Back in September I wrote that it has been long over due that Notre Dame legends Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Saturday night, both Irish greats had their long wait for election to the HOF end when the pair was officially named as members of the 2015 Hall of Fame Class.
Brown and Bettis join a 2015 class that as includes the late Junior Seau, Charles Haley, Will Shields, and Mike Tinglehoff and executives Ron Wolf and Bill Polian (father of former Notre Dame assistant coach Brian Polian). Brown and Bettis had been finalists before but were edged out in previous years. That was not the case this year.
For Brown, the life-long Raider saw fellow wide receivers such as Andre Reed, Michael Irvin, and Cris Carter gain admittance to the Hall in recent years while Bettis watched former running backs Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin have their names called before his. Fortunately for both, however, their waits over and both will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame this summer.
With Brown and Bettis slatted for enshrinement, Notre Dame is now tied with bitter rival Southern Cal for the most former players with 12. Notre Dame’s 10 other players include: Nick Buoniconti , Dave Casper , George Connor* , Paul Hornung , Earl (Curly) Lambeau , John (Blood) McNally* , Wayne Millner , Joe Montana , Alan Page , George Trafton.
Bettis took to Twitter after being included in the 2015 class.
So happy to be amongst the games greatest players!! My Family and I are truly honored and blessed!
— Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) February 1, 2015
It didn’t take Tim Brown long to post a message to his Twitter as well.
Hey everybody, just wanted to say thanks for all the well wishes! This is an incredible moment. Thanks for all the support over the years!
— Tim Brown (@81TimBrown) February 1, 2015
Both Brown and Bettis are no-brainer hall of famers after the impressive NFL careers they both posted – Brown with the Raiders and Bettis with the Rams and Steelers and as I said in September, their election was no overdue.
Here are just a few stats from each that clearly show their Hall of Fame worthiness.
Jerome Bettis Career Accomplishments:
- 6th All-Time in career rushing yards
- 10th All-Time in career rushing touchdowns
- 20th All-Time in career yards from scrimmage
- 6x NFL Pro-Bowler
- 2x NFL 1st Team All-Pro
- 1993 NFL Rookie of the Year
- Just 41 career fumbles (182nd all-time) despite having the 4th most touches in NFL history
Tim Brown Career Accomplishments:
- 5th All-Time in career receptions
- 6th All-Time in career receiving yards
- 7th All-Time in career receiving touchdowns
- 19th All-Time in career yards from scrimmage
- 1990’s All-Decade Team
- 9x NFL Pro-Bowler
Details for the induction ceremonies are not finalized yet but they will take place in August at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio during the Hall of Fame weekend that kicks off the NFL Pre-Season each year.
The picture above of Jerome Bettis and Tim Brown, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, shaking hands, projects a powerful image of Pride, Accomplishment, Excellence, and Class.
The Hall of Fame could do a hell of a lot worst, but rarely any better.
Eloquence, it is said, is logic on fire.
Personal insult, it is said, is getting caught with an inadequate post, with your ego on fire.
Certainly, it is a tenable hypothesis either that:
(1) footbally a Hall of Fame is absurd because it is a team game. A corollary is that if there were to be a Hall of Fame, it is only teams that should be enshrined. that is a highly tenable hypothesis.
(2) Catholically, the concept of bronze bust tends toward idolatry and violation of rule #1 that Moses purportedly brought down the mountain.
A late friend of mine contended that recent Jenkinsian rush to put up statues of Parseghian, Holtz and Devine merely feeds into the potential idolatry of football at Notre Dame, rather than placing it in appropriate context. That also is a tenable hypothesis.
What is pluperfectly clear however is that you are more interested in puerile insult than in confronting the rational principles of argumentation. Why such badinage fascinates and engages you, beathabeath is beyond my capacity to understand. Once again, I yield to an expert.
Hahaha… As senseless as it is pedantic duranko. The sparring, however, is worth the chuckles, though I wonder at times if I might not be challenging the heart of an old man whose mind is already fogged by reverie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-MEt60Y0f8
this says it all about the great jerome
Well I don’t feel the need to launch operation Barbarossa on Beatha Breath like duranko seems to want to.
