If patience is a virtue, then Al Davis is much more virtuous than villainous.
The Los Angeles Raiders` intrepid owner, long considered a renegade by the National Football League brain trust, Saturday was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Davis was joined in the Class of 1992 by tight end John Mackey, who also had a long wait for the honor; fullback John Riggins and cornerback Lem Barney.
”I`d be remiss if I didn`t say I should have been in there sooner, but I accept it like it is,” said Davis, who finally picked up enough votes after having been among the final 15 candidates seven times.
”It`s kind of corny,” said Davis, ”but it`s a tribute to the greatness of the Raiders, the coaches, the players and the fans.
”It reached a sensitive point. I`m indebted to the people who kept sticking up for me, fighting for me. I admire them more than the (Hall of Fame) selection process.”
Willie Galimore, a Bears halfback during the 1950s and `60s who was the nominated candidate of the Seniors committee, failed to generate the required 80 percent vote among the 31 balloting electors.
Galimore was a brilliant runner but lacked impressive statistics and longevity. His seven-year career was cut short by a fatal auto accident in 1964.
”I`m happy Willie was even thought of at this stage. It`s something his grandchildren can remember,” his widow, Audrey, said in Tallahassee, Fla.
”I`m still a Bear fan.”
Wide receiver Charlie Joiner and guard Tom Mack were eliminated on the final round of voting. Coach Bill Walsh, Giants owner Wellington Mara, defensive end Carl Eller and punter Ray Guy failed to survive the first round. Second-round casualties were offensive tackles Bob Brown and Dan Dierdorf, receiver Lynn Swann and coach Bud Grant.
Mackey, who was a premier tight end as a Baltimore Colt from 1963 to 1971 and spent a final season in San Diego in 1972, made the Hall in his last year of eligibility as a ”modern” candidate. Under the rules, Mackey would have been removed from the modern list after this year and his only chance would have been as a seniors nominee.
”I`m very happy to have made it,” said Mackey, who joins the Bears`
Mike Ditka as the only tight ends in the Hall.
Mackey, a 6-2, 224-pound Syracuse graduate, was the Colts` No. 2 draft pick in 1963. In his seventh season, he was tabbed the best tight end in the NFL`s first 50 years by sportswriters.
Riggins, a 6-2, 240-pounder from Kansas, played with the Jets from 1971 to 1975 and with Washington from 1976 to 1985 except for 1980, when he voluntarily sat out the season.
Riggins, a free spirit, was a steady, dependable runner who turned up the turbos in big games. He won MVP honors in Super Bowl XVII with a record 38 carries for 166 yards in a 27-17 victory over Miami. He rushed for 11,352 yards and scored 116 touchdowns during a 14-year pro career.
Barney, a 6-foot, 190-pound speedster from Jackson State, was a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 1968. It took only a few games for him to become widely respected as a cornerback. He was defensive rookie of the year and intercepted 56 passes during his 11 seasons.
Davis, the scrappy boss of the Raiders in both Oakland and Los Angeles, finally convinced electors he belonged in the Hall despite the fact he bolted from Oakland without permission and once helped the United States Football League sue the NFL.
Davis won two lawsuits against his own league and seemingly made enemies as rapidly as he made friends. But there is no discounting his many major contributions to the NFL.
When pro football`s two major leagues put an end to their six-year war in 1966, the then 36-year-old Davis, serving briefly as commissioner of the American Football League, was acclaimed as the driving force who brought the leagues to the conference table.
In 1969, Davis was again a prime force in the critical realignment of pro football, when two 13-team conferences were formed for 1970. He played a vital role in the development of the game as a member of the NFL competition committee and NFL owners executive committee.
Davis is the only person who has served pro football in six diverse roles-player personnel assistant, assistant coach, head coach, general manager, league commissioner and principal owner of a franchise.
The 1992 class, which will be inducted Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio, will increase the Hall of Fame membership to 164.
