This is a list of inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that includes inductees who played or coached for franchises that are no longer active. The "charter" class of seventeen was selected in 1963.[1]
Enshrinees are selected by a 44-person Selection Committee which meets each year at the time and location of the Super Bowl. Current rules of the committee stipulate that between four and seven individuals are selected each year.[2] Any person may nominate an individual to the hall, provided the nominee has not played or coached for at least five seasons prior to the nomination. Not including the charter class, 67 players have been inducted in their first year of eligibility.[3]
In addition to the regular Selection Committee, which primarily focuses on contributions made over the past approximately thirty seasons, a nine-member Seniors Committee (which is a subset of the larger committee) submits two nominees each year whose contributions came prior to 1985.[2] These nominees are referred as "Seniors nominees" (formerly "old-timer" nominees).[4]
Two Hall of Famers, Joe Guyon and another Indian halfback, Jim Thorpe, stayed paired together from 1919–1924 on four defunct teams. Starting with the 1919–1920 Canton Bulldogs, they next played for the 1921 Cleveland Indians, 1922–1923 Oorang Indians, and the 1924 Rock Island Independents.[5]
| Class | Position | Seasons | Major part of Primary Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron Pros / Indians | |||||
| 2005 | Coach | 1921 | All-America halfback, pro football pioneer. Helped Akron become NFL's first champion, 1920. One of just two African Americans in the NFL at time. NFL's first African American head coach, 1921. Played and sometimes coached four teams in NFL career. | ||
| Halfback | 1919 - 1921 1925 - 1926 | ||||
| 1950 Baltimore Colts | |||||
| 1981 | Quarterback/ Kicker | 1950 | Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders | ||
| 1968 | Defensive tackle | 1950 | Baltimore Colts | ||
| 1971 | Quarterback | 1950 | San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants | ||
| Boston Yanks | |||||
| 1972 | Quarterback | 1945 | Brooklyn Dodgers | ||
| Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers | |||||
| 1981 | Offensive end Defensive end | 1936 | New York Giants | ||
| 2005 | Quarterback Coach | 1932 - 1934 1932 | NFL's first great passer. League record 11 touchdown passes as rookie, 1927 – Another record with 20 TDs, 1929. Led league in touchdown passes four consecutive years (1927–1930). NFL record 66 career touchdown passes lasted for years. Triple-threat player, could run, pass, kick. Also had major impact for the New York Giants | ||
| 1971 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1938 - 1944 | Two-time Mississippi All-America, Dodgers' third-round draft pick, 1938. Was small for tackle position, but was tough, aggressive, fast, durable. Only missed one game due to injury, 60-minute performer, excellent tackler. All-NFL, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1944. | ||
| 1972 | Quarterback | 1937 - 1941 | All-American tailback at Duke, All-NFL, 1938–1940, NFL's Most Valuable Player, 1940, Triple-threat, two-way back who led Dodgers to their greatest seasons in 1940, 1941, Led Yankees to AAFC Eastern title in 1946 |
| Class | Position | Seasons | Major part of Primary Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton Bulldogs | |||||
| 1965 | End/ Coach | 1922 - 1923 | Football hero at Nebraska, Was the premier end of the NFL in the 1920s, Iron man two-way performer. Player-coach of four NFL championship teams: 1922–1923 Canton Bulldogs, 1924 Cleveland Bulldogs, 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets. Six-year coaching record 58-16-7 for an amazing .759 percentage. | ||
| 1966 | Halfback | 1919 - 1920 | All-America tackle at Georgia Tech, 1918. Triple-threat halfback in pros. Played with Jim Thorpe on four NFL teams. Helped 1927 Giants compile an 11-1-1 record with his many abilities – passing, running, punting, tackling and blocking. His TD pass gave Giants win over Bears for 1927 NFL title. | ||
| 1963 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle Punter Place kicker | 1920 - 1923 1925 - 1926 | Signed with Bulldogs same day NFL organized, 1920. Largest player of his time, leader of Canton's championship lines, 1922–1923. A 60-minute performer, also punted, kicked field goals. NFL records for longest punt (94 yards), longest dropkick field goal (50 yards) | ||
| Coach | 1926 | ||||
