Least Deserving Hall of Famers: Cleveland Browns

[Rain Man]

Yes, there was once a time when the Browns had Hall of Famers.

VOTE FOR THREE.

With all of the talk about undeserving people in the Hall of Fame, I thought it might be interesting to identify the absolute least deserving people in the Hall of Fame.

I'll do this first for players, identifying the least deserving players by team, and then we'll do a heat or two for non-players.

Poll coming faster than a Jim Brown self-revering comment.

You can read profiles of the players here, in a very unfriendly format on the HoF site: https://www.profootballhof.com/heroe...me/franchises/

Rules note: If a team has less than 10 HoFers, I'll combine them with another team to get to that number.

[TLO]

I've only heard of 3 of those players..

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by TLO

I've only heard of 3 of those players..

They're oddly non-prominent for HoF players, aren't they?

I think maybe it's partly because the Browns were big in the 'tweener era. They weren't the pioneers of the league, and they were big before television was a thing.

[Rain Man]

My reviews (part 1):

Bill Willis - 8 seasons, 7 all pros. Played G on offense, and NT on defense. Known for his quick pass rush. Even though he was a NT, his era played with 5 defensive linemen, so he was kind of a primordial middle linebacker.

Dante Lavelli - 11 seasons at WR, over 6,000 receiving yards and 62 receiving TDs playing in the 1940s and 1950s. At the time of his retirement, he was 3rd all time in receiving yards and 2nd in touchdowns (after Don Hutson on both counts). His career was delayed by WWII. Known for making big catches in tough situations.

Frank Gatski - 12 seasons, 4 all-pros at center, and also played some linebacker early in his career. Career was delayed by WWII. Never missed a game. Played in 11 championship games in the AAFC and NFL. Known for his pass protection of Otto Graham.

Gene Hickerson - 15 seasons, 5 all-pros at guard. Blocked for three HoF running backs - Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, and Leroy Kelly. All-decade team of the 1960s.

Jim Brown - Yeah, Jim Brown. Don't vote against him, even if he's been kind of a jerk sometimes.

[Rain Man]

Reviews (Part 2):

Len Ford - 11 seasons, 5 all-pros at defensive end. Initially a WR and DE, but converted quickly to full-time DE. Known for pass rushing. Leader of the NFL's #1 defense 6 times in a 7 year span. Is mentioned in articles as one of the best pass rushers of the pre-1960s NFL.

Leroy Kelly - 10 seasons at HB, over 7,000 rushing yards at 4.2 ypc and over 12,000 all-purpose yards. 5 all-pros. Like Jerome Bettis, he had three great years and a bunch of pretty bad ones.

Lou "The Toe" Groza - 21 seasons at tackle and kicker, 6 all-pros at tackle. 13 years as a tackle and kicker, missed a year due to injury, then came back as a kicker only. Highest scoring player in the first 50 years of the NFL.

Marion Motley - 9 seasons, 5 all-pros at fullback. Gained over 4,700 yards at 5.7 yards per carry in his career. (The only NFL player with a higher ypc than Jamaal Charles.) Member of the NFL's 75th anniversary all-time team.

[Rain Man]

Reviews (Part 3):

Mike McCormack - 10 season as a nose tackle and then offensive tackle, not sure if he ever made all-pro but made 6 pro bowls as an offensive right tackle. Lost two years to the army in the 1950s. Paul Brown called him the best offensive tackle who ever played pro football, and the best offensive lineman he ever coached.

Otto Graham - 10 seasons, 9 all-pros at QB. Played in 10 straight championship games in the AAFC. Had the highest QB rating in NFL history until Joe Montana arrived on the scene. One of only 6 players in the NFL to have a career QB rating over 80 prior to 1980, and the only one over 85. And keep in mind that he retired in 1955. Don't vote against him.

Ozzie Newsome - 13 seasons, 662 receptions at tight end. Two-time all-pro. Played in 198 consecutive games. I remember him as being generally the second-most dominating TE of his era after Kellen Winslow.

[Rain Man]

After careful consideration, my votes as least deserving are:

1. Leroy Kelly - the guy had three great season, and then became Eddie George for several years. Not nearly dominant enough for an extended period of time.

2. Gene Hickerson - Good guard, but I think there were better in his era. I don't have an issue voting against him.

3. Frank Gatski - Probably deserving, but I have to vote for three and he's the odd man out compared to the others on the list.