Paul Warfield—All-State, All-Ohio, All-American, All-Pro, and the finest player I have ever coached and the most feared receiver of all times—is brought to this dais.
Wherever this young man played he always contributed to the greatest of the game with his unparalleled skill. He brought dignity and respect to, and for, himself, and when the moment had arrived, Paul gave all he had. Paul, your hallmark of faith and dignity, your pride and humility, have made you what you are in this day of turmoil and cynicism. You have all the characteristics that young and old should look up and hold high before America.
Paul Warfield
It is awesome when I reflect back from where I came from. Twenty-five years ago, it is almost ironic that just a few hundred yards from here, over there in that stadium right there, that I really came to the crossroads of my very young career.
I was just a second-year football player at Warren Harding High School, and the previous week of my very first game, I sustained a number of bumps and bruises. I wasn’t quite sure that football was worth enduring with all its aggravations, bumps, and bruises, but nevertheless, I was able to get through the following week. And then on a Friday night some twenty-five years ago, a wonderful thing happened to me at Fawcett Stadium. Gene Slaughter called my number numerous times that night and I had a very productive evening.
Suddenly, those bumps and bruises really didn’t matter. Suddenly, I knew this was a game I wanted to pursue. I knew that I wanted to stay in football and stay involved.
That was a very valuable lesson that I learned right there at a young age. I learned that there is going to be a little pain and sometimes a little suffering in what we want, and sometimes we have to have the conviction and perseverance to stay with it. Little did I know twenty-five years ago that when I walked out of that stadium, that at a later date, today’s date, I would be standing on the platform before you.
Gene Slaughter had a very positive impact on me as a young junior high school student in search of possible football success. Gene Slaughter came to our junior high school in the spring of 1957 and he talked to all of the young athletes who were there. I got the very distinct impression he was talking with me individually, and what he had to say to me that day made me only want to be a part of what he was going to be a part of at Warren Harding High School.
I wanted to please Gene Slaughter. I worked to become the kind of football player and individual that Gene Slaughter wanted his players to become. Gene Slaughter said the kind of things that were important for the community. He told us that we were highly visible. He told us we had to be just as good in the classroom as we were on the field of play. He told us we had an ultimate responsibility to be good citizens of the school and good citizens of the community. It was no small wonder that we were successful on the field and it was no small wonder that my teammates were successful off the field.
Then came the privilege of joining one of the legendary coaches in all of college football, Woody Hayes. It was a tremendous experience for me to play for him for three years at Ohio State University. I learned more than just blocking and passing down there, and Woody Hayes saw it as his mission to develop young men, not just develop players for the NFL.
He stressed the same things that Gene Slaughter stressed. He stressed the fact that we were there at the university first as students, secondly as football players. It is no small wonder that this man would stop two days before the Michigan game and talk to us not about game plans, not about how we were going to compete against Michigan, but talk to us about what we were doing in school, how our families were doing, and whether we were measuring up to those standards. I respected Woody Hayes for that. All of his former players respected him for that. He was a man with great integrity, tremendous honesty, and, above all else, great compassion. Those are qualities you have to look up to.
The lessons I have learned regarding character, sportsmanship, and humility come from the great coaches. They come from family. And they have given me a sense, I believe, of commitment—commitment to dedicate my ability as a player and commitment to striving for excellence.
So I say to many of the young people who are out there in the audience today, it is a great experience to have played in competitive sports and to have played in the NFL. The vital lesson that I have learned, and I think many of the athletes have learned, is no different to lessons that are learned in life itself.
There are day-to-day struggles. There are times in which we fail. There are times in which we must learn to get up off the gutter. Life is not going to be one smooth road. It is not going to be easy, and consequently, if you have that reserve from your experiences you can draw from, the chances are you will meet with success.
Larry Csonka
Miami Dolphins and New York Giants Running Back
Class of 1987
The MVP of Super Bowl VIII, Csonka rushed for 8,081 yards and scored sixty-eight touchdowns during a career in which he fumbled only twenty-one times on 1,891 carries.
Presented by Colts and Dolphins Coach Don Shula
I once called him the modern-day Nagurski. What separates Larry from some of the game’s other greats is his superior competitive instincts and his love for playing football the old-fashioned way. He was blood and guts, dirt all over him, never leaving the game.
In his career—high school, college, and the pros—he had twelve broken noses. He just recently had it fixed; you will see how handsome he is when he gets up here.
Larry Csonka
Coach Fortner came to the gym to see me in my sophomore year and move me to fullback into my junior year, and he helped me make a very large decision. We all went out for the grass drill on our first day of practice, an August day much like this, and he was yelling at us. At the time, a red convertible went by the practice field and honked its horn. It was a friend of mine, and he had two long-haired blondes in his car and they were waving. At that time, Coach Fortner said, “Fellows, there it is. You can either be here doing this or there doing that…. Now hit the dirt!”
