The Pro Football Hall of Fame roster will grow to 221 on Sunday when running back Marcus Allen, wide receiver James Lofton, defensive end Elvin Bethea, guard Joe DeLamielleure and coach Hank Stram are enshrined.
There’s no denying Allen is a worthy Hall of Famer. In fact, there are probably some who would rank the 16-year player among the top half-dozen or so. Here’s a few reasons why, but first the other halfback/fullbacks/tailbacks in Canton, Ohio, and the number of years they played:
Jim Brown 9 Hugh McElhenny 13
Earl Campbell 8 Lenny Moore 12
Larry Csonka 12 Marion Motley 9
Eric Dickerson 11 Walter Payton 13
Tony Dorsett 12 Joe Perry 16
Frank Gifford 12 John Riggins 14
Franco Harris 13 Gale Sayers 7
Paul Hornung 10 O.J. Simpson 11
John Henry Johnson 13 Jim Taylor 10
Leroy Kelly 10 Charley Trippi 9
Ollie Matson 14 Doak Walker 6
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Marcus vs. the Hall
Allen was the first player to rush for 10,000 yards and catch passes for 5,000 more and was a six-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders and Chiefs.
The 23rd modern era (post-1946) running back in the Hall, Allen was Rookie of the Year in 1982, MVP of Super Bowl XVIII, league MVP in 1985 and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1993.
Among running backs, Allen’s 145 career touchdowns is third all time behind two active players–Jerry Rice’s 203 and Emmitt Smith’s 164. His 123 rushing TDs are the most of any Hall of Fame back. Allen scored a rushing TD every 24.5 carries.
Allen’s 12,739 yards is pro football’s seventh best, his 3,022 carries is fourth most and his 17,648 total yards (rushing and receiving) is eighth all time. He had nine seasons in which he carried the ball 200 or more times.
In addition, Allen’s team made the playoffs 10 times, and he gained 1,347 yards in 16 games with 11 rushing touchdowns in the postseason.
The others in the Class of 2003 with one key number for each:
James Lofton, 1978-93
Selected by Green Bay in the first round of the 1978 draft, the 17th wide receiver in the Hall was a deep threat who possessed both speed and great hands. Nine times he recorded more than 50 receptions in a season. When he retired he was the game’s all-time leader in receiving yardage (14,004, now third) and averaged 18.3 yards per catch.
10.2
Lofton caught 75 touchdowns among his 764 receptions in his 233-game career, an average of a TD every 10.2 catches.
Elvin Bethea, 1968-83
The eight-time Pro Bowl selection–and 23rd defensive linemen in the Hall–played in 210 games during his career with the Houston Oilers. Bethea wasn’t the tallest, biggest, strongest or fastest player but he had a gift for shedding blockers and making tackles.
105
His career sack total still ranks as an Oilers/Tennessee Titans record, as does his single-season mark of 16 sacks recorded in 1973.
Joe DeLamielleure, 1973-85
The 28th offensive linemen enshrined is the most honored member of the Buffalo Bills’ famed “Electric Company” offensive line of the 1970s. “Joe D” was best known as the lead blocker for O.J. Simpson during his record-setting years with the Bills. He finished his career by spending four years with the Cleveland Browns.
6
Pro Bowl selections for Joe D, who was selected in 1980 as the right guard on the NFL’s Team of the Decade.
Hank Stram, 1960-74, ’76-77
As head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chicago native and graduate of Purdue won more games and more championships than any other coach in the 10-year history of the American Football League. An innovator, the 20th coach honored by the Hall devised a two tight end offense, utilized the “moving pocket” and made famous the “stack defense.”
131
Career victories by Stram, who had 97 losses and 10 ties in his 17-year coaching career.
