NFL shows that timing is everything in honoring its past

By Tom Reed
Akron Beacon Journal

CANTON, Ohio - Immortality seldom appeared more fragile than it did Saturday afternoon in the form of Al Davis.

The 77-year-old Oakland Raiders patriarch needed a walker to negotiate the stage while serving as presenter for John Madden during the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement.

It was a poignant image, one in sharp contrast to how many envision Davis: A feisty bull terrier of an owner who wakes up every morning thinking of new ways to stick it to the NFL.

A night after Oakland Al, a 1992 enshrinee, recalled past Raiders glories, his current team returned to Fawcett Stadium on Sunday to begin a new season against the Philadelphia Eagles.

That's what makes Hall of Fame weekend so special - the intersection of past and present. Nostalgia and promise, great memories and ones itching to be made. No sport times it better.

Baseball honors it heroes in the middle of a season. Same for hockey. Training camp is still a month away as basketball legends are being enshrined.

Not pro football.

Eight members of the Eagles sat in attendance Saturday and listened to heroic tales of the late Reggie White. Current members of the Green Bay Packers flew in just to pay tribute.

Is there a better way to go forward than by thanking those who came before you?

Former linebacker and Class of 2006 inductee Harry Carson used his Saturday acceptance speech as a platform to lobby the league and its union to upgrade treatment of retired players. The two parties recently reached an agreement to improve its once-laughable pensions and benefits by $120 million a year.

"If we made the league what it is, you have to do a better job of taking care of your own," Carson said.

NBA star Latrell Sprewell can't feed his family on $7 million a season while some old-time football hall of famers lack the means to attend the annual Canton reunion.

Carson again exhibited his reverence for past inductees Sunday at the GameDay Roundtable. He told the audience about growing up in Florence, S.C., and wanting to be the next Willie Davis or Buck Buchanan. Carson said he used black shoe polish to trace the No. 87 on his T-shirts in tribute to Davis, the former Packers and Browns defensive lineman.

What kid in the Memorial Civic Center crowd couldn't relate? Legends discussing their heroes just weeks before the prep football seasons tees it up anew.

You hope area sports fans never take this unique opportunity for granted.

Someone asked Sara White, the widow of Reggie White, for her impressions of Canton. She said it reminded her a lot of Green Bay because of the intimacy and passion of the people.

It's a nice analogy in the sense that every August you can feel that tug of war between then and now just like at Lambeau Field. You're anxious to see how Charlie Frye will respond as the Browns starting quarterback even as you listen to Bill Willis tell how Paul Brown helped break down the color barrier.

"This is a celebration of football," Madden said. "When you celebrate pro football it has to be in Canton, Ohio because this is where the NFL started."

Madden will be remembered this weekend for his "goofy" bit on the talking busts and how he imagines they come to life late at night and hold conversations in the hall gallery the way baseball legends materialized from an Iowa cornfield to play in "Field of Dreams."

He pictured his first bust-to-bust conversation with Reggie White and then turned to his widow on Sunday afternoon. "Sara, I'm going to tell (Reggie) what a great job you did (with Saturday's acceptance speech)."

Both fought back tears.

Six hours later Madden was in the broadcast booth calling the Eagles-Raiders exhibition game at Fawcett Stadium, a forum where on a magical weekend each year the past and present come together like no place in the sports universe.

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Old-timers cast aside by the NFL

Monday, August 07, 2006
The Oregonian

The victims don't want you to see faces, they want you to see issues. The NFL old-time players, guys in their 60s and 70s, don't want to make the con job that's been perpetuated against them into some sympathetic hard-luck story. But every time I think about professional football's dirty little secret, I see a face.

It belongs to Mike Webster.

Webster won four Super Bowl rings, but after he retired, the former Pittsburgh Steelers center went into debt, depression, and suffered medical problems related to his playing career. He eventually became homeless, and at one point, was living in the Kansas City Chiefs' equipment room.

