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KRIEGER: Gradishar victim of geography

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 28, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Randy Gradishar still is waiting to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite leading the Broncos in tackles nine times, making seven Pro Bowl teams and never missing a game, playing in 145 in a row.

Photo by The Rocky

Randy Gradishar still is waiting to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite leading the Broncos in tackles nine times, making seven Pro Bowl teams and never missing a game, playing in 145 in a row.

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In the long and colorful history of the old AFL and its successor, the AFC, the San Diego Chargers have won two titles - one AFL, one AFC - and no Super Bowls. Five players and one coach from those teams have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Kansas City Chiefs/Dallas Texans won three AFL titles and one Super Bowl. They have been rewarded with seven Hall of Famers.

Over the same span, the Denver Broncos have won six AFC titles and two Super Bowls. One representative of these teams, John Elway, has been elected to the Hall of Fame.

I could go on. The Detroit Lions comparison is especially entertaining. They've never even seen the inside of a Super Bowl but have three times as many Hall of Famers as the Broncos since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

In other words, the biggest obstacle to former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar being elected to the Hall of Fame on Saturday in his 20th and final year of eligibility has nothing to do with Gradishar. It has to do with an institutional blind spot in the Hall of Fame's board of selectors.

"I certainly have heard that for years," Gradishar said last week. "I don't know who has not heard that. The political issue, the lack of respect, how the process has been set up, you probably know more about that than I do. I know that that's an issue. I know that they've added more people to possibly help in that scenario, but your guess is as good as mine."

Gradishar is not looking to criticize the Hall. He was responding to a question. He is genuinely excited to be a finalist again. Election, he said, would be a great honor. Still, a blind man can see the anomalies in the voting.

More at-large voters have indeed been added to the board of selectors, increasing the total to 44. But only two - Jeff Legwold of the Rocky and Kent Somers of The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic - live in the Mountain time zone, and Arizona didn't have a franchise in the days of the Orange Crush.

Gradishar played 10 seasons, from 1974 through 1983, all for the Broncos. In nine of them, he led the team in tackles, exceeding 200 six times. He never missed a game, playing 145 in a row. He appeared in seven Pro Bowls.

During those 10 seasons, the Broncos surrendered the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL. The defense carried the 1977 Broncos to the Super Bowl despite a mediocre offense.

"I've never seen a more gifted and talented athlete than Randy Gradishar," said former Broncos coach John Ralston. "He had incredible natural talent. He could have played any position - a great tackler, great range, could intercept the ball, run with the ball. He could do it all. One of the best to ever play the game."

"One of the four best linebackers I've ever seen," said Ralston's successor, Red Miller.

"Randy Gradishar was as good a linebacker as I have ever been around, and I have been around some of the great ones," said Miller's successor, Dan Reeves.

In the past, Hall selectors have expressed skepticism at Gradi- shar's gaudy tackle numbers, suggesting that Broncos coaches inflated them. The fact that the Broncos defense was run by the well-respected Joe Collier during this period does not seem to help. Of course, if Gradishar's tackle numbers were smaller, he would not have enough to merit induction. This is what used to be known as a Catch-22.

Let me point out here that Utah scorekeepers used to give John Stockton an assist if he was anywhere in the building when Karl Malone scored. Trust me, this will not keep Stockton out of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Gradishar faces one more handicap: He played inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. The selectors love middle linebackers in the 4-3 and playmaking outside linebackers, but they had never anointed an inside backer from a 3-4 until two years ago, when they elected Harry Carson. Carson, of course, played in the nation's media capital.

"Matter of fact, I saw Harry in August up at the Mike Ditka Golf Classic," Gra- dishar said. "I congratulated him.

"I'm aware, and everybody's aware, of Super Bowls, playing in New York, playing with L.T., Pro Bowls and statistics. From my perspective, Harry's the first inside 34 linebacker that has entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so he's broken that ice of maybe leading the way for others who have played that inside position in a 34."

They'll have to break a lot of ice this weekend if Gradishar is to get the honor he has long deserved. To appreciate his range and resolve, his omnipresence, his hands, his nose for the ball, you had to see him play. Unfortunately, during his era, there was not much television exposure of the forgotten time zone back east or farther west, where most of the selectors live. This accident of geography is Gradishar's primary hurdle, and always has been.

Saturday, the selectors have one last chance to get it right. I asked Gradishar what it would mean to him.

"I don't allow myself to go there too far," he said. "I kind of wait and see."

Given the history, a wise choice.