But really, how can anyone argue that Bettis and Brown don’t deserve induction. Both played SUCCESSFULLY for over 10 years each. Both played key roles to their teams success.
Bettis is so obvious.
Brown might be under a few radars, expect when you see what he really did. Aside from the stats, the thing that stands out to me was the willingness of Brown to come across the middle and challenge defenders every play. The guy was clutch and reliable. A quiet leader. A solid person.
Bottom line: Brown and Bettis = well deserved induction into the HOF
uh, uh, beathabreath, you don’t get away that easy.
Here’s your assignment:
Examine the list of the current Hall of Fame Running Backs.
Which ones do NOT belong in the Hall of Fame?
Second, of what persuasive value is it that Bettis is the 6th leading NFL rusher of all time?
Second, beatha breath, examine the list of Hall of Fame wide receivers?
Which ones do NOT belong in the Hall of Fame?
Of the ones who ARE in the Hall of Fame name the ones who worked with quarterbacks inferior to those who passed to Tim Brown during his career.
OF what persuasive value is it that Brown is fifth on the all time reception list?
Is the 17 years he spent in the NFL a persuasive or disqualifying factor in his fitness for the Hall of Fame.?
Does the fact that Jerry Rice, who knows more than you about wide receivers, was INSISTENT that Tim Brown was the most deserving of all candidates to be admitted to the Hall of Fame in this class have any probative value or is it a contraindicator?
While I might be in a minority here (or not) I’m going with Jerry Rice over you.
NEXT issue: What the hell, it’s America and Freedom of speech, in spite of that Fascist knucklehead General Hayden, still is the rule. So clearly, in the public space you are free to denigrate Brown and Bettis, in the very afterglow of their shining moment. That’s obvious.
But what does it do for you, anyone else, Bettis or Brown to come on a Notre Dame-related website to trash and undermine Bettis and Brown in this moment?
I fondly remember sitting in the north end zone in ’91 and watching the wide Bettis amble downfield to glory against USC on a long run for a TD against USC.
I fondly remember sitting in another area and watching Bettis take a short pass from Mirer against BC and rambling down the West sideline for a touchdown.
My memories, just the live ones of Brown, are too long to list.
The achieved and brought victory while donning the Blue and Gold. And Steve Spurrier can tell you about a moment or two, in rapid succession,
that Bettis had against his Gators right there on Poydras Street, even while wearing a white jersey.
Coming next July, in Canton, Brown and Bettis will each have a well-deserved bronze bust. Where’s your bust?
What he said.
Brown and Bettis were both good players…good enough at least that I’m sure they’ll live through my comments on this site. The point I was making had less to do with them personally, than the subjective nature of the HOF. In my mind, the players inducted should be legendary; players my kids will know by name. Neither Bettis, nor Brown, (both of whom had the statistical luxury of isolated talents for many of their years), will be known a decade from now.
As to whether Jerry Rice knows more about recivership than I do…I just can’t say. I also can’t say that Brown didn’t gut enough of Rice’s bathhouse effluvium to justify the support. And neither can you, though I’m guessing you and Michael the Greedy Bottom understand the nuances of that kind of relationship better than I.
Maybe if the two of you switched it up, he could work the lump of blue and gold sanctimony out of your ass?
Ricky Watters should be next. #22 on all time NFL rushing leaders. Pretty much every one above him is in or will be. Seven 1,000+ yard seasons, over 14,000 all purpose yards (more than OJ Simpson). Five seasons 50+ catches. Won a Super Bowl.
Ricky is often overlooked, he was a superb all around back with his receiving abilities on a par with his running ability. He also scored 3TDs in the Super Bowl win.
Not sure I agree on Watters. His stats are impressive, but he had attitude issues throughout.
Depending on how soon he retires, I’d give a nod to Justin Tuck before Watters.
Congrats men, quite an honor. This double ties us with the men of Troy.
Enjoy, could be awhile before the next Domer gets in.
Like chiclets these HOF’s. Brown and Bettis…good players, but Hall of Fame?
Hall of Famers easily. Bettis had to do all the dirty work for his teams when they knew he was going to carry the ball and he still accomplished great things. Brown had maybe one or two years of good quarterbacking and still accomplished his numbers. Both easily deserving.