On August 8, eight well-deserving players were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. The mission statement of the NFL Hall of Fame is to honor the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values, and celebrate excellence everywhere. These eight men were chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame based on their successes playing professional football.
Jerome Bettis was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as a running back in 1993 out of Notre Dame. He played for the Rams for three years and in those seasons had many accomplishments most rookies only dreamed of achieving. He ended his first professional season with 1,429 yards. In that season, Bettis was able to contribute to that total by running his first 100-yard and 200-yard games. At that time, his record was 212 yards in one game. In 1993, Bettis was only the eighth rookie to be able to rush 200 yards in a single game. He was honored with the title of Rookie of the Year and was chosen for the first team All-Pro and All-NFC. After playing for the Rams, Bettis was drafted to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996 where he led in gaining years eight times in 10 seasons. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and made it to Super Bowl XL where the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21 to 10. By the Time Jerome Bettis retired he was ranked all-time in rushing with 13,662 yards on 3,479 career carries, 91 rushing touchdowns, and was able to reach the 100 yard mark in 61 season games and three playoff games.
Tim Brown was lucky enough to be the recipient of the Heisman Trophy when he played for Notre Dame before being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1988. After playing for 17 seasons, all but one being with the Raiders, Brown become one of the greatest receivers of his time. He was able to accomplish 43 receptions and five touchdowns as a rookie. He was then named first team AllPro and played in the Pro Bowl. After suffering from a season-ending injury, Brown returned as a punt returner in 1990. He was able to complete 80 catches for 1,180 yards in 1990 and 90 receptions in 1996. He was really a renaissance man on the field, able to be a wide receiver, kick returner, and a punt returner. Brown also has 10n years with a minimum of 75 catches and nine recorded 1,000-yard seasons. He was named first-team All-AFC four times as a wide receiver, once as a kick returner once, and once as a punt returner.
In 1986, Charles Hayley was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and then to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992 as a defensive end and linebacker. He helped the 49ers win two Super Bowls. Then, once he was traded to the Cowboys, he helped them win three Super Bowls in four seasons. In his rookie season with the 49ers, he set a career record of 12 sacks, then increased that number to 16 sacks in 1990. Once he was drafted to Dallas, he was moved to defensive end, and in 1994 and 1995, he was able to add to more double-digit sack seasons to his record. In 1996, Haley unfortunately suffered from a serious injury to his back and had to retire after having surgery.
Bill Polian was an active member of the NFL for 32 seasons. He started out as a Kansas City Chiefs scout from 1978 to 1982. Then in 1984, he took control as the general manager for the Buffalo Bills. Under his management, the Bills achieved four AFC Eastern Division titles from 1988 to 1991. Polian made the Bills a force to be reckoned with and helped them go to the three Super Bowls. He had the opportunity to work as the Vice President of Football Development in the NFL office. But, this didn’t last long, because Polian took a general manager job with the Carolina Panthers after only two years. He helped the Panthers reach the NFC championship and then in 1996 he helped them win the NFC Western Division. After that, he moved on to the Indianapolis Colts. Here he was put into the President/General Manager position until 2011. Under Polian, the Colts achieved eight division crowns, they attended two Super Bowls, and won Super Bowl XLI. One of Polian’s greatest accomplishments is being named the NFL’s Executive of the Year by The Sporting News six times!
Junior Seau
1990 was the year Seau’s professional football career took off once he was drafted to the San Diego Chargers. Seau played 20 seasons as a linebacker, in which he “exemplified perseverance, leadership, and a level of excellence that made him one of the finest linebackers to have ever played in the National Football League.” Seau was lucky enough to start 15 games of his rookie year, and by the end of that year, he was the team’s second leading tackler. Seau was able to lead the Chargers to their only Super Bowl appearance. During this season, he made 155 tackles and three fumble recoveries. He had the ability to record at least 10 tackles per game. Even though the Chargers lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX, Seau played an amazing game with four assists, 12 tackles, and one pass. In the entirety of his NFL career, Seau played 268 games between the Chargers, the Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots until 2009.
Shields was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs out of Nebraska in 1993. He was put into the guard position after a starting player was injured and since that day, Shields started every game until he retired in 2006. During his career, the Chiefs were able to win four division titles and make six playoff appearances. He accomplished a lot, attending 12 consistent Pro Bowls until he retired. He has also been deemed as a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
Tingelhoff signed as a free agent to the Minnesota Vikings in 1962 after he attended the University of Nebraska. He played center and was known for his “durability, toughness, and perseverance.” Tingelhoff started every regular season game which totaled 240 by the time he retired in 1978. He played in 19 playoff games and never once missed a game. During these 240 games with the Vikings, he helped them achieve 10 divisional titles in 11 seasons. The team did so well with Tinglehoff that they went to four Super Bowls which included IV, VII, IX, and XI. He was included in the 1,000-yard Club as the NFL’s top blocker in 1969 and was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor back in 2001.
Ron Wolf
Wolf started his career with the NFL back in 1963 as a scout for the Oakland Raiders. As he progressed, he became the player personnel director for the Raiders. After that, he became the Executive Vice President/General Manager of the Green Bay Packers. He also worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their general manager. He helped them grow enough to make it to the NFC championships in only four seasons. But Wolf didn’t stay with the Buccaneers long, he returned to the Raiders for 23 seasons. In these seasons, the Raiders gained 10 division titles, and played in AFL/AFC championship games as well as three Super Bowls, winning in two of them (XV and XVII). After the success with the Raiders, Wolf became Executive Vice President/ General Manager of the Green Bay Packers. The packers were able to work their way to claiming a division title after 23 seasons. This started the first of three NFC Central Division titles which then led to two Super Bowls. He completely turned around these two teams.
