Little Known Hall-of-Fame Connections

Many times when an athlete ages he ends up spending his last years on a team, or teams, that he is not normally associated with.  This sometimes leads to fans claiming that the player is hanging on to his career too long.  Everyone wants to see great players end their careers doing the things that made them famous.  While generally viewed as a negative, what this practice does provide is a chance for the enjoyment of what we like to call Little Known Hall-of-Fame Connections.

For example, you can sometimes even fool the most die hard Seattle fan when you ask him who the first former Seahawk to get into the Hall-of-Fame was.  The obvious answer is Steve Largent, the Seahawks first real star player and a genuine all-time great.  That answer, however, is wrong.  The correct answer would be Franco Harris, the legendary Pittsburgh Steeler running back.  Harris spent the final year of his career in Seattle with the Seahawks after their then young running back Curt Warner had become injured.

Now try quizzing your friend who is a Denver Broncos fan.  Who was the first former Broncos running back in the Hall-of-Fame?  He will probably first think of Terrell Davis, but then think that he hasn’t been voted in yet (if he ever will be).  If he’s a true fan he may stretch his memory and wonder if Floyd Little ever made it to the Hall-of-Fame.  He knows it wasn’t Sammy Winder or Gerald Wilhite, so he’ll then give up.  You can then flaunt your superior knowledge by saying that the first former Denver Bronco running back to make it to the Hall-of-Fame was Tony Dorsett.  Dorsett played his last season with the Broncos after a stellar career with the Dallas Cowboys.

Often times a player’s changing of teams will, years later, go unremembered.  When this happens involving a Hall-of-Fame caliber player it makes for some neat Pro Football Hall-of-Fame trivia and may be an opportunity to win a bet or two.