The 2016 NFL Hall of Fame class includes a gunslinger, a trailblazer, a snake, a quiet superstar and much more.
Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy, Kevin Greene, Orlando Pace, Eddie DeBartolo, Kenny Stabler and Dick Stanfel all played a major role in shaping the history of the NFL in their own way.
Here are some of best examples this class displayed throughout their careers:
Marvin Harrison’s catch against the Patriots, Nov. 5, 2006
Harrison was always the quiet one in an era dominated by wide receivers that loved to talk. He is known as arguably one of the best all-around talents of his era. Although he never had an iconic Super Bowl moment, the following catch displayed everything that made him a Hall of Famer.
On Sunday Night Football, he twisted, turned and got both feet in bounds, which perfectly captured his concentration, body control, soft hands, and of course a great throw by Peyton Manning. Bill Belichick didn’t even bother challenging the play.
It’s one of the many incredible highlights of Harrison’s career. But one that sticks out because it came against the New England Patriots and was a massive moment in the Brady-Manning rivalry that defined the decade.
Brett Favre’s epic performance on Monday Night Football, Dec. 22, 2003
The biggest name in this class is undoubtedly Favre and he was known for breaking wide receivers’ fingers, reckless plays, and being a regular guy who just loves to play football.
However, this Monday night was anything but regular as his father Irvin had a heart attack and died the night before. While he was debating on whether he should play or not, Favre decided to suit up since it was the right thing to do and it was what his father would have wanted.
Favre put on the greatest performance of his career. He went 22-of-30 for 399 yards and four touchdowns against the Raiders and moved into second place on the all-time touchdown list as well.
This was the ultimate Favre game, displaying his rocket arm while firing passes into triple coverage for touchdowns, jumping on top of teammates and putting on a show.
Eddie DeBartolo Jr. hires Bill Walsh in 1979
It’s hard to believe, but before becoming known as one of the greatest coaches of all-time Bill Walsh had trouble finding a job because his mentor, Paul Brown worked against him to land a head-coaching gig in the NFL. 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. ignored that criticism and gave him the keys to the San Francisco 49ers and the rest is history.
Hiring Walsh was the most important decision he made as president of the 49er and it kicked off a dynasty that lasted till 1995. DeBartolo treated the 49er players like family and started the trend of having first-class amenities for the players.
Kenny Stabler, Sea of Hands, 1974 divisional round, “Sea of Hands”
Kenny (The Snake) Stabler was one of the craziest players in NFL history. Whether it was his alleged role in planting cocaine in the car of a journalist, or getting kicked off his high school and college team, Stabler lived his life on the edge.
In the play above, the Oakland Raiders, led by Stabler, were down by five points with less than a minute to play. To make things tougher they were facing the Miami Dolphins led by Don Shula who went to the three previous Super Bowls. As Stabler is getting tackled, he floats the ball into a “sea of hands” full of Dolphins players, only to have Clarence Davis pluck it for the game-winning touchdown as the Raiders win 28-26.
Tony Dungy wins Super Bowl XLI, Feb. 4, 2007
Dungy is a prominent figure in helping African Americans get coaching jobs in the NFL. In fact, every African American head coach that has coached in the Super Bowl was an assistant that worked under Dungy at one point in his career.
So it’s fitting that in the biggest moment of his career, he was facing one of his former assistants, Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears. After being cast away by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 Dungy became head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Following a few years of heartbreaks, Dungy’s Colts led a crazy comeback in the 2006 AFC Championship game over the Patriots and helped Peyton Manning appear in his first-ever Super Bowl.
In classic Dungy fashion, it was the Colts’ defence that played the biggest role in the game. They forced five turnovers, including the game-sealing pick-six by Kelvin Hayden to give Dungy the biggest win of his career. He became the first African-American head coach to win a Super bowl, which was his crowning achievement in a Hall of Fame career.
This class has a number of special players, coaches, and general managers and left the game in better shape than when they came in.