Webster died in 2002. And maybe some of what happened to him has to do with bad luck and mental illness, but also, it was an indictment of the NFL Players Association, which let him down and left him to rot because he wasn't any use to it anymore.

Ain't it the truth, man.

That's the chorus that's been hitting my inbox with increased regularity in the last two weeks. Gern Nagler, 74, who lives in Portland and played eight seasons in the 1950s for the Cardinals, Steelers and Browns, included me on a group e-mail list that includes old-time players from around the country.

These guys are angry, frustrated and disappointed. They feel as though they've lost their voice, and that Gene Upshaw, the head of the union, stopped representing their interests a long time ago. Recently, the union and the NFL boasted that it was giving a 25 percent increase to the pensions of old-time players, which prompted a group e-mail with a subject line reading: ". . . unacceptable 'peanuts'. . . the fight has just begun."

Except, the former players, and their widows, are running out of time to fight.

Former Green Bay Packers lineman Jerry Kramer, whose pension is $358, said that as many as 400 former players get less than $400 a month from their NFL pensions.

"There is something wrong with those who fought and won the pension (to) have their continued benefit from that pension plan dependent on an ever-changing, easily manipulated bunch of 20-year-olds just out of college," wrote former Cleveland (1959-66) defensive back Bernie Parrish in an e-mail to his fellow former players.

"(Those young players) are deciding on the living standards of retired players, their widows and survivors."

Ask the NFL about the pension plan, and they'll refer you to the players association. Ask the players association, and it will point out that every former player got at least a $50-a-month increase in the recent pension raise.

Said Nagler via telephone: "Thank goodness I worked after football."

Between cashing their million-dollar signing bonuses and deciding which rookie brought the coolest car to camp, the current players just don't get it. It's why Harry Carson used his Hall of Fame induction speech to urge the union to take better care of the league's former players. What's happening to the former players borders on neglect, and something about that doesn't feel right.

Nagler and Parrish were there in 1959 when Billy Howton, the head of the union, tossed an anti-trust suit on the hotel conference room table in front of then-NFL commissioner Bert Bell. Howton said, "We'll be filing this suit if we don't have a player pension plan in a half hour."

In thirty minutes, the union had a promise from Bell. And three years later, the pension plan was put in writing, solidifying the union's power. Except that pension plan now pays nearly 70 percent of its benefits to active players.

The old-time players don't want to cast a sympathetic figure. They don't want you to see faces. They want you to see issues. But I see faces. Too many of them like Webster.

Forgive me, fellas. I just can't help it.

John Canzano: 503-294-5065; JohnCanzano@aol.com; to read his Web log, go to www.oregonlive.com/canzano Catch him on the radio on "The Bald-Faced Truth," KFXX (1080), weekdays at 5:25 p.m.

©2006 The Oregonian

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Senate commemorates 60th anniversary of professional football's integration

Willis to be honored at HOF Game

The U.S. Senate passed by Unanimous Consent Senate Resolution 533, written by U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and cosponsored by U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), that commemorates the 60th anniversary of the permanent racial integration of professional football by four pioneering players: William "Bill" K. Willis, Marion Motley, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode. This integration, a full year before Jackie Robinson's much-celebrated integration of professional baseball, supported other ongoing efforts to permanently end racial segregation as an accepted practice in the United States. Senator George Allen (R-VA) is also a cosponsor. The resolution gained the support of all 100 senators.

"My colleagues and I have commemorated an important part of the civil rights movement by recognizing the groundbreaking accomplishments of these great men," Senator Voinovich said. "The integration of major professional sports dealt a blow to segregation across the country, causing other racial barriers to fall. The players deserve to be recognized not only for their outstanding contributions on the field but for the vital roles they played in history."

"These players showed courage and leadership as they broke down racial barriers and became role models for children and football fans of all races," said Senator DeWine. "I am proud that two of these players were Cleveland Browns and helped show the country that sportsmanship and teamwork are what matter, not the color of one's skin."

