as a good run. I know because I did a lot of blocking for those guys and it made me feel good.

  My greatest moment in pro football was winning the championship in Detroit. The season taught me never to quit and never to say die. We were behind on many occasions, but we came back to win. Bobby Layne said throughout all those games that we were winners, and believe it or not, we did win.

  Old-timers were driven by pride, not dollar signs. They looked at it as performance, not press clippings. After I left pro football, all these values really started to mean a lot to me. Working hard, never giving up, having confidence, this is what kept me going.

  Jack Ham

  Pittsburgh Steelers Linebacker

  Class of 1988

  Selected to eight consecutive Pro Bowls, Ham also helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls while recovering twenty-one fumbles and intercepting thirty-two passes.

  Presented by Penn State Coach Joe Paterno

  Jack was a professional, even when he was in college. I don’t use the word professional as far as being paid for something. To me, the professional is the one who knows what he is doing all the time and, therefore, he is consistently at a higher level than anybody else.

  I have been asked a hundred times in the last couple of weeks, “Do you remember the greatest game Jack Ham ever played?” And I can’t. Jack never played a bad game for us. He had ten or eleven tackles, he’d block a punt, he’d intercept a pass, he’d recover a fumble because he was hustling. He was always consistent. He always tried to do the best with what God gave him.

  His strong, poised character, his commitment to professionalism—he really gave a lot of unsure and unknowing kids a standard, a standard to practice, how to handle themselves, how to work under tremendous pressure. He was always in that huddle calm, cool, no matter what the situation was. And he really was a leader in his own quiet way, a leader that is hard for me to describe to you.

  But you can’t have a good football team unless you get a team committed to get a little bit better every day in practice. You’ve got to prepare yourself to practice well, and Jack Ham did. He didn’t waste time out there on the practice field. He came on that field to get better, and he came off that field better, and I think every day until he hit his peak physically, Jack Ham was a better football player because of what he did.

  As far as the Hall of Fame, let me share with you a thought that came to me when we were riding in the parade. I said to Jack, “You guys and we in football don’t realize what a terrible burden and responsibility we have. To see over two hundred thousand people come out there for the parade with the enthusiasm and loyalty that you have to this game, and what it means to you, and what it does to the quality of your life, is an awful responsibility to us.”

  We have no more heroes anymore. We don’t have Lindberghs because when we put someone up in space, it’s the technology that’s the hero. We can’t have military heroes anymore. Our social heroes, the Martin Luther Kings and the Kennedys and the Sadats, the burden of trying to make the world better was so awesome they were assassinated. So we really don’t have the kind of people who have been their heroes.

  Our heroes come from our sports world, and that is what you have today. You have legitimate heroes, and Jack Ham is a legitimate hero. There are people that get enshrined in the Hall that give the Hall more honor than they receive.

  Jack Ham is one of those people.

  Jack Ham

  Joe Paterno taught me a lot more than just to be confident in myself and that playing better football should not be the most important thing in your life. I have grown to know Joe better now since I left Penn State. The better I know him, the more I respect Joe Paterno, the man.

  It was only a year ago when I was out in the audience and watching Joe Greene, the cornerstone of our football team. I saw him accept the greatest individual honor a football player can receive—to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I watched Joe mention almost all the players on our Super Bowl years, name for name, and I sat in that audience and was proud to be among the names he mentioned.

  I don’t get nostalgic too often, but seeing this crowd and a lot of old friends reminds me that you people are a great part of why we were a championship team for many years. People, fans, visiting teams hated to come into Pittsburgh and play. They knew that not only did we have great players but probably the greatest fans as well. And it was almost impossible for them to win.

  I hope all of you remember this road to Canton because all of us will be traveling this road
in future years, and I guarantee you it will be an annual event to help honor some of my teammates who were part of the greatest football team in the history of the NFL.

  Stan Jones

  Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins

  Guard/Defensive Tackle

  Class of 1991

  Voted to seven consecutive Pro Bowls, Jones was the first to rely on weight lifting for football preparation.

  Unfortunately the person that probably should be here and get a high respect from me would be my father, who died before I graduated from college and never saw me become an All-American. And his greatest hero was Red Grange. Red Grange represented the highest pinnacle that man could ever expect to reach.

  He often said to me that the main thing about sports—he never played football, he was never healthy enough to play—but the thing about it was that you challenge your opponent.

  I remember he came down to the University of Maryland, and he only saw me play one game, and he saw the game and I said after it, I said, “Dad, I didn’t play very well.” And he said, “No, you didn’t, but you challenged the guy you played against. You made him a better football player.” And I will never forget that.

  John Riggins

  Washington Redskins and New York Jets

  Running Back

  Class of 1992

  Riggins ran for 11,352 yards and scored 116 touchdowns. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XVII with 166 rushing yards, including a game-winning forty-three-yard touchdown.

  Presented by NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue

  Whenever John Riggins was handed the ball and smashed his way through the line of scrimmage, the voices of teammates, fans, and broadcasters seemed to rise as one. He could go all the way. Riggins could go all the way. Today Riggins has gone all the way—all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame….

  He once said, and I can quote him: “Everything I have done has been in fun. I see myself as an entertainer and the football field is my stage. If there wasn’t anyone in the stadium, I wouldn’t be there. What makes it fun is the cheering of the crowd, the fans.”