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Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko & Ken Riley named finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 (1 Viewer)

Yogibear

Footballguy
CANTON, OHIO – Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley have moved to the final step in the selection process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.

A meeting of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee concluded Tuesday afternoon with Howley, Klecko and Riley emerging from the group of 12 Seniors remaining under consideration as Finalists for next year’s class of enshrinees. That list at one point numbered 127 former players whose careers ended no later than the 1996 season.

The Hall of Fame’s full Selection Committee will consider Howley, Klecko and Riley for election – along with 15 Modern-Era Players and a Coach/Contributor – when it meets to choose the entire Class of 2023 in January. Each of the Seniors Finalists would be elected to the Hall if he receives at least 80% approval in the up-or-down balloting.

“I’d like to thank the Seniors Committee for the extensive research each member put into preparing for the selection meeting. The Selectors talked about 12 individuals – several never discussed in a forum like this before – and every candidate’s resumé was presented in great detail,” said Jim Porter, president of the Hall. “Expanding the conversation with additional Selectors participating in the process produced three worthy Finalists now on the doorstep of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
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Several of the 12 remaining candidates for the Class of 2023 discussed Tuesday have been eligible for the Hall of Fame for more than 40 years, including Howley, who first played in the National Football League in 1958. His son Scott called the news “fantastic” for his dad.

Howley played outside linebacker for the Chicago Bears (1958-59) and the Dallas Cowboys (1961-1973). He holds the distinction as the only person named Most Valuable Player of a Super Bowl from the losing team, winning the award following the Cowboys’ 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V. In that game, Howley intercepted two passes. He also intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in Super Bowl VI as the Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-3.

In his 15-season career, Howley intercepted 25 passes and recovered 18 fumbles in 180 regular-season games. He was named first-team All-Pro five times and selected to six Pro Bowls.

Joe_Klecko.jpgKlecko played every position – defensive end, defensive tackle and nose guard – across the defensive line for the New York Jets (1977-1987) and Indianapolis Colts (1988) and was selected to at least one Pro Bowl at each spot. He was a member of the “New York Sack Exchange” teams, making four Pro Bowls overall and earning two first-team All-Pro honors – once at defensive end and once at nose guard – in his 12-year NFL career. In one of those All-Pro seasons, 1981, Klecko (at defensive end) recorded 20.5 sacks and finished second in the AP’s Defensive Player of the Year voting. He totaled 78 sacks in his career.

“You made my day; that’s for sure,” Klecko, now age 68 and eligible for 30 years, said in a congratulatory phone call from Porter. “I’ve had too many of them ‘no’ phone calls, and to get this one with a ‘yes’ is just absolutely exciting. … It’s a great time in the Klecko house.”

Riley played his entire 15-year career (1969-1983) at cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals. A quarterback in college, he adapted to his new position as a pro remarkably quickly, intercepting four passes as a rookie.
Riley-Ken.jpg
He would record at least one interception each season, finishing with 65 for his career – still the fifth-highest (tied) total in NFL history and ranked second to “Night Train” Lane’s 68 for defensive backs who played exclusively at corner. Known for both his cover skills and ability to support run defenses, he played 207 games and remained productive in his final season: eight interceptions, two that he returned for touchdowns, and a spot on the AP All-Pro first team.

Riley passed away at age 72 in 2020. His son, Ken Riley II, responded to the news of his father advancing in the process with great joy.

“Oh, wow! Really? That is awesome,” he said to Porter. “I told (my father), ‘One day, you’re going to do it.’”

The other nine players the Seniors Committee discussed at its meeting were Ken Anderson, Maxie Baughan, Randy Gradishar, Cecil Isbell, Bob Kuechenberg, Eddie Meador, Tommy Nobis, Sterling Sharpe and Everson Walls.

Gradishar, Kuechenberg and Sharpe advanced through an initial cutdown vote from 12 candidates to six shortly before the final vote was taken. The firm EY administered the voting process.

Earlier this year, the Hall’s Board of Trustees approved a change in its bylaws governing the selection process, enlarging the number of Finalists in the Seniors category to three for the Hall of Fame’s classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025. With that change, those classes could be as large as nine enshrinees each: up to five Modern-Era Players, up to three Seniors and one Coach/Contributor.

The Coach/Contributor Committee will meet next week to determine its Finalist for election to the Class of 2023. The 12 candidates in that field are: Roone Arledge, Don Coryell, Mike Holmgren, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr., Mike Shanahan, Clark Shaughnessy and John Wooten.
 

Randy Gradishar Snubbed Again: Time for a New Group of 49 Hall-of-Fame Voters
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's reputation was besmirched by the mockery that purportedly took place among the Seniors voting on Tuesday.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has a problem: the voters seemingly have no backbone.

When one voter with some clout comes to the table with an agenda, the other voters roll over and show their bellies. That's not an authentic debate based on the merits of a candidate — it's an injustice and a mockery of the greats that are enshrined in Canton.

The case in point is Joe Klecko. I have zero issue with Klecko's candidacy and his induction into the Hall of Fame. The issue is how it happened.

Klecko has a case for Canton, but it isn't overwhelming. His resume also pales in comparison to other finalists over the years, like Randy Gradishar and Bob Kuechenberg.

The simple fact is that since the day Klecko became eligible for the Hall of Fame, he has never once been a true contender for enshrinement, while the other two listed above have been in steady consideration by voters. Gradishar was twice named a finalist during his pre-Senior pool days and once as a Senior candidate in 2020. Kuechenberg was an eight-time finalist from 2002 to 2009.

Voters have long considered Gradishar and Kuechenberg prime candidates for entry into those hallowed halls, but they've narrowly missed out. Klecko has never been close enough to narrowly miss.

The other evidence that Gradishar and Kuechenberg are the stronger candidates is their respective long list of All-Pro awards, Pro Bowls, Super Bowls, and Defensive Player of the Year Awards, but that evidence has been presented ad nauseam. It seemingly matters not in their case for the Hall of Fame.

Why did that perspective all of a sudden change in 2022? Purportedly, it happened because one voter made it well known that Klecko would be the player who gets in, and the rest of the voters tucked their tails and followed along.

The cowardice is astounding. So much so that the Pro Football Hall of Fame should wipe clean its slate of current voters and bring in a new group with the ability to weigh the evidence without bias or a preconceived agenda.

The mockery of the greatness that is the Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to come to an end. That starts by clearing out the 'old guard' of voters and starting anew.

49 new voters.

Voters who are willing to put the time into research, watch the film, talk to those in the know about these great players of the past, and have a willingness to discuss candidates without a preconceived bias.

Canton needs voters who can weigh evidence dispassionately. Until then, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will continue to be diminished.

As for Denver Broncos fans, there's still hope for two other semi-finalists. Former head coaches Mike Shanahan, and Dan Reeves are still in the running for the Class of 2023.

Meanwhile, Gradishar languishes for at least another year while Broncos fans fairly wonder whether the 'old guard' voters will ever have the gumption to balance the scales of football justice and enshrine one of the greatest linebackers to ever play the game.
 
Randy Gradishire should be in the HOF also.

I didn’t realize Ken Riley was a qb in college. It must have been a thing back in the day - the athletic college qb automatically is a DB in the NFL. Tony Dungy and Rex Kern are a couple others that were converted.
 
The entire voting process is weird. It always was. I've never been to Canton, but friends who've been there say the HOF is pretty underwhelming, and nothing like Baseball's (which I've been to several times - it's an excellent celebration of the game and its great players.)
 

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