Thanks to the significant contributions of Bill Willis and Marion Motley, the Cleveland Browns won the National Football League Championship in 1950, the first year the Browns played in the NFL. In addition to permanently ending the race barrier, Bill Willis and Marion Motley were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recognizing their outstanding careers.

Willis is the only surviving member of the pioneering foursome.

The NFL will commemorate him and the 60th anniversary of the permanent integration during the 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, August 6, 2006. Senator Voinovich will present Willis with the resolution during a halftime ceremony.

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Sighs of Relief Mix With Tears at Hall

New York Times
August 6, 2006

By CLIFTON BROWN

CANTON, Ohio, Aug. 5 — During Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony, John Madden asked his former players in attendance to stand. More than 30 former Oakland Raiders rose.

“This is our day in the sun,” Madden said, looking out into the audience and savoring the moment.

It was a day in the sun for the class of 2006. Inducted with Madden were Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, Warren Moon, Reggie White and Rayfield Wright. All of them took different paths to football greatness.

Madden, who had a 103-32-7 regular-season record in 10 seasons as the Raiders coach, led Oakland to a victory in Super Bowl XI, then retired from coaching at age 42 and became pro football’s most popular television analyst. Aikman, who quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories, lived up to the pressure of being a No. 1 draft pick. Moon, the first African-American quarterback inducted, was snubbed by the N.F.L. after college and spent six seasons in the Canadian Football League before becoming an N.F.L. star.

Carson, a standout linebacker with the Giants, and Wright, a dominant right tackle with the Cowboys, both waited for years to be inducted, wondering if it would ever happen. White, who died of cardiac arrhythmia in 2004 at age 43 after living for years with a respiratory ailment, was remembered for his dominant play as a defensive end with Philadelphia and Green Bay, and for his compassion.

White’s segment of the ceremony was the most emotional. He played his first eight N.F.L. seasons with the Eagles, and a contingent of current Eagles, among them quarterback Donovan McNabb, sat in the audience wearing white Philadelphia jerseys bearing White’s name and No. 92. White’s widow, Sara White, made the induction speech. White’s 20-year-old son, Jeremy, introduced his mother and talked about his father with reverence. White’s 18-year-old daughter, Jecolia, sang the national anthem to begin the ceremony at Fawcett Stadium.

When the bust of Reggie White was unveiled before Sara’s speech, both Sara and Jeremy cried and embraced on stage.

“It’s not how you die, it’s how you live,” Sara said during her speech. “I encourage you to live like Reggie lived.”

Moon completed his college career at the University of Washington in 1978, when few black quarterbacks had played in the N.F.L.

“In certain football circles, there was doubt as to the ability or desirability of an African-American to master the high-profile quarterback position,’’ said Leigh Steinberg, Moon’s agent, who presented Moon. “Warren answered that question with steely resolve. He said, ‘I was born to play quarterback. No one’s going to stop me from fulfilling my dream.’ ’’

After winning five Grey Cup championships in Canada, Moon spent 10 of his 17 N.F.L. seasons with the Houston Oilers, and passed for 49,325 yards. He had back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons.

“I always had that extra burden when I went on that field, that I had a responsibility to play the game for my people,” Moon said. “That extra burden I probably didn’t need to go out on the field with. But you know what? I carried that burden proudly.”

Aikman appeared to have the most fans at the ceremony, many of them wearing his No. 8 Cowboys jersey.

“For as long as I remember, all I ever wanted to do was play pro sports,” Aikman said, choking back tears. “I was able to live a dream.”

For Carson, a defensive mainstay for Giants through much of the 1980’s, it was a long wait. He was elected in his seventh time as a finalist. Carson was so frustrated about the process that a few years ago he wrote the committee, asking that his name be removed from consideration.

“I’m here, maybe a little late, but I’m here,” Carson said. “I don’t care how long it’s taken. All of you who have been my supporters, you Giant fans, you’ve been there for me.”