Gary Zimmerman, his fellow Broncos finalist, has one big advantage over Gra- dishar. He spent more than half his career in Minnesota. The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl, but they have seven Hall of Famers.

kriegerd@RockyMountainNews.com

Comments

  • January 28, 2008

    8:34 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    denverjason writes:

    Gradishar was out of the league while Okoye was still a freshman in college. They never met on the field. The hit you're thinking of was by Steve Atwater, another HOF deserving Bronco who will never make it in because he played in Denver.

    Plus, Gradishar should be known as more than just a big hitter. He had a nose for the ball and always made the big stop. On 4th and goal, there is no other LB I'd rather have.

  • January 28, 2008

    10:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    RustyWon writes:

    All mis-information aside, I don't think anyone could argue that if Gradishar had played for the Jets, Dolphins, Rams, Bears, Giants, Raiders.....OK you get my drift... he would already be in the hall. Hopefully the people deciding these kinds of things will see the forest for the trees and get him, and Zimmerman, in. The Broncos have been one of the most prolific teams in the AFC and having only one inductee is a farse.

  • January 28, 2008

    10:53 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    sickandtired writes:

    Thanks for the 2 great articles about Randy Gradishar, Dave. It was much deserved. Gradishar had the best nose for the football I've ever seen. Countless times he stuffed third-and-short & fourth-and short plays. To me, he was the consummate leader of a great defense, and was a class act.

    He was also a great tackler - if he made contact, the ballcarrier went down. 90% of today's NFL players could take a lesson there, including everyone on the Broncos' current defense except for Champ Bailey.

    Many years after Gradishar retired, one of my family members approached Randy for an autograph in a restaurant. He was very gracious, and seemed genuinely pleased to give it.

    I'm not going to go into the ridiculous bias against Broncos making the HOF - of course it exists, and it proves it's more of a popularity contest than a true HOF. Thanks for doing your part anyway, Krieger.

    Gradishar will always be a Hall-of-Famer to Bronco fans, and to many others who did see him play. I wish him the best - he was as good as I've ever seen.

  • January 28, 2008

    3:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    brewster6308 writes:

    I can only say as a kid growing up during that time I wanted to be #53 in fact ALL of my jerseys including my intramural college number was 53.. The man has class and was a heck of a player. Someone you could look up to stats or no he was a great guy both on an off the field.
    Nothing like the kids have to look up to today in most cases.

  • January 28, 2008

    8:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Catamount1 writes:

    You guys are kidding right? Randy was good. But he was never great! His longevity and ability to remain unhurt is not hall worthy. You guys are a joke looking through Orange colored glasses.

  • January 28, 2008

    8:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sickandtired writes:

    No, Catamount1, we're not kidding. You live here in Colorado now? Another one of those East Coast or West Coast transplants? What color are the glasses you're looking thru? Believe it or not, the universe doesn't revolve around the coastal regions ... and neither does the sports world, even though most media geeks gather there, and do all they can to have everyone think it does.

    If you are a transplant, as I suspect - do us all a favor, pack it up and go home. Or stay home where you can't hurt yourself, whatever the case may be.

  • January 28, 2008

    8:59 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    Catamount, your reply is tantamount, to idiocy. The only joke, as you put it, is having a frigging Raiders fan, writing to a Bronco blog. Gradishar was great and you need a reality check. Nobody, but a Raiders fan, would spout off such moronic, idiocy.

  • January 29, 2008

    7:20 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Catamount1 writes:

    Seems like you have some pent up anger there fellas. "Idiocy"?? Come on now. The fact remains that you and I are not involved in the world of football. The people that vote are. These people look at the players available and make the best choices. Was Randy good? Sure. He was outstanding. But we are not comparing him to the other players on his team. We are comparing him to the many HALL OF FAMERS that played when he did. There are so many BETTER players at the time. Name 3 players that should not have been inducted since Randy has been eligible. You will see my point. The Hall of Fame isn't for your everyday reeeeally good player. It is truly for the greats of the game. I am a Raider fan. I have always loved Colorado and most of the people there. We visit when we can. I am an educated and REALISTIC Raider fan. Let's face it, the Riader Nation has long felt that Ray Guy and Stabler belong. Was Stabler good? Sure. He was outstanding. But he too is not hall worthy. So please take that crap about being like every other Raider fan and shove it buddy.

  • January 29, 2008

    6:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sickandtired writes:

    Dave, is Catamount1 a Raid-duhs fan? lolll if I had known that, I wouldn't have wasted the time to comment on his post. Thanks for letting me know.

    But I will say this: Seems like you have some pent up anger there, Catamount. lol

    And just to really get you going, I personally think Stabler should probably be in - who else could have kept all those morons out in Oakland on the same page long enough to actually win some football games?

  • January 29, 2008

    7:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Catamount1 writes:

    Nice response.