Best Players Not In The Pro Football Hall of Fame: Linebackers
Chuck Howley is the only player to be named Super Bowl MVP while playing on the losing team.
Our position-by-position look at the best eligible players not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame continues with a position that includes both players who served as the quarterback of the defense and others that disrupted offenses with their prowess rushing the passer.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, many top middle linebackers became familiar figures as the defensive quarterback on the field. Players like Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus, Tommy Nobis, Willie Lanier, Bill Bergey, Lee Roy Jordan, Jack Lambert, Harry Carson, Nick Buoniconti and Mike Singletary were recognized as the defensive leader for their team and every team looked to find their own stuffer in the middle.
Until players like Lawrence Taylor changed the game and made outside linebackers regular pass rushers, the outside backers were generally more involved in pass coverage and stopping the run than in putting constant pressure on the quarterback.
There are 18 modern era linebackers in the Hall of Fame, but when you look at the list of those not in the Hall of Fame, there seems to be an equal number of deserving linebackers still waiting for induction.
Only five linebackers have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the last decade and 10 have been enshrined since 1989.
Ranking the top 10 linebackers not in the Hall of Fame was a challenge partly because of such a disparity in statistics. Sacks were not kept as an official stat until 1982 and most tackle numbers are unofficial and inconsistent.
For that reason, I weighed heavily such factors as Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition. I also looked at how defensive units ranked in points and yardage allowed.
So, here is my list of the top 10 eligible linebackers not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I look forward to your comments, discussion, and disagreements.
Click Here to read more and see pictures of each player in the top 10.
10. Greg Lloyd – Pittsburgh Steelers/Carolina Panthers – 1988-1998
9. Lee Roy Jordan – Dallas Cowboys – 1963-1976
8. Sam Mills – New Orleans Saints/Carolina Panthers – 1986-1997
7. Pat Swilling – New Orleans Saints/Detroit Lions/Oakland Raiders – 1986-1998
6. Karl Mecklenburg – Denver Broncos – 1983-1994
5. Maxie Baughan – Philadelphia Eagles/Los Angeles Rams/Washington Redskins – 1960-1970, 1974
4. Robert Brazile – Houston Oilers – 1975-1984
3. Randy Gradishar – Denver Broncos – 1974-1983
2. Chris Hanburger – Washington Redskins – 1965-1978
1. Chuck Howley – Chicago Bears/Dallas Cowboys – 1958-1973
Nice column, Dean! I've opened it up for debate on my Twitter and Facebook sites. Chris Hanburger, one of the first LBs I ever remember watching as a kid (just when he was a Redskin), is from the legendary program at Hampton High. Last I saw, he owned car dealerships around the University of Maryland.
Thanks Sonny. I appreciate you sparking the debate and would welcome other opinions and thoughts.
I find it interesting that the HOF voters have inducted players like Charlie Sanders, Roger Wehrli and 18 offensive linemen in the last 15 years, but have shown no interest in Hanburger, Howley and other great linebackers. I will write more about the inconsistencies in my final columns over the next couple weeks.
As a kid growing up in Redskin country, Hanburger was one of those guys who seemed to always be there making the big play when it was needed. I think he should have been added to the HOF years ago.
Hanburger and Howley were great, but Roger Wehrli was LONG overdue and more deserving than both of these fine linebackers. Now that Hanburger is in you should be happy. Brazile should get in next. Jake Scott and Dick Anderson have been long overlooked as well, it isn't just the OLBs who are overlooked.
Outstanding list. Wow! the memories. I love the work you do here, my friend.
Thanks Gene. I appreciate the compliment. This series has been very interesting and fun. The inconsistencies in the HOF voting are amazing.
Steve Nelson should be on this list for sure!
He was certainly a vital player for the Patriots and was considered, but his overall credentials fell just short of those on the list.
You forgot Clay Matthews Jr. Pro bowler 4 times. Long and good career on some not so good teams.
I agree. I am a long time Browns fan and Clay was great!
You guys may be right that he belongs in the top 25 of best linebackers not in the HOF, but definitely not the top 10. I gave him consideration, but the fact that he was never a first team All-Pro is why he didn't quite make the list.
I did also enjoy watching him play as he was with the team when my favorite player was there (Calvin Hill) so I watched a lot of his games and have seen many again in replays. It will be interesting to see if his son can be as good as he was.
LBs, especially outside LBs and inside LBs in 3-4 setups, get no love from HoF voters and there are many bad snubs here. You've correctly listed many of the worst in Howley, Brazile, Baughan, Hanburger, and Gradishar — and Mills is well worth a mention. Others who merit some visibility here include recent players Kevin Greene and Rickey Jackson (also Charles Haley if you consider him a LB), plus old-timers Joe Fortunato, Isiah Robertson, Les Richter, and Tommy Nobis.
Thanks for another great comment.
If you click on the link and see the complete list and slideshow, you will see that many of the players you mentioned that didn't make the top 10 are in the top 25. I put Haley as a DE, though he could have gone either way. Many people forget Brazile, but I remember him as being one of the best players (forget the position) of his era. I didn't know much about Baughan until doing this list and now am convinced he should be in the HOF. It is an insult to Broncos fans that Gradishar isn't in the HOF.
This list does not include a man who is third on the alltime sack list (right behind Bruce Smith and Reggie White) with 160 sacks. He is the number one alltime sack leader among linebackers (30 sacks more then Lawrence Taylor and Ricky Jackson). His name is Kevin Greene. 160 sacks should put a man in the Hall of Fame. That is equivelent to one sack every game for ten years. Also, Randy Gradisher has 2,049 tackles in his short ten year career of 145 games. This is an average of 14 tackles a game and 224 tackles a season(by today's standards). Both should be in the Hall of Fame. Also, Ricky Jackson, Jesse Tuggle, and Harry Carson should be included as well.
Thanks for the interesting topic. Tell your friends.
From 3-13 to 7-3. Tampa Bay Buccaneeers: From ashy to classy.
Great list. What about Dave Robinson?
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