Wright, who retired in 1979, shared Carson’s frustration at having to wait.
“Some say that patience is a virtue,” said Wright, who played all 13 of his seasons with the Cowboys. “After 22 years of eligibility, God knows that I’m not a saint, but I am a Dallas Cowboy. I’m privileged to be in such a stellar class.”

Madden, who is perhaps better known to younger fans as a TV analyst and video game presenter, reflected on how lucky he had been to spend his adult life connected to football.

“I have never worked a day in my life,” Madden said. “I went from player, to coach, to a broadcaster, and I am the luckiest guy in the world.

“I was lucky to be carried off the field after we won Super Bowl XI. I was told it took like five or six guys to lift me up. Then they dropped me. Today feels like the second time in my life that I’m being carried off. This has been the sweetest ride of them all.”

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Canton-ized

By: REUBEN FRANK (Sun, Aug/06/2006)

CANTON, Ohio— Sara White stayed composed until she and 20-year-old son Jeremy pulled away the cloth to reveal the bronze bust of her husband.

For the first time, she saw the image of Reggie White that will sit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame forever. She saw the striking rendering of her husband's face — strong, compassionate, courageous — staring out into the cheering crowd at Saturday's Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony.

Then came the tears.

White embraced her son and wept as 15,000 fans attending the 44th Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Fawcett Stadium stood and roared for the greatest defensive end in NFL history.

“Today would have been the best day of Reggie's life, besides watching the birth of his two children,” Sara White said.

On a spectacular afternoon at the birthplace of professional football, Sara White became the first wife in Hall of Fame history to represent her husband at the enshrinement ceremony.

White's family was a big part of the ceremony, with 18-year-old daughter Jecolia singing the national anthem and 20-year-old son Jeremy presenting Sara White.

“He lived a full life,” Sara White said. “He lived 43 years. He's done so many things that people have not done at 70 years old. ... Reggie was no phony. He stood for what he believed in.”

White was 43 when he died on Dec. 26, 2004, at his home in Cornelius, N.C. Thirteen months later he was unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. On Saturday, he took his place among the greats of the game.

“I am saddened by the absence of Reggie White,” Troy Aikman said in his acceptance speech. “He was an amazing player and an even better man who left us way too soon.”

It was Reggie White the man, the minister and the father who Sara and Jeremy White both focused on during their talks yesterday.

“He always used to say that after he passed away he wanted people to remember what he did away from the football field rather than being remembered for the records he broke, the games he won, the quarterbacks he sacked,” Jeremy said.

“Reggie will always be remembered as the man he was: a compassionate father, a loving husband, a selfless friend and a loyal teammate. Reggie will be remembered by some as the man who sacked quarterbacks on Sunday, but to others he will be remembered for his faith in God. He wanted to be a preacher and he wanted to be a football player since he was 10 years old. I'd say he came a long way in both professions.”

Sara White said she's asked often how she's managed to deal with her husband's untimely death.

“People ask how I've made it,” she said. “How are you so strong? How can you be so happy? Well, I have to be. You can't just lay down.”

Jeremy, in his brief remarks, spoke eloquently about how his father lives on in the memories of those he inspired.

“I know he is with us,” Jeremy White said. “He is with us in spirit, but most of all he is with us in our memories. As long as we continue to remember anyone we've lost, they are never completely gone. They are with us.

“The legacy he leaves behind is what he taught everyone he met. He will live on through everything he taught. If people can remember anyone they've lost, they will realize that memories should bring joy, not sadness.”

Because Sara White invited only two of White's former teammates — Michael Haddix and Greg Brown, neither of whom attended — the Buddy Ryan Eagles of the late 1980s were not represented yesterday.

No Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Andre Waters, Wes Hopkins, Randall Cunningham or Keith Byars.

Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, who got to know White fairly well, did bring eight current Eagles out yesterday morning on his private jet.

“I want to thank the guys for coming out,” Sara said during her address. “I do appreciate that.”

