What will it take for Bob Hayes to be in Canton?

[Doomsday101]

I was thrilled to see Irvin make it to the HOF just as I was for Troy last year and will be for Emmitt when he goes in but another year has passed without the addition of Bob Hayes. What will it take for this man to be enshrined with the best? Hayes changed the game of Pro Football and yet is still not part of this elite group and I’m afraid as each year passes the odds become slimmer that he will make it.

 

[Vintage]

Probably barely above zero.

 

[joseephuss]

A drastic change in the voting process.

 

[Hostile]

I was thrilled to see Irvin make it to the HOF just as I was for Troy last year and will be for Emmitt when he goes in but another year has passed without the addition of Bob Hayes. What will it take for this man to be enshrined with the best? Hayes changed the game of Pro Football and yet is still not part of this elite group and I’m afraid as each year passes the odds become slimmer that he will make it.

His and Cliff Harris' only hope is the Veteran's Committee.

Both should already be in. Their exclusion is a joke.

 

[hardcorebob]

Getting all the Cowboys haters out of the voting process for starters.

 

[Doomsday101]

A drastic change in the voting process.

Chances are your right. Dr Z (Paul Zimmerman) resigned from the Selection Committee in protest of the decision to leave Hayes out of the Hall. I would love to see him head up a group to try and get Hayes in where he rightfully belongs.

 

[Big Country]

His and Cliff Harris' only hope is the Veteran's Committee.

Both should already be in. Their exclusion is a joke.

Don't forget about Chuck Howley

 

[Hostile]

Don't forget about Chuck Howley

Too true.

 

[jazzcat22]

Getting all the Cowboys haters out of the voting process for starters.

Yes, too many Northeast biased voters.

 

[trickblue]

There are still a few of the Steelers from the 70's teams they need to get in first...

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Instead of quitting, I'd have preferred to see Dr Z stay and fight the good fight.

As one of the most respected long time NFL writers, he is well suited to make Haye's case, which rests, imo, more on his contribution to the game than on anything else, as a prototype speed receiver in a game that was beginning to feature more than just tailbacks as offensive excitement. A case could be made Hayes had more impact than even Lance Alworth in regards to the deep pass and the skills required to feature it.

Then, later of course, Irvin was another protoype for the bigger, physical, tough blocking receiver, so perhaps the totality Hayes' impact simply didn't get the chance to connect in many minds. But he changed the nature of the position, perhaps just as much.

I remember my dad telling me that Jerry Rice owed a lot to Bullet Bob, and perhaps that is a strategy the Hayes supporters need to take.

 

[Doomsday101]

Instead of quitting, I'd have preferred to see Dr Z stay and fight the good fight.

As one of the most respected long time NFL writers, he is well suited to make Haye's case, which rests, imo, more on his contribution to the game than on anything else, as a prototype speed receiver in a game that was beginning to feature more than just tailbacks as offensive excitement. A case could be made Hayes had more impact than even Lance Alworth in regards to the deep pass and the skills required to feature it.

Then, later of course, Irvin was another protoype for the bigger, physical, tough blocking receiver, so perhaps the totality Hayes' impact simply didn't get the chance to connect in many minds. But he changed the nature of the position, perhaps just as much.

I remember my dad telling me that Jerry Rice owed a lot to Bullet Bob, and perhaps that is a strategy the Hayes supporters need to take.

Well you would figure that the man that forced DC to come up with the zone coverage would be a shoe in for the Hall. Prior to Hayes teams did not run zone coverage but due to the speed Hayes had no one could stay with him in one on one matchups thus DC had to figure a way to cover him so in came the zone. Like you I wish Dr Z would have stayed on as part of the committe but I understand his frustration with the process when you see a guy like Hayes being shafted.

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Well you would figure that the man that forced DC to come up with the zone coverage would be a shoe in for the Hall. Prior to Hayes teams did not run zone coverage but due to the speed Hayes had no one could stay with him in one on one matchups thus DC had to figure a way to cover him so in came the zone. Like you I wish Dr Z would have stayed on as part of the committe but I understand his frustration with the process when you see a guy like Hayes being shafted.

Well said, Dooms. How many players' skills forced such a major innovation, and how many players so clearly symbolize a major change in the entire look of the game?

I'd like to see Dr Z, as one of the NFL's chief historians, write a book on players who may not have the top stats but whose skill sets became THE skills sets of the position, with all the attending changes need to compensate for them.

 

[THUMPER]

How is Gale Sayers in but Bob Hayes is not? If it is all about numbers then Sayers should NOT be in the HoF. Now anyone who saw Sayers play knows why he is in but the same can be said of Hayes.

If Hayes had not been busted for drugs after he retired and just before he would have been eligible for the HoF. That pretty much killed any chance he had.

Then in 2004 he was a finalist (along with Rayfield Wright I believe, or was it Cliff Harris) but both Cowboys were left out even though they could have allowed 2 more players in that year and they only inducted 4 guys.

Once again, his drug issues were brought up as the reason why he was left out again.

His chances are getting less and less as each year passes, same for Harris and the other Cowboys greats who SHOULD be in the HoF.

 

[Big Dakota]

Harvey Martin

ROH then HOF

 

[Yeagermeister]

There are still a few of the Steelers from the 70's teams they need to get in first...

The third string punter isn't in yet

As for the actual question....divine intervention

 

[Doomsday101]

There are still a few of the Steelers from the 70's teams they need to get in first...

I really do not begrudge the Steeler players making it to the HOF they were an outstanding team through out the 70's but that should not prevent the Cowboy players of that time from entering the HOF.

 

[Sandyf]

It will take the Hall finally realizing that there are far to many bias with the current voters to the Hall and change the whole procedure.

As much as I am proud that Aikman and Irvin are there and that Emmitt will soon follow, the Hall has left out far to many players that are deserving about 30 by my count and that is probably conservative.

The voters are about bias mostly not about deserving. Players such as Art Monk, Bob Hayes, Cliff Harris, Charles Haley, Roger Craig, Kenny Stabler, Ray Guy, LC Greenwood, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Joe Klecko, Drew Pearson, Andre Reed, and Herschel Walker all belong for various reasons but with the present voting crew won't.

Although the PFH of F is better than MLB and I have had the opportunity to visit both, I will probably never again. The Halls are just as much a part of the fans as they are the players and sportswriters. Their reasons to keep a person out have little to nothing that is reasonable just about an opinion of their own which is worth about as much as a cow paddie.

One day I would hope the Hall brings in those that are deserving on that someone starts a true Hall that is about the fans, players and the game not a sportswriters opinion. I would gladly contribute to that Hall on an ongoing basis.

Paul Z. is the only one with any guts to do anything and although I may have disagreed with some of his assestments at least he called a rotten apple a rotten apple.

 

[Vintage]

Money. It would take lots of money exchanging hands...

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Man doesn't even have a stone to mark his grave by. How we ever going to get anybody to pay attention to him as a Hall Of Fame player?

~Rant Off~