Everyone did except me. I had to think about it for a minute. And Fortner, like Shula, didn’t hesitate to lose the momentum of the moment. He said, “Down, Csonka!”
Naturally I went down and stayed with it ever after.
Len Dawson
Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns,
Dallas Texans, and Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback
Class of 1987
A four-time AFL passing champion, Dawson threw for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns.
Presented by Texans, Chiefs, and Saints Coach Hank Stram
When I think of Lenny, I think of family because I knew him way before I had a family. As my wife, Phyllis, often said, I spent more time with him than I did with our family of six. You know, she was probably right.
When I think of Lenny, I also think of honor, I think of class, I think of style, I think of grace, and I think of dignity.
When I think of Lenny, I think of winning because he played a dominant role in helping us become the winningest team in the history of the American Football League. We won four championships, a Super Bowl, and every big game there was to win.
When I think of Lenny, I think of leadership because he was a natural leader. He was captain of his Alliance football team, Purdue, the Dallas Texans, and the Kansas City Chiefs. He led by example, and the bigger the game, the better he played. He was our man of the moment. Greatness is measured by the test of time and Lenny passed that test with flying colors.
Len Dawson
I have been very, very fortunate. I am the seventh son of a seventh son. And all my life they said, “Hey, that’s great—that’s good luck.”
In 1960–61, I had completed five years in the NFL and that was about the time you started building the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And I am sure if anyone would have asked at that time, “Don’t you think Len Dawson might one day be here?” after they got up off the floor from laughing, they would say, “Why should he be? What has he don
e?”
But I am the seventh son of a seventh son. Things happen to me. A man in Dallas, Texas, by the name of Lamar Hunt had a dream. He wanted to get into professional football in a league called the AFL. And he had the good sense to hire Hank Stram as the coach. Hank Stram knew me at Purdue, as he had recruited me out of Alliance High School to attend Purdue. That was my saving grace.
Because to tell you the truth, I was awful after five years of not playing. The skills that I once had were gone. Had it not been for Hank Stram and knowing me, there would not have been a seventh look for the seventh son of a seventh son.
Joe Greene
Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Tackle
Class of 1987
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 and 1974, Greene was a four-time Super Bowl champion and played in ten Pro Bowls.
Presented by Steelers Coach Chuck Noll
As I look at all the enshrinees, there’s no question that they have played the game physically. They are quick, they are strong, they do all things well. But the thing I think that sets Joe aside from everybody else is his attitude. It is something you don’t do anything to get. It is something that you have; you have it deep down. He had all kinds of attitudes, but probably the best was, he wanted to play the game very badly.
Before his senior year, I was scouting with the Baltimore Colts, and I went through North Texas State, and I had the chance to watch Joe for three years, and the last time I had a chance to talk with him. There was no question, it just came through that this man wanted a professional football career. It was a very important thing to him, and that is a prime ingredient.
Joe Greene
As I reflect, I start thinking about high school, thinking about my high school coaches, Coach Elliott, Coach Moore. See I was the big guy around, but my heart wasn’t as big as my body, and I really didn’t want to play football. But they made me come out and play football. I want to thank them for not letting me quit when the weather got hot, the sprints hard, the work got devastating. I think it made me a tougher person.
Then there is Mr. [Art] Rooney, the Chief. No one can make you feel more welcome than the Chief—“Have a cigar, my boy!” You know, I still have the first one he gave me when I signed my contract at the Roosevelt Hotel. It may not smoke very good, but it sure does look good. He gave the organization the dignity and the class that it possesses.
And then there is the twelfth man. See you always need the twelfth man. In Pittsburgh, if you are not at the stadium at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the fall, you are at the wrong place. Pittsburgh, they are always there. Without the fans, it is something different. We certainly appreciate and love you for that. And you have impacted my life because you are important.
Don Maynard
New York Giants, New York Titans/Jets, and
St. Louis Cardinals Wide Receiver
Class of 1987
Maynard had at least fifty catches and one thousand receiving yards in five different seasons. He finished with 633 receptions for 11,834 yards and eighty-eight touchdowns.
Presented by Jets and Rams Quarterback Joe Namath
I will tell you about two games, and four plays, that stand out in my mind. We happened to be playing the same football team, a very good football team; they still are to this day. They were a tough rival of ours, even though they were all the way out in California—the Oakland Raiders. Nice bunch of guys—very tough football team.
Well, we were backed up on our own one-yard line. But Don had this wonderful knack of being able to go after the football, judging the flight and adjusting his speed. Even though we were on our own one-yard line, I called a “go” pattern, decided to go ahead and give Don a chance to make the play. Well, I just laid it out there with all the confidence in the world for Don being able to come down with the football. He did, for a fifty-one-yard gain, just like that.