Those eight players — Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, Jon Runyan, David Akers, William (Tra) Thomas and Mike Bartrum (who played with White in Green Bay) — each wore White No. 92 replica Eagles jerseys during the ceremony.

“To be here to represent the Philadelphia Eagles is very special,” McNabb said. “You hear so much about bad things that go on involving athletes. But there was a guy who kept his nose clean, never got in trouble, spoke from his heart, was an emotional player, an emotional person and a role model your kids could look up to.”

White recorded 124 sacks in 121 games as an Eagle and had an NFL-record 198 sacks when he retired after spending the 2000 season with the Panthers.

He was picked to 13 consecutive Pro Bowls, led the NFL in sacks twice, won a Super Bowl in 1996 with the Packers, and has had his number retired by both the Eagles and Packers.

“It's a huge day for the franchise when arguably the greatest player in the history of the franchise goes into the Hall of Fame,” said Lurie, who bought the Eagles from Norman Braman in 1994, a year after White left the Eagles and signed with the Packers.

“He was somebody who was unanimously loved and respected as a player and a person, as a father and a husband, on the field, off the field. What more can you ask for?”

Reuben Frank can be reached at rfrank@phillyBurbs.com.
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Carson seeks more diversity, more help for retired players

August 5, 2006
Associated Press
AP Football Writer

CANTON, Ohio -- Harry Carson used his induction speech for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday to lobby the NFL for more help for retired players and more diversity in the sport.

Carson called on the NFL and the players' union to upgrade its treatment of retired players. The NFLPA and the league recently reached an agreement to upgrade pensions and player benefits by about $120 million a year.

"I can't be happy about it until I get one or two things off my chest," the star linebacker of the New York Giants from 1976-88 said of his joining the Hall of Fame along with Reggie White, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Rayfield Wright and John Madden.

"As a Hall of Famer, I want to implore the NFL and its union to look at the product that you have up on this stage. The honor of making it into the Hall of Fame is great, but it was even greater to have the opportunity to play in a league with 18,000 individuals.

"I would hope that the leaders of the NFL, the future commissioner, and the players association do a much better job of looking out for those individuals. If we made the league what it is, you have to take better care of your own."

Carson also noted this is the 60th anniversary of Bill Willis integrating the league.

He chided pro football for shutting out the likes of Fritz Pollard in the 1920s -- Pollard entered the Hall of Fame last year -- and urged continued dedication to reform.

"I hope that the owners and those in the positions of power will open it up to a greater sense of diversity and understand that even those players who have played the game who are looking to get into coaching, give them a shot," Carson said.

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REGULAR PRESENTER: John Madden was introduced Saturday by Raiders owner Al Davis, the ninth time Davis has been a presenter at the induction ceremony.

Davis, who entered the Hall of Fame in 1992, used a walker to support himself as he ran through the litany of Silver and Black honorees in Canton.

"Nine Raiders legends -- nine -- are in this Hall," he said, rattling off Jim Otto, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Ted Hendricks and Dave Casper. Davis is the other, of course.

"It's a great inspiration for me to come to this Field of Dreams every year."

Davis emphasized Madden's 36-16-2 record against Hall of Fame coaches.

"John coached in the golden era of great coaches. In his 10 years, John coached against many who are enshrined in this Hall of Fame: Don Shula of Miami, Chuck Noll of Pittsburgh, Tom Landry of Dallas. Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Hank Stram, Bud Grant and others."

Madden was 32 when Davis hired him, and he left after a decade, went into TV commentating and has become a broadcasting icon. He's always remained loyal to Davis

"He stood behind me not only the 10 years I was the head coach, but he stood behind me for the last 40 years," Madden said. "I remember I had the opportunity to induct him into the Hall of Fame. At the time, I said, talking about loyalty, what a guy Al Davis was, that he's the guy, if you had anything happen, you had one phone call, who would you make that phone call to? I said it would be Al Davis.

