The NFL Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday the 60 Senior Candidates, Coaches and Contributors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among them are Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, former Patriots wide receiver wide receiver Stanley Morgan and former Patriots scout and executive Frank “Bucko” Kilroy.
The Hall of Fame 12-person Seniors Committee narrowed down a list of eligible player nominees to 31 Semifinalists who will advance to the next round of consideration.
The other nominees are: Stanley Morgan, Ken Anderson, Ottis Anderson, Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Larry Brown, Mark Clayton, Charlie Conerly, Roger Craig, Henry Ellard, Randy Gradishar, Lester Hayes, Chris Hinton, Cecil Isbell, Joe Jacoby, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Albert Lewis, Jim Marshall, Clay Matthews Jr., Steve McMichael, Eddie Meador, Tommy Nobis, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Steve Tasker, Otis Taylor, Everson Walls and Al Wistert.
The 12-person Coach/Contributor Committee narrowed down their list of nominated candidates to 29 Semifinalists. They are as follows:
Robert Kraft, Frank Kilroy, K.S. “Bud” Adams Jr., Roone Arledge, C.O. Brocato, Tom Coughlin, Alex Gibbs, Ralph Hay, Mike Holmgren, Eddie Kotal, Elmer Layden, Jerry Markbreit, Virginia McCaskey, Rich McKay, John McVay, Art Modell, Buddy Parker, Carl Peterson, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr., Marty Schottenheimer, Jerry Seeman, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan, Clark Shaughnessy, Seymour Siwoff, Jim Tunney, Lloyd Wells and John Wooten.
The two committees now will debate the candidates and vote on which 12 Seniors and 12 Coach/Contributors they will send through to the next round. The results of those votes will be made public on July 27th.
The Coach/Contributor committee will meet on August 15th to pick one coach or contributor. The Seniors Committee will meet on August 22nd to pick up to three senior nominees for enshrinement.
Kraft, Kilroy and Morgan all have a decent shot of advancing in the process especially Kraft and Morgan.
Mr. Kraft’s accomplishments speak for themselves. Since purchasing the team in 1994, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls, appeared in nine and have dominated the NFL. Kraft’s league contributions speak for themselves as well. He has played a key role in negotiating new television and CBA deals. Kraft’s contributions off the field speak for themselves. What he has done for the community in Foxboro and beyond speaks for itself. Kraft will get in. It is only a matter of time.
Stanley Morgan should already be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His numbers speak for themselves. 557 receptions, 10,716 yards and 72 touchdowns. Morgan has the highest reception average (19.4) of any receiver in league history with 500 or more receptions. Morgan was a great player on a lot of bad teams. If he played somewhere else in his career, he might have better numbers and he could already be in Canton.
Kilroy played in the NFL for from 1943 to 1956 for the Philadelphia Eagles. After his playing career was over, He was an executive and or scout for the Eagles, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. His greatest contributions as an executive however came with the Patriots. Kilroy held the following roles with the team.
Director Player Personnel New England Patriots. 1971-1978
General Manager New England Patriots (Twice) 1979-1982
Vice President New England Patriots 1983-1993
Scout Consultant New England Patriots 1994-2006
Kilroy was also instrumental in the development of the modern NFL Draft. His contributions to the Patriots and the NFL go unnoticed but he changed the game especially from a scouting standpoint.
Kilroy played a key role in the first part of the Patriots dynasty. He was instrumental in the team drafting players like Willie McGinest, Ty Law, Ted Johnson and Teddy Bruschi.
All three men deserve to be in Canton. Will all three get in this year? No, but all three should be in eventually.