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Posts Tagged ‘Pro Football Hall of Fame’

Nalen, Lynch First-Year Nominees for Hall

September 27th, 2012 - 1:36pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the list of candidates for the Class of 2013, and two Broncos are among the first-year eligible modern-era candidates.

Center Tom Nalen and safety John Lynch are nominees in their first year of eligibility.

Lynch, a nine-time Pro Bowler, spent the first 11 years of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Broncos as a free agent in 2004. He spent four seasons with Denver, capping off a career that featured 1,277 tackles, 13 sacks, 26 interceptions, 100 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

Nalen started 188 of 194 games played in his career, and never committed more than six penalties in a season. He earned five Pro Bowl nominations — the most by an offensive lineman in Broncos history, and won back-to-back Super Bowls with the team.

The two first-year candidates join five fellow former Broncos — running back Terrell Davis, wide receiver Rod Smith, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg and safeties Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith — and a former Broncos coach, Dan Reeves, as nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 12 Comments »

Rod Smith: Next Step Canton?

September 21st, 2012 - 10:41am by Stuart ZaasOther posts by

With Rod Smith’s upcoming induction into the Broncos Ring of Fame during halftime of Sunday’s game vs. Houston, there is only one remaining NFL honor to add to Smith’s resume.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There are currently 21 wide receivers with busts in Canton.

Smith’s numbers are comparable to those of that elite group. His stats would rank in the top 10 in games played, receptions, receiving yards and NFL Championships. His 68 touchdowns rank 11th among Hall of Famers.

“Some of the guys that are there, I can promise you this, my numbers are better than some of the guys there,” Smith said about his Hall-of-Fame chances. “I know we played in a different era but at the same time I think that winning has something to do with it, I think your character off of the field should have something to do with it because it’s an elite group.”

In a results-oriented business, Smith produced. In games he played, Smith’s teams went 126-70, good for a winning percentage of .643. Only one wide receiver currently in the Hall of Fame — Fred Biletnikoff — had a higher career winning percentage.

There’s only one wide receiver in the history of the NFL to post as many receptions, yards, touchdowns, wins and Super Bowl titles as Rod Smith — Jerry Rice.

That’s not bad company to share the most important wide receiver statistics with.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 10 Comments »

Thomas’ Helmet Preserved in HOF

February 21st, 2012 - 5:04pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

When Demaryius Thomas caught Tim Tebow’s pass in overtime against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he sprinted for an 80-yard touchdown to cement one of the most memorable playoff wins in Broncos history.

Now the helmet Thomas wore during the game — and the rest of the 2011 season — is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s collection in Canton, Ohio.

The helmet, commemorating Thomas’ performance in the game, is currently displayed in the museum’s Pro Football Today gallery.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 382 Comments »

Three Broncos Named HOF Semifinalists

November 22nd, 2011 - 4:06pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

The semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012 were announced Tuesday, and three Broncos made the list.

Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis and Karl Mecklenburg are among the 26 modern-era candidates still in the running to head to Canton, Ohio.

For Atwater and Mecklenburg, it’s the first time the two have been named semifinalists.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 119 Comments »

Memories as Sharpe as His Play

February 7th, 2011 - 3:27pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by

When it’s all about Shannon Sharpe, where does one start or leave off?

His selection Saturday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame-the fourth Denver Broncos player to be elected into the illustrious honor society in the last eight years-has already led to a spate of stories and columns about the great tight end.

I thought I would offer my own take on Shannon Sharpe one more time, with apologies if you have read this before.

His selection had to happen sooner or later, and Sharpe did not make it due to numbers his first two years of eligibility-for example, when the voters decided to go for the very deserving Mr. Ralph Wilson, his age was a factor in putting him in right away, probably costing Sharpe a spot. Same thing happened this year-not to Sharpe, but to someone-when they went for the very deserving Ed Sabol, who is 95 years old. Ed has waited in enough lines in his life and career, he should never be in another.

So Shannon altogether waited two years, not a very long time compared to the 18-year wait endured by the elegant and classy wide receiver Lynn Swann.

Shannon set the gold standard in a lot of ways.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 72 Comments »

Semifinalists for The Hall

November 28th, 2010 - 12:36pm by Gabe HiattOther posts by

Two former Broncos survived the cut from 114 preliminary nominees to 26 modern-era semifinalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Shannon Sharpe and Terrell Davis will wait and see if they make the list of 15 modern-era finalists to be decided by mail ballot and announced in January 2011.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 7 Comments »

A Huge Success

August 9th, 2010 - 9:10am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by

This weekend has been a great one for the entire Denver Broncos organization, its legions of fans and for the inimitable Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little.

The team’s open practice at INVESCO Field sat Mile High was a huge success, drawing over 20,000 rabid fans who enjoyed all aspects of the open practice, according to those who were there — I could not attend because I was in Canton, Ohio, at that time watching Floyd Little being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

His induction speech played on the Thundervision scoreboard at the stadium, and several thousand fans stayed after the practice to watch it.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 13 Comments »

The Wait is Over

August 7th, 2010 - 12:14pm by Gabe HiattOther posts by

Floyd Little

Editor’s Note: Broncos’ Vice President of Corporate Communications Jim Saccomano is in Canton, Ohio, this weekend as part of the team’s contingent for Floyd Little’s enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Throughout the weekend, Saccomano will be phoning in some thoughts and observations on Little’s big weekend.

Tonight, Floyd Little will see himself in bronze. He’ll come face-to-face with the bust of a much younger man, a symbol of all the years that went by before his recognition. His son Marc will present him, and nobody would be surprised if Little shed tears during his speech.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 9 Comments »

Center of the Fooball Universe

August 5th, 2010 - 10:28am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by

This is the week of the pro football calendar in which Canton, Ohio, returns to its status as the center of all activity for our game.

It’s Hall of Fame week, beginning with a Thursday night dinner and culminating with the Hall of Fame game, always a sellout on national television.

I am personally looking forward to it not just because Floyd Little is getting inducted, but because to anyone that has had season tickets for a long time — and I became a season ticket holder in the early 1960′s, in addition to having worked here since 1978 — Floyd Little truly was “The Franchise,” and that’s not a nickname that ever leaves him.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 41 Comments »

HoF Memories: Doak Walker

April 13th, 2010 - 4:33pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by

I was thumbing through some research books relative to the Pro Football Hall of Fame recently, and I saw a note that a sportswriter and voter once said that Doak Walker is the least deserving Hall of Famer ever selected.

I realize that many of you readers do not know who Doak Walker was, but many of you have in fact heard of the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the best running back in college football.

The connection, and the reason for this blog, is that Doak, one of the most elegant gentlemen anyone could ever meet, was a special assignments coach back in 1966 for the Denver Broncos, helping out (I am told, as even I was not here then) just by giving his opinions on who could and who could not play. A lot of guys on the Broncos in those days could not play, but Walker could, and I just shook my head when I read the writer’s comment on his worthiness for the Hall of Fame.

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 236 Comments »

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