| 1964 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1922 - 1923 1925 | Started on four title teams: 1922–1923 Canton, 1924 Cleveland, 1933 Bears. Possibly invented the constant shifting by defensive players before each play. Also had major impact with the Chicago Bears | ||
| 1963 | Coach / Halfback | 1915 - 1917 1919 - 1920 1926 | 1912 Olympic decathlon champion. First big-time athlete to play pro football, playing for pre-NFL Canton Bulldogs in 1915. NickNamed "The Legend" on the all-time NFL team. Was voted top American athlete of first half of 20th century. First president of the NFL. | ||
| Cleveland Bulldogs | |||||
| 1965 | End/ Coach | 1924 | Canton Bulldogs | ||
| 2005 | Quarterback | 1927 | New York Giants | ||
| 1964 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1924 | Canton Bulldogs, Chicago Bears | ||
| 1966 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1925 | New York Giants | ||
| Cleveland Indians 1921 | |||||
| 1966 | Halfback | 1921 | New York Giants | ||
| 1963 | Coach / Halfback | 1921 | Canton Bulldogs | ||
| Columbus Panhandles | |||||
| 1963 | Team Owner | 1904, 1907–1922 | NFL president 1921–1939 | ||
| Dallas Texans (NFL) | |||||
| 1968 | Defensive tackle | 1952 | Baltimore Colts | ||
| 1972 | Defensive end | 1952 | Baltimore Colts |
| Class | Position | Seasons | Major part of Primary Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Panthers | |||||
| 1964 | Quarterback Coach Team owner | 1925 - 1926 | Chicago Cardinals as a coach | ||
| 2005 | Quarterback | 1928 | |||
| 1966 | Offensive guard Defensive line | 1926 - 1927 | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| 1963 | Halfback | 1926 - 1927 | Green Bay Packers | ||
| 1963 | Fullback Coach | 1926 - 1927 1927 | Scored record 40 points in one game against Bears, 1929 – Iron man, playing 1714 of 1740 minutes in 29-game 1926 season – All-league all five NFL seasons Also had major impact for the Chicago Cardinals | ||
| 1965 | End/ Coach | 1925 - 1926 | Canton Bulldogs | ||
| 1964 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1925 | Canton Bulldogs, Chicago Bears | ||
| Hammond Pros | |||||
| 1965 | Quarterback | pre-NFL 1919 | Chicago Cardinals, Chicago Bears | ||
| 1963 | Offensive end Defensive end | pre-NFL 1919 | Chicago Bears | ||
| 2005 | Halfback Coach | 1923, 1925 1925 | Akron Pros/Indians |
| Class | Position | Seasons | Major part of Primary Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Cowboys | |||||
| 1966 | Halfback | 1924 - 1925 | New York Giants | ||
| 1966 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1924 - 1925 | New York Giants | ||
| Milwaukee Badgers | |||||
| 1964 | Quarterback Coach | 1922 - 1924 1922 - 1923 | Chicago Cardinals as a coach | ||
| 1963 | Halfback | 1925 - 1926 | Green Bay Packers | ||
| 2005 | Halfback | 1922 | Akron Pros/Indians | ||
| New York Bulldogs/Yanks | |||||
| 1968 | Defensive tackle | 1951 | Baltimore Colts | ||
| 1967 | Quarterback Placekicker | 1949 | Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| 1984 | Offensive tackle | 1951 | Cleveland Browns | ||
| New York Yankees | |||||
| 1981 | Offensive end Defensive end | 1927 - 1928 | New York Giants | ||
| 1976 | Offensive end | 1927 - 1928 | Boston/ Washington Redskins as Head Coach | ||
| 1963 | Halfback | 1927 | Chicago Bears | ||
| 1964 | Offensive guard Defensive line | 1927 - 1928 | Green Bay Packers |
| Class | Position | Seasons | Major part of Primary Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oorang Indians | |||||
| 1966 | Halfback | 1922 - 1923 | New York Giants | ||
| 1963 | Coach / Halfback | 1922 - 1923 | Canton Bulldogs | ||
| Pottsville Maroons | |||||
| 1963 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle Punter Place Kicker | 1927 - 1928 | |||
| Coach | 1928 | ||||
| 1966 | Offensive guard Defensive line | 1928 | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| 1963 | Halfback | 1928 | Green Bay Packers | ||
| Providence Steam Roller | |||||
| 1964 | Quarterback Coach | 1927 - 1929 1927 - 1930 | Chicago Cardinals as a coach | ||
| 2005 | Halfback | 1925 | Akron Pros/Indians |
| Class | Position | Seasons | Major part of Primary Contribution | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island Independents | |||||
| 1964 | Quarterback Coach | 1921 - 1922 | Chicago Cardinals as a coach | ||
| 1966 | Halfback | 1924 | New York Giants | ||
| 1964 | Offensive tackle Defensive tackle | 1920 - 1922 | Chicago Bears | ||
| 1963 | Halfback | 1924 - 1925 | Canton Bulldogs | ||
| Staten Island Stapletons | |||||
| 1967 | Halfback Placekicker | 1929 - 1932 | New York Giants | ||
| Washington Senators | |||||
| 1966 | Halfback | 1921 | New York Giants |