"All these years later, I got an opportunity. I got voted into the Hall of Fame, I had a phone call to make for a presenter, and I called Al Davis."

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WHITE FAMILY: The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was a family affair for the Whites.
Reggie White's widow, Sara, made the acceptance speech on behalf of her late husband, who died in December 2004 just a week after his 43rd birthday. Their son, Jeremy, a junior at Elon College, presented his father.

Jecolia White, Reggie and Sara's 18-year-old daughter, sang the national anthem, followed by a U.S. Navy flyover.

"He was a compassionate father, a loving husband, a selfless friend and a loyal teammate," Jeremy White said. "I know that he is an inspiration to countless people who want to make their dream a reality, whatever that dream might be."

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RETURNEES: Seventy Hall of Fame members returned for the festivities, including two inductees from last year: Dan Marino and Steve Young. The biggest ovations, not surprisingly considering the concentration of Cowboys fans in Fawcett Stadium, were for Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach.
A moment of silence was held for three Hall of Famers who died in the past year: Wellington Mara, Frank Gatski and Ernie Stautner.

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ALSO HONORED: The Hall of Fame recognized two media members this weekend, Lesley Visser and John McClain.

A former sports writer for the Boston Globe, Visser won the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. Visser has covered the NFL for three decades and will be working for CBS Sports' "NFL Today" this season. She was the first woman to work as a sideline reporter, for ABC on "Monday Night Football."

McClain received the Dick McCann Memorial Award for long and distinguished service reporting pro football. The sports writer for the Houston Chronicle and past president of the Pro Football Writers of America serves on both the Hall of Fame selection committee and its seniors committee.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press.
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From the 50: Hall of Fame snub list too long

Dallas Morning News
Tuesday, August 1, 2006

I don't know Maxie Baughan but I feel bad for him. Same with Chris Hanburger.

The two former NFL linebackers both were selected to nine Pro Bowls but neither has ever been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The record for Pro Bowls by a linebacker is 10, held by Hall of Famers Joe Schmidt, Mike Singletary and Lawrence Taylor.

One of the chief selling points for former Giants linebacker Harry Carson, who will be enshrined this weekend, was that he went to nine Pro Bowls. He was a finalist for the Hall seven times, which means he was discussed by the full voting panel seven times.

Neither Baughan, who played 12 NFL seasons and won a championship at Philadelphia (1960), and Hanburger, who played 14 seasons with the Redskins, has ever been discussed by the full selection committee.

That's a travesty. Do they belong in Canton? Who knows? But I do know they deserve to be discussed. Nine Pro Bowls ought to get you to the table.

Linebacker Les Richter played in eight Pro Bowls and tight end Charlie Sanders seven. Like Baughan and Hanburger, they have never been finalists and have never been discussed. They too have been short-changed by the Hall of Fame selection process.

These players went to six Pro Bowls apiece and have never been finalists: linebacker Chuck Howley, wide receiver Billy Wilson, center Mike Tinglehoff, quarterback John Hadl and defensive tackle Roger Brown.

These players were NFL all-decade selections who went to five Pro Bowls apiece: linebackers Tommy Nobis and Joe Fortunato and cornerback Louis Wright.

These players were NFL all-decade selections who went to four Pro Bowls apiece: defensive tackle Alex Karras and Ed Sprinkle, fullback Alan Ameche and cornerback Jack Butler.

These men were NFL all-decade selections who went to three Pro Bowls apiece: guard Howard Mudd, linebacker Dave Robinson and safety Dick Anderson.

The Hall of Fame selection committee, by the way, picks the all-decade teams. If you're considered one of the best players of your era, you ought to be considered one of the best players in NFL history.

But not a one of those players has ever been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All deserve to be discussed, but all are now in the seniors pool of candidates.

Only two come out each year for consideration. It's too late for most of them to have their Hall of Fame candidacies saved.

And that's a shame. Charge this fumble to the Hall of Fame.

E-mail rgosselin@dallasnews.com
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