Waiting for the call: Bob Hayes headlines our list of players who have been overlooked unfairly by the Hall of Fame

Football Digest, Feb, 2005 by Jeff Ryan

BLAST 500 HOME RUNS COLLECT 3,000 hits, or pitch your way to 300 wins and you're virtually assured of a trip to Cooperstown. Unfortunately, the route to Canton isn't nearly as direct. There aren't any real benchmarks that guarantee enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the voting process is highly subjective, and the guidelines are flawed (a minimum of three and maximum of six candidates gain acceptance).

As a result, some very deserving gridiron greats have been left wondering if the whole process is a bust at a time when each of them should be holding a bust, wearing a yellow jacket, and making a teary acceptance speech.

It's about time the Hall sent out the call for ...

BOB HAYES Cowboys, 49ers (1965-75)

The most deserving player on our list, "Bullet Bob," was the wide receiver who actually changed the way the game was played. A 100-meter gold medallist at the 1964 Olympics, Hayes was so fast that he couldn't be contained with conventional man-to-man coverage. Many of the zone defenses in place today were devised to stop him.

The four-time All-Pro selection and finalist in last year's Hall of Fame balloting averaged 20.3 yards per catch, 25.3 yards per kickoff return, and 11.1 yards per punt return. He finished his career with 371 catches and 71 touchdowns. Hayes, who died in 2002, struggled with substance-abuse problems and once served 10 months in prison for selling drugs, errors in judgment that have turned off some Hall voters and even delayed his entry into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor until 2001.

JIM MARSHALL Browns, Vikings (1960-1979)

Minnesota was an NFC powerhouse in the '70s, yet the stars of those teams have been sentenced to a pigskin purgatory when it comes to getting their due. Carl Eller waited 25 years after he retired before getting in, Paul Krause held his breath for 19 years, and coach Bud Grant was on hold for nine. Speculation is that the voters are punishing the Vikings for going 0-for-4 in the Super Bowl.

"I've pondered that for years," says Marshall. "Maybe it was ownership not pushing us as candidates or limited exposure in a small market. I've heard it all. And I refuse to worry about it anymore. My credentials speak for themselves."

They certainly do. The star defensive end was a integral part of the famous "Purple People Eaters" defense, he played on four NFC and 10 division championship teams, and he holds the NFL records for consecutive game played (282) and most opponents' fumbles recovered in a career (29). He also had 127 sacks.

Marshall's chances, it's been suggested, might also be hurt by his having picked up a fumble and rumbled 66 yards in the wrong direction in a 1964 game in San Francisco. It's a piece of tape that seems to have been replayed more than the Zapruder film.

"What can I say?" asks Marshall. "It was an entertaining moment in football history."

HARRY CARSON Giants (1976-88)

One of the finest middle linebackers to ever imbed his helmet in a running back's sternum, the five-time finalist is finding the door to the Hall far harder to crash through than any offensive line. Carson was so disappointed by his snub in 2004 that he actually asked Hall officials to remove his name from future consideration. Fortunately, they haven't.

Why Carson is reduced to shaking his head and accepting condolence calls every year is a mystery. He made nine Pro Bowls in his 13 seasons and was an outstanding run-stopper and motivator on one of the great defenses of the past 20 years, a squad that thrashed John Elway's Broncos in Super Bowl 21. What more could Carson have done besides vacuum the artificial turf at Giants Stadium?

Contrary to popular belief, he didn't simply benefit from playing alongside Lawrence Taylor. Carson made the Pro Bowl twice before L.T. ever set foot in the Meadowlands.

JIM PLUNKETT Patriots, 49ers, Raiders (1971-86)

Some quarterbacks get into the Hall because their eye-popping stats overshadow their failure to capture a ring (Fran Tarkenton's 342 TD tosses and Dan Fouts' 43,040 yards passing). Others deserve entry because they're winners who only worried about numbers when they were Roman numerals on Super Sunday. Plunkett is one of those crunch-time crusaders.

The 1971 AFC Rookie of the Year was besieged by injuries and bad teams for much of his career, he never made a Pro Bowl, and by 1980 was an Oakland backup. Then Plunkett took over for an injured Dan Pastofini, led the Rakters to a Super Bowl 15 win over the favored Eagles, and was named the game's MVP. Three years later, he engineered another upset, this time over the Redskins in Super Bowl 18. Plunkett's combined Super Bowl numbers were 29 of 46 for 433 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Overall, Mr. Clutch won eight out of 10 postseason games.

"Sometimes I feel slighted," says Plunkett. "Joe Namath and Len Dawson only won one Super Bowl each and they're in. I had an up-and-down career, but I finished strong."

KEN STABLER Raiders, Oilers, Saints (1970-84)

Let's compare "The Snake" with his '70s contemporary, Hall-of-Famer Bob Griese. Stabler had more passing yards (27,938 to 25,092), touchdown tosses (194 to 192), league MVP awards, (two to one), and times leading the league in TD passes (two to one) and quarterback rating (two to one). Griese's Dolphins won two Super Bowls, Stabler's Raiders one. If Griese is immortalized, Stabler should be, too.