Because of the sheer greatness of Dominik Hasek, Ryan Miller was never going to be the best Goalie in Sabres history.  That being said, we know that Miller was pretty damned good.

Miller joined the Sabres organization after three years at Michigan State, and in his fourth year of professional hockey, Miller became the primary netminder for Buffalo.  He kept his GAA well under three, and finished sixth in Vezina voting in 2006-07, but Miller would have a banner year in 2009-10.  That season, Miller led the NHL in Point Shares (16.8), winning the Vezina and was fourth in Hart Trophy voting.  Miller would also post career-highs in Wins (41), GAA (2.22) and Save Percentage (.929).  On top of everything, Miller was the prime Goalie for the United States in the Olympics, and while the Americans fell to Canada in the Gold Medal Game, it was widely believed that Miller was the best player of the tournament.

Miller could not match that year, but he remained a strong Goalie, later playing for St. Louis, Vancouver and Anaheim, finishing an 18-year career in 2021.  He played in 540 Games, and had a 284-186-57 Record with a 2.58 GAA.

With the phenomenal nickname of "Z-Bo," Zach Randolph played one year at Michigan State before declaring for the NBA Draft.  It was the Portland Trail Blazers who would take him 19^th overall, and he became the starting Power Forward two years later.  That season, Randolph won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award and had his first 20/10 year.  He would accomplish the 20/10 feat again in 2006-07.

Rich Saul did not accomplish that much in the first half of his career, where he bounced around the Rams O-Line for the first five years, but there was definite value in the former Michigan State Spartan.  Saul would be named the starting Center in 1975, and from 1976 to 1981, he would be named to the Pro Bowl and was one clearly among the upper echelon of Centers for the last half of the 70s.  The Rams would go to Super Bowl XIV, and he was part of the reason they were successful during that time frame.

Born (and died) in the most football like city on this Planet Earth (Canton, Ohio), George Saimes would sign with the Buffalo Bills in 1963 after playing collegiately at Michigan State. 

Like many in the early '60s, Fred Arbanas was drafted by both the NFL and the AFL, but usually, those who chose the AFL were drafted higher by the new organization.  This wasn't the case with Arbanas, who was a 7^th Round Selection by the Dallas Texans, where the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2^nd Round.

Drafted 3^rd Overall in 1984 from Michigan State, the New York Giants would have a longtime fixture in their Linebacking corps in Carl Banks.  Banks was an All-Rookie Selection, and he would later be named to the Pro Bowl and was a First Team All-Pro in 1987, the year after he was a large part of their Super Bowl XXI win.  Banks would again hoist the Lombardi Trophy high four years later in Super Bowl XXV.

Ray Wietecha played his entire 10-year NFL career with the New York Giants, where he was the literal centerpiece (he played Center) of a robust Offensive Line.  Helping the G-Men to an NFL Championship in 1956, Wietecha would have better individual seasons after going to four Pro Bowls and earning a First Team All-Pro nod.  In his last season (1962), he was named a Second Team All-Pro and arguably could have continued his playing career, but he elected to become a coach instead.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players and executive. Eventually, we will look at the major U.S. colleges.  As such, it is news to us that the Michigan State will be retiring the number 23 of former player, Draymond Green.

Green grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, and stayed close to home when he joined the Spartans in 2008, the team he would play collegiately for four full seasons.  Green would improve annually and as a senior, his accomplishments put him on the national map.  In the 2012 NCAA Tournament, he became third player following Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson to post a triple-double in the tourney.  While Michigan State did not win the NCAA, they did win the Big Ten League and Big Ten Tournament Championship, with Green as their leader.  

Individually speaking, that year he would win the Big Ten Player of the Year, NABC National Player of the Year and was a Consensus First Team All-American.  

Green would be drafted by the Golden State Warriors 35^thOverall and to date would win three NBA Championships, is a three-time All-Star and is a former Defensive Player of the Year.

This will happen on December 3, against their home game against Duke. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Draymond Green for earning this honor.

While it can be argued that Andre “Bad Moon” Rison will always be best known for his tumultuous relationship with Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (she infamously burned his house down), we here at Notinhalloffame.com think of Rison as a flashy Wide Receiver who backed up his smack talk.

Len Dawson was one of the great Quarterbacks of the American Football League, but a big reason he was able to do what he did was that Ed Budde helped him stay upright.

Johnny Green was an undersized power forward (even for the 50’s and 60’s) who was a hard worker under the boards and earned four All-Star game appearances in a long career.  His career stats are what keep him in the discussion; but it won’t get him discussed much.

Although Derrick Mason produced strong career statistics and had multiple seasons tabulating over 1,000 Receiving Yards, it is hard to make the strong case for Mason to receive a Hall of Fame induction. Mason would be the star receiver for both Tennessee and Baltimore, though he played in an era where the game opened up and there were stars that were perceived as superior at Wide Receiver. Only earning a trip to the Pro Bowl twice and one All-Pro Selection reflects that fact, though that was primarily from his Punt and Kick Returning. Still, that was the season (2000) in which he led the NFL in All-Purpose Yards.

The 16th Overall Pick in the 2000 Draft, Julian Peterson carved out a good career in the National Football League.  Winning the Left Outside Linebacker job midway through his rookie year with the San Francisco 49ers, Peterson would go to the Pro Bowl in 2002 and 2003, the last season seeing him earn First Team All-Pro accolades.  He would later sign with the Seattle Seahawks in 2006 and was a Pro Bowl Selection in all three seasons playing there.  He would go to Detroit for his final two years, and he accumulated 51.5 Sacks over his career.

An intense workout machine whose gym work likely granted him twenty NHL seasons, Rod Brind’Amour was not just a physical anomaly, but one hell of a hockey player.