Committee Chairman

Songwriters HOF announces 2014 Nominees

Oct 10, 2013

The Songwriters Hall of Fame may not have a section here at Notinhalloffame.com, but it is an institution that we have respected for a long time. The nominees for their next class have been announced, and we are sure that it may raise a few eyebrows.

The biggest name of the group is Madonna. The “Material Girl” (can we still call her that now that she is well North of 50) might be the most successful of the nominees, but rarely has she been praised for song writing. This is not to say her writing is subpar, but can you remember the last time you saw an article praising it? Neither do we.

Madonna may be the biggest name of the nominees, but there are some other serious heavyweight names listed on the ballot. Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and John Mellencamp were also named. All three are currently inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as performers.

Last year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, Heart (ie: The Wilson Sisters) look to cap off a historic run as they too were nominated as was another Rock and Roll Hall inductee, Ray Davies of the Kinks. Cyndi Lauper was another notable name selected, though her most enduring song (True Colors) was not penned by her. Another somewhat curious nominee was 4 Non Blondes singer, Linda Perry, who though did write hits for Pink, Gwen Stefani and other women, probably should be discredited just for writing that awful “What’s Up” song.

Other notables include Donovan, Cat Stevens (now wouldn’t that be something!), Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Vince Gill (seriously?) and Harry Wayne Casey. The ballot is filled out by non-performing song writers William “Mickey Stevenson, Jim Weatherly, Bobby Braddock and Bill Anderson.

The induction ceremony will take place on June 12, 2014.

Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame is coming

Oct 08, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We here at Notinhalloffame.com are very excited to announce that we are a few weeks away from unveiling a brand new section that we feel will combine our love of Sports and Pop Culture perfectly. Our goal here at our website, has always been to shed a bit of insight on some of the omissions in the most important Halls of Fame in North America, and as the only website that combines a look at post career institutions of Rock of Roll, Baseball, Football, Hockey, Basketball, NASCAR and the WWE. Receiving this tribute is considered to be a stamp of approval, and proof that you were among the elite at what you accomplished.

Thus far, we feel we have only scratched the surface. There has been some healthy debate, but of course we always want to see more of the same. Now, it is one thing to talk about existing Halls of Fame; it is quite another to create one of your own. Ladies and Gentleman, brace yourselves for the next section on our website; The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.

What is the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame (or as we will start calling it, the FAHOF)? It is a Hall where we will celebrate and induct the greatest sports characters in Television and Movies. This will be a perpetual process, where annually all of you will vote on these characters and decide which ones deserve to be in this Hall of Fame. With the exception of our inaugural inductee (and we are confident that this will not be a selection that will create controversy) this is a vote controlled only by the people who visit our site to vote; and who better than the people to determine this?

The FAHOF (get used to this acronym) will not just be for athletes. We have been inspired by the other Halls of Fame we cover here, as we have created also a “Contributors” section, for those who were not performers in the sport but assisted in sports film and television in different ways.

We look forward to this launch, which will come very soon!

Football Senior Candidates

Oct 01, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We have not mentioned it here at Notinhalloffame.com but the Football Hall of Fame Seniors’ Committee nominated two men who hold a strong ranking on our Football rank.

Punter, Ray Guy and Defensive End, Claude Humphrey have been selected as the two Senior Nominees. Unlike the last few years, both Guy and Humphrey shined brightest in the 1970’s, whereas past Senior’s nominees were from either the 50’s and/or 60’s.

This isn’t the first time that Humphrey has appeared as a nominee. In 2009, he was on the ballot with Bob Hayes, who was selected. Humphrey was a dominating force for the Atlanta Falcons, and twice was a First Team All-Pro and a Second Team selection three times. He was an impact player immediately, capturing the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1968 and would finish with 122 credited Quarterback Sacks. Only Dick Stanfel has been nominated by the Senior Committee twice without securing a spot in Canton. The odds of Claude Humphrey being the second aren’t strong.

Out of the 51 men (and we are counting men who have been selected twice) who have been named as a Senior nominee, 38 have been admitted as a Football Hall of Fame nominee. Those are pretty good odds, wouldn’t you say? Humphrey may be the man on the ballot for the second time, but that is not where the attention is focused. That is going towards Punter, Ray Guy.

Kickers and Punters are the second tier of Professional Football. They aren’t the same size, they don’t get the glory when they help their team win but take the brunt when their squad loses. Amazingly, with all of that against the Punter, there has been a push to induct Ray Guy, who revolutionized the position during his tenure with the Raiders.

Blog after blog has proclaimed that Ray Guy’ omission from the Hall of Fame is a travesty, despite how much the sport looks down upon special teams; an opinion that exists among many fans. With all of this said, this is the exception to the rule. With the exception of Guy, there has been no push from any Football media to select any other Punter for the Hall of Fame, and there probably never will be again. It is not like Guy has not been heavily considered before, as he was a Hall of Fame finalist seven times (1992, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2007 & 2008). In terms of accolades, he certainly fits the Canton bill.

Ray Guy was the first (and to date, only) Punter ever selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Guy was chosen by the Oakland Raiders, and though fans initially did not see the value in drafting a pure special teams player that high in the draft, it was proven that this was a man who was going to revolutionize the position.

It was alleged that because of Ray Guy, that the National Football League started to keep track of Hang Time; returning teams found his punts near impossible to return. 210 of his career punts were within his opponents’ 20 Yard Line. His skills indirectly led the Raiders to the first line of defence in games. Guy was named to the 1970’s All-Decade Team, Six Pro Bowls, Three First Team All-Pro Teams and the 75^th Anniversary Team.

Even more importantly, the legacy of Ray Guy is growing. Often time diminishes performance, but Guy has become a strange anomaly; a man who defies rules despite the red headed stepchild syndrome of special teams stereotypes. Despite being only a “Punter”, the popular conception is that he belongs in the Hall of Fame; even if no other kicker ever follows him in.

Something tells us that the special teams bias is going to buckle in 2014.

RIP: L.C. Greenwood

Oct 01, 2013

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

The Steel Curtain lost one today. Former Pittsburgh Steelers, Defensive End, L.C. Greenwood passed away due to kidney failure at the age of 67.

The popular defender was part of four Super Bowl wins and was named to the 1970’s All-Decade Team. Continued accolades include six Pro Bowl Selections and two First Team All-Pro teams. Greenwood is currently not in the Football Hall of Fame, though he was a Finalist twice. He is ranked #8 on our Notinhalloffame.com Football List, and is considered an omission by Canton not just by us, but by many football fans and writers.

We offer our condolences to the family and friends of L.C. Greenwood.