Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project: 1963 FINAL VOTE

1962 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project Class.

Here we are!  Again!!

If you have been following our Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, you know that we have asked the rhetorical question: What if the PFHOF began in January 1946?

After soliciting and obtaining a passionate group of football fans and historians, we sent out a ballot for a Preliminary Vote, in which we asked each voter to give us 25 names as their semi-finalists and 5 in the Senior Pool. Following that, we asked the group to vote for their 15 Finalists in the Modern Era and 3 in the Senior Category. The final stage was to vote for their five Modern Era inductee and one Senior inductee.

This is the result of the eighteenth official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 32 votes,

Remember that the group took a vote in “1963”, and we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall PROVIDING THEY MAKE 50% of the vote.  This will be put to a vote again in “1966”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1963:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1963.

About the 1963 Inductees:

Elroy Hirsch E-HB-DE, CHR 1946-48, RAM 1949-57: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Dubbed “Crazy Legs” because of the strange, jerky way his legs moved when he ran, Elroy Hirsch was one of the most outstanding college players ever. Despite his collegiate success, getting going as a professional took him some time.

Hirsch joined the Chicago Rockets of the AAFC instead of the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, but he would later call it the worst decision he ever made.  The Rockets were awful, and though Hirsch was competent, he was expected to be spectacular.  A contract dispute allowed Hirsch to leave the AAFC, and he joined the Rams in 1949.

Hirsch struggled initially, but a shift to the End position rejuvenated him. His 1951 season was one of the best in Rams history, as he led the NFL in Receiving Yards (1,495) and led the Rams to the NFL Championship. He remained one of the top Ends over the next few years and still owns one of the best nicknames in sports.

George Connor T-LB-DT-G, CHI 1948-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 3^rd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

George Connor was a two-time National Champion at Notre Dame, and he would parlay the skills he learned with the Fighting Irish to nearby Chicago with the Bears for a stellar eight-year career.

An All-Pro on both sides of the ball (Offensive Tackle, Defensive Tackle, and Linebacker), Connor was primarily used on the offensive line in his first two years.  Still, his athleticism made him a natural to try at Linebacker.  He was arguably better in that role, which likely landed him a spot in Canton.

Frank Gatski, C-LB, CLE 1946-56, DET 1957.: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Frank Gatski played college football at Marshall and then joined the American military during World War II.  Following the war, Gatski tried out and made the Browns in their inaugural season of the AAFC.  Gatski, or "Gunner" as he was known, opened the holes for Motley and expertly protected Graham for years.  Easily the best Center in the AAFC, he helped Cleveland win all four Championships and proved his worth in the NFL as the Browns won the NFL Title in their first year after the NFL-AAFC merger.

Gatski, who was so good that he never botched a snap over his entire career, helped the Browns win the 1954 and 1955 Championship, and in his last year in the NFL, 1957, he was with Detroit and won an eighth title.

Tony Latone G-E-C, POT 1925-28, BOS 1929 & PRV 1930: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 8^th Senior Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed the “Human Howitzer,” Tony Latone’s path to professional football did not come from the college ranks, as he played semi-pro and worked in the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania.  He finally joined the NFL with Pottsville Maroons in 1925, and he is believed to be the unofficial rushing leader of the 1920s.  Latone allegedly rushed for 2,616 Yards in six seasons, and the legendary George Halas stated that Latone would have been an all-time great had he gone to college and honed his craft early.