1976 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 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. We then 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 31st official class. 

Below are the final results of this project based on 30 votes.

Remember that we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1976:

 

Player	Year of Eligibility	Vote Total
Jerry Kramer G	3	21
Paul Hornung HB	5	18
Tommy McDonald FL-WR	3	17
Henry Jordan DT-DE	2	15
Alex Karras DT	1	14
Joe Fortunato LB	5	13
Del Shofner E-DB	4	11
Tom Sestak DT	3	9
Billy Howton E-FL	8	8
Billy Shaw G	2	8
Pat Harder FB	18	7
Gino Cappelletti FL-SE-DB-WR-K	1	7
Eddie Meador DB	1	6
Billy Wilson E-FL	11	3
Jimmy Patton DB	5	3

 

 

This is for the “Senior Era”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1976.

 

Marshall Goldberg	3	10
Whizzer White	10	9
Woody Strode	2	8
None of the Above	N/A	5

 

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1976.

Buddy Parker (COACH)	7	15
Lamar Hunt (OWNER)	1	14
Charles Bidwill (COACH)	7	3
None of the Above		0

 

About the 1976 Inductees:

Jerry Kramer G, GNB 1958-68: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1976 on his 3rd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Green Bay fans know how good Kramer was and will never forget the “Packer Sweep”!  Kramer was named a First Team All-Pro on five occasions, and that was the same number of Championships that the stalwart of the Packers' Offensive Line would help them win, three NFL Championships and two Super Bowls, and he is one of the classiest players ever to suit up on the gridiron.  He was also named to the 1960s All-Decade and 50th Anniversary Team.

Paul Hornung, HB-FB-QB, GNB 1957-62 & 1964-66: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1976 on his 5th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

One of the few players who won a Heisman Trophy and a National Football League MVP, Paul Hornung was a key member of the Packers dynasty of the 1960s.  He was at his best in the early ’60s, where he received his two First Team All-Pro Selections, and in 1960, he would lead all rushers with 13 Touchdowns.

Hornung’s best games occurred when the Packers needed him the most, as he scored 19 Points in the 1961 Championship Game and rushed for over 100 Yards in the 1965 Championship Game. 

The versatile player was also used on special teams, where he was used as the team’s kicker. 

Tommy McDonald, FL, PHI 1956-63, DAL 1963, RAM 1965-66, ATL 1967 & CLE 1968.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1976 on his 3rd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Using every bit of field vision and timing to compensate for his 5'9” frame, Tommy McDonald was drafted as a Halfback but was moved to Wide Receiver (Flanker), where he excelled on a Philadelphia Eagles squad that won the 1960 NFL Championship. He would then lead the league in Receiving Yards the following year.

From 1958 to 1962, McDonald recorded a staggering 56 Touchdowns in 63 Games, set the still-standing Eagles record for Receiving Yards in a game (237), and, at the time of his retirement, his 84 Touchdowns were second all time.

Henry Jordan, DT-DE, CLE 1957-58 & GNB 1959-69.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1976 on his 2nd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

The spark plug for the 1960’s Green Bay defense, Henry Jordan played Right Defensive Tackle for the Green Bay dynasty and rattled off five consecutive (1960-64) First Team All Pro Selections.  He would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, which was two decades after Green Bay chose Jordan for their Hall.

Alex Karras, DT, DET 1958-62 & 1964-70.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1976 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

“Never mind that shit.  Here comes Mongo!”

Alex Karras may not have been the best defensive player to ever suit up for the Detroit Lions, but there was no denying that he was the most popular and was in many ways iconic.

Karras would remain in the public eye long after football for his television, film, and broadcasting work, but he was one hell of a player at Defensive Tackle.  A four-time Pro Bowler and member of the 1960’s All-Decade Team, Karras was a dominating figure for the Lions throughout the 1960s (barring the one year in 1963 when he was suspended for gambling on the NFL).

 

 

 

 

The spark plug for the 1960’s Green Bay defense, Henry Jordan played Right Defensive Tackle for the Green Bay dynasty and rattled off five consecutive (1960-64) First Team All Pro Selections.  He would enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, which was two decades after Green Bay chose Jordan for their Hall.