Putting the PRO in Pro Football

All-Pro. The Pro Bowl. The Pro Football Hall of Fame. Terms synonymous with the NFL. But should they be? Over the years there have been numerous other pro football leagues. The Canadian Football League has been in operation for decades. The AAFC. AFL. XFL. AAF. USFL.

You also see a lot of Pro Football this and Pro Football that on social media and the internet. Why is this? Because big brother NFL has licensed its own name. No one else can use it. Same with the Super Bowl. Fans of the NFL and PFHOF deputizing themselves as Barney Fife "experts" and "historians" "since 2015" defending the practices of the league and PFHOF. Why is this? Everyone's got a gig. Align yourself with the big bad NFL and you're somebody. Just don't include NFL in your title.

Unlike the NBA and MLB, the PFHOF has a smaller, more rigid selection committee comprised of only 44 electors. Candidates are screened and are narrowed down from a long list to the eventual enshrinees. Since only so many are elected, a backlog of worthy candidates are passed over year after year. A senior committee can elect certain candidates, and for their 150th anniversary the NFL is working to add extra players to the 2020 class.

The exact criteria used for selection is not detailed. Many factors are reviewed, including statistics, championships won, awards won (MVP, All-Pro, Pro Bowl, etc.). Makes sense to look for honors that show how a player stood out from his peers. There should be exceptions, because (1) great players from bad teams don't win championships and (2) rarely get voted for honors over players from winning teams. The All-Pro teams are voted by the national media, who mostly pick be most productive at a position. Versatile players that play a number of positions (or pass catching running backs whose rushing totals are lower due to the passes he catches) often are overlooked in the process.

Peter King, the well-respected pro football writer and hall of fame voter, selects not just on number but by what he sees, while still respecting numbers and longevity. Hard to compare numbers across eras. King thinks out of the box.

This makes Herschel Walker the ideal candidate. Herschel passes the eye test with flying colors. Walker's world class speed as well as power produced more long touchdown runs than most that came along before and after him. He's the only NFL player with a 90+ yard rush, return, and reception. In one game he had an 84 yard run and 84 yard catch. No one else has done that. Rushing, receiving, returns, special teams, longevity, records. Another eye test plus: The Walker Trade was the most monumental in NFL history, springboarding the Cowboys into The Team of the 90's.

Herschel had a tremendous impact on The League. Not just strong and powerful but with world-class speed. No one trick Pony Express just running the ball but catching and returning. No flash in the pan like Sayers, Davis, or Campbell but long-tenured as well. Not a bad boy like Riggins, Lewis, or Owens - perhaps too much of a goody two shoes, a fine citizen and entrepreneur, fit and strong well into his 50's. You'd think the NFL would embrace such a positive influence.

His NFL numbers alone were the best of his era - he retired second all-time in total yards. Totaled more than all previous eras save Walter Payton, and in the 20 years since Herschel retired only six players have passed him. As for longevity, no other running back played more games. Only seven backs played more NFL games. In his 15 seasons the least he gained was 951 yards. Every other year bettered a thousand.

Walker's candidacy lacks in one area: awards. He played in two Pro Bowls, was league MVP in 1985, and was named to two all-USFL teams. In this area Herschel's versatility has hurt him.

Players from other leagues have been enshrined in the PFHOF. Why wouldn't they be? Warren Moon put up huge numbers in the CFL, then signed with the NFL and added more. In fact he's passed for more yards than any other QB in "pro football" history - just not NFL history. Moon's CFL accomplishments are noted in his PFHOF profile. Former USFL standouts Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Reggie White, and Gary Zimmerman are in the PFHOF as well. Their PFHOF bios all reference the years and stats from their time in the USFL.

The PFHOF website is all about the NFL, though it's careful not to do so explicitly. One must look hard for mentions of other leagues. More than once the website references the USFL in negative terms. Perhaps due to the legal fees the NFL had to fork out to defend itself against the USFL's successful lawsuit. Perhaps due to the USFL opening its doors to college underclassmen. And since Walker was the USFL's first big name, is he being shut out by the PFHOF selection committee?

Walker has appeared on several early PFHOF selection lists, but at one point or another gets passed over. He's not eligible for the veterans committee yet, but with the large backlog of candidates, that route isn't any easier. Those "pro football" shrills all toe the company line, citing the lack of "All Pro" and "Pro Bowl" selections as reasons why Walker is omitted. They lack the vision and foresight of a Peter King. Or me.   

Perhaps one day I'll be able to champion a successful Walker candidacy, like a fan did several years ago for Floyd Little. Not like I haven't been closely following the NFL for over fifty years. Didn't fall off the turnip truck in 2015. I won't let a couple of unaffiliated shrills get in my way.