He came back to the huddle and I said, “Hey, Don, how you feeling?” He said, “Shoot, Joe, I’m just fine.” That’s the way he talks, you see. I said, “You think you can do it again?” He said, “Hey, you go ahead and lay it out there. I’ll go get it.”
Well, he was right. Here we are, on the forty-nine-yard line, and I called the same play and another “go” pattern to Don. I just threw it up in the air, he made the judgment, went up after it, and stepped into the end zone for a touchdown. Two plays, ninety-nine yards. He made the plays.
A little while later we were playing for the AFL championship against a very good Oakland Raiders team. We had just fallen behind 23–20. I’m sitting on the bench, feeling mighty low because old Joe just threw the interception that set up the score. Don comes over to me, leans over, pats me on the shoulder, and said, “Now take it easy, Joe. Don’t get down on yourself. Anytime you want it, I can get a step on that man, and you let me have it.” Well, boy, he said that with so much confidence, it made me feel much better.
Sure enough we got up to the line of scrimmage, this defensive back climbed up on Don. I called the audible, a maximum protection pass play, dropped back to throw, and laid the ball out there. Don Maynard made one of the greatest catches of all time. And if you see it on film or have seen it on film, you will understand what I’m talking about. He made an over-the-shoulder catch, brought it in one-handed, and was knocked out of bounds on the six-yard line.
We had first and goal for the AFC championship. I figured the Raiders were going to count on a running play at the time, so I was going to outsmart them and call a play-action pass. Well, the Raiders were a little smarter than I figured. I faked an off left tackle run to [Matt] Snell, then I dropped back looking for George Sauer but he was covered, looked for Bill Mathis but he was covered, came back to big boy Pete Lammons but he was covered. And about that time, I saw that big number 13—Maynard—streaking across the back of the end zone.
Boy, I threw that thing as quick as I could, as fast as I could. It was a fastball, down low, and Don slid down there and cradled that ball and we all went on to the Super Bowl.
Don Maynard, he was the man our opponents worried about, the knockout punch, lightning in a bottle, nitro just waiting to explode. He could fly with the grace of a great Thoroughbred and he galloped through the very best football players of the world.
Don Maynard
You know it is really a shame that everyone can’t experience the great enjoyment of life I have had here and there, especially from the first grade, where I rode a mule six miles to a school that had a one-room schoolhouse with six rows, and each row was a grade, and you had one teacher.
Yes, it is a long way to Canton, Ohio, even to New York City. I look out here and I see more people out there than in some towns I lived in. I looked up at the first brick building in New York, and it had more bricks than some of the towns that I lived in then.
I came to play and I came to stay.
Football was a game, Country Don was my name.
I made a mark and I became a star, with a lot of help from near and far.
There are good ones and great ones, I played with and against. Thank you, good Lord, for that wonderful chance.
As I played my part many times even late after dark, I don’t have to look back as I played it with my heart.
The direction from where I came, resulted in a whole lot of fame.
I played the best and I believe I passed the test. I am glad this is over, I need some rest.
Buck Buchanan
Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle
Class of 1990
During thirteen years in which he led the Chiefs to appearances in Super Bowls I and IV, Buchanan did not miss a game.
Presented by Chiefs and Saints Coach Hank Stram
Buck had it all. He had style, he had speed, he had quickness, and he had strength combined with the ability to lead. He was a constant team player who was infused with a great attitude. It didn’t take long for Buck to earn front-page success as the premier defensive lineman in the AFL. He was exceptionally strong against the run and had th
e added dimension of being an excellent up-the-field rusher.
To highlight this point, he batted down sixteen passes at or behind the line of scrimmage in 1967. By this time, Buck had become such a dominant force that my good friend, Al Davis, was compelled to find someone with the kind of size and strength necessary to neutralize Buck. Consequently, the Raiders drafted Gene Upshaw in the opening round of the first AFL-NFL draft in 1967. And this became the most storied one-on-one rivalry in AFL history.
Gene sums up his respect for Buck by saying this: “I was big, but Buck was bigger and stronger. It was hard to believe that someone so big could be so quick. It was like trying to block a goalpost. For the most part, I enjoyed playing against the other guys, but when I played against Buchanan, I couldn’t sleep the night before.”
And Gene, after watching all those films we watched, it was obvious that you spent more time holding Buck than you did your wife.
Buck Buchanan
I would like this bronze bust to serve as a greater purpose than a testimony to my football career. I sincerely hope this will stand as a symbol of inspiration to all young people where hard work and honest effort can take you. Being consistent in your work and never quitting until you have reached the finish line will bring you the desired results. Today I am thankful I am able to cross the finish line.
To the young people in all walks of life may I say, “Never give up your hopes and dreams of success.”
Jan Stenerud
Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers,
and Minnesota Vikings Kicker
Class of 1991
The first pure placekicker to enter the Hall of Fame, Stenerud scored 1,699 points on 580 extra points and 373 field goals.
The Class of Football Page 28
