Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015 Media Guide Brown Bettis Polian Haley Seau Shields Tingelhoff Wolf Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE! TABLE OF CONTENTS Pro Football Hall of Fame 2121 George Halas Drive NW, Canton, OH 44708 330-456-8207 | ProFootballHOF.com #PFHOF15 GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION Draft Information The Pro Football Hall of Fame Alphabetical..........................141 Mission Statement .................... 2 Hall of Famers selected first overall......141 History.............................. 3 By round .............................143 Inside the Hall........................ 4 Coaches &contributors drafted..........145 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement By year, 1936-1997 ....................148 Festival.............................. 5 Undrafted free agents..................154 Board of Trustees/Executive Staff........... 6 Birthplaces by State .......................155 Award Winners: Most by state .........................155 Daniel F. Reeves Pioneer Award......... 7 Most by city..........................157 Pete Rozelle Radio-TVAward............ 7 Foreign born..........................158 McCann Award....................... 8 Dates of Birth, Birthplaces, Death Dates, Ages. 159 Ages of living Hall of Famers.............165 Enshrined posthumously................168 CLASS OF 2015 Election by Year of Eligibility & Year as Finalist . 169 Class of 2015 capsule biographies . ......... 10 Finalists Jerome Bettis bio........................ 12 Alphabetical..........................172 Tim Brown bio.......................... 25 Elected in first year of eligibility..........174 Charles Haley bio........................ 33 By year...............................175 Bill Polian bio...........................37 Semifinalists Junior Seau bio..........................40 By year...............................184 Will Shields bio..........................55 Alphabetical..........................187 Mick Tingelhoff bio....................... 60 Modern-Era nominees, 2015 ............188 Ron Wolf bio........................... 63 Championship Teams......................189 Most Super Bowls.....................194 SELECTION PROCESS & HALL Super Bowl MVPs......................196 OF FAMER BIOS Pro Bowls................................197 Hall of Fame Selection Process.............68 Player of the Game ....................200 SelectionCommittee..................... 68 Most Pro Bowls.......................200 FAQ about selection process ........... 69 Uniform Numbers Player eligibility chart ................. 70 By number............................201 Senior nominees..................... 71 By Hall of Famer.......................202 Hall of Famer biographies.................72 Presenters ...............................206 Career summaries of the 295 members of the Hall of Fame Youngest & oldest at time of enshrinement. 212 HALL OF FAMER INFORMATION HALL OF FAME GAME Year of induction, 1963-2015 ...............112 History of NFL/Hall of Fame Game........214 Alphabetical listing.....................115 Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Team-by-team............................117 Stadium...............................214 Chart:Hall of Famers by franchise........124 Series results..........................215 Position.................................125 Steelers vs. Vikings in 2015............ 217 HOFers by category (Player, Coach, All-time standings...................... 218 Contributor)..........................128 Game records..........................219 Seasons and games played.................130 HOFers who’ve played in HOFGame.......222 Most seasons/games played............133 Fewest seasons/games played...........133 Pro Football HOF Vision................. 224 Colleges.................................134 Colleges with the most Hall ofFamers....136 Class of 2015 noted in red throughout the media guide. Heisman Trophy winners in Hall of Fame. 136 High Schools .............................137 HOFers who attended same high school. 139 © 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME MEDIA GUIDE OUR MISSION • Honor the Heroes of the Game • Preserve its History The Pro Football Hall of Fame • Promote its Values • Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE - 2 - THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME The Pro Football Hall of Fame opened its renamed the National Football League, was found- doors more than a half century ago. From its ed in Canton on Sept. 17, 1920. (2) the Canton humble beginnings in 1963 to today, the Pro Bulldogs were an early-day pro football power, Football Hall of Fame has grown in both size and even before the days of the NFL. They were also stature. Recognized worldwide as America’s pre- the first two-time champion of the NFL in 1922 and mier sports Hall of Fame, it is doubtful that even 1923. The great Jim Thorpe, the first big-name ath- the most optimistic of those who led the drive to lete to play pro football, played his first pro foot- bring the Hall of Fame to Canton, Ohio could have ball with the Bulldogs, starting in 1915. (3) Canton envisioned the successes it would realize. citizens early in the 1960s launched a determined A truly exhilarating museum and exhibition and well-organized campaign to earn the site des- The Pro Football Hall of Fame center, the Hall of Fame pays tribute to the tal- ignation for their city. ents and triumphs of pro football’s greatest stars. The National Football League awarded the Chronicled within the walls of the Hall of Fame are site for the Hall of Fame to Canton in 1961. the stories and circumstances of play that bring to Groundbreaking for the original construction took life words such as courage, dedication, vision, fair place on August 11, 1962 and the Hall opened its play, integrity, and excellence. doors for the first time on September 7, 1963. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has welcomed Four expansions were completed over the years nearly 10 million fans. Each year, visitors travel (1971, 1978, 1995, and 2012-13) that have result- from every state in the United States and up to 60 ed in the museum growing from its original 19,000 to 70 foreign countries to tour the Hall of Fame. square feet to today’s 118,000-square-foot foot- Today, the Hall of Fame reaches tens of mil- ball facility. lions of additional football fans each year through David Baker was named President broad outreach such as national televised events, & Executive Director on January 6, 2014. Baker an in-depth website, educational and youth pro- served as the Commissioner of the Arena Football grams, social media, traveling exhibits, and special League for 12 years from 1996 to 2008. The 6’9” events held around the country. Baker was a power forward and captain of the In its day-to-day operation, the Pro Football basketball team at the University of California Hall of Fame works very closely with all facets at Irvine from 1971-75. He also played two sea- of the pro football family - the National Football sons of professional basketball in Europe before League, the 32 NFL clubs, and other entities. The returning to obtain a Juris Doctorate degree from cooperative efforts of all of these organizations Pepperdine University School of Law where he have contributed greatly to the overall success served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. As of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In turn, the Hall an attorney in California, Baker specialized in strives to serve as the best possible historical show- corporate mergers, acquisitions and real estate place and repository for the sport of pro football. law. From 1984-88 he served as a City Councilman The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit and Mayor of Irvine, California. For four years educational institution that focuses on honoring before taking his position at the Hall of Fame, the heroes of the game, preserving its history, he worked as a Partner in Union Village, LLC, the promoting its values, and celebrating excellence largest healthcare project in the United States EVERYWHERE. creating thousands of jobs in Henderson, Nevada as the first Integrated Health Village in the world. HISTORY Previous directors of the Hall of Fame were: Dick The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in McCann (1962-67), Dick Gallagher (1968-1975), Canton, Ohio, for three primary reasons; (1) the Pete Elliott (1979-1996), John Bankert (1996- American Professional Football Association, later 2005), and Steve Perry (2006-2014). - 3 - 2015 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME MEDIA GUIDE HOURS OF OPERATION that houses the bronze busts of each of the Hall The Pro Football Hall of Fame is open every of Famers. Visitors also have the opportunity to day of the year except for Christmas. From learn about each member of the Hall through touch Memorial Day through Labor Day, it is open daily screen kiosks that include bios, photos, and videos from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The hours for the remainder on the inductees. of the year are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is The “Moments, Memories & Mementos $24.00 for adults, $17.00 for children 12 and under. Gallery” focuses on the achievements made by the Senior citizens, 62 and older, are admitted for members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. High- $20.00. Information on group rates and any other tech video, audio, and lighting help bring treasured matters may be obtained by calling (330) 456-8207 artifacts to life in dynamic fashion. or visiting ProFootballHOF.com/PlanYourVisit. The “Pro Football Today Gallery” examines contemporary themes in the NFL. This area is filled with