gold star for USAHOF

108. Aqib Talib

Aqib Talib was the 20thOverall Pick in 2008, but the former Kansas Jayhawk struggled early to live up to expectations.  Winning the starting job at Left Cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his sophomore year, Talib did well, but it was not until 2012, when he was traded to the New England Patriots where his star began to rise.

149. Nolan Cromwell

Nolan Cromwell played his entire career with the Los Angeles Rams (1977-87), and after winning the starting the Free Safety job in 1979, he would become one of the top Defensive Backs in the early 1980s., where his ability to anticipate routes had few equals.

100. John Hadl

A lot of people talk about “Playstation” numbers whereby offensive stars put up offensive numbers that don’t seem realistic.  John Hadl was putting up those types of numbers when Quarterbacks generally were more conservative and decades before the Madden craze took over.

On three separate occasions, John Hadl eclipsed 3,000 yards passing.  This is expected out of many Quarterbacks now, but it was very impressive considering the era he played in.  He was one of the game's early gunslingers and as such posted very impressive Touchdowns Pass numbers.  Subsequently, this led to a copious amount of interceptions and he did finish his career with more picks than TD passes.

122. Danny Manning

Like Christian Laettner, Danny Manning is one of the great college players ever, almost singlehandedly carrying Kansas to a national title in 1988.  His pro career was marked with frequent injuries and playing on some bad teams.  He was a two time All-Star and if anyone could get in for one remarkable month of basketball it would be Manning.  Manning was also elected to the college hall in 2008 thus greatly reducing his chances of getting into the main Hall in Springfield.

59. Bill Bridges

Bridges was an undersized power forward who had a long lasting career in the NBA due to his abilities to play defense and especially to rebound. Currently in the top 30 in all time rebounds in league history, Bridges made 3 all-star teams and averaged 11.9 points and rebounds throughout a very consistent career. He won his only title in 1975 with the Warriors and then did something that not many have had a chance to do. He retired as a champion.