RSS FeedRugged, Hard Nosed Players Dominate 2013 Hall of Fame Selections
By Chris Malumphy
Rugged, hard-nosed football players dominated the selections in 2013 for enshrinement into the NFL Hall of Fame. Five individuals originally drafted as offensive and defensive linemen were selected along with a dominant linebacker and a lone "skill" position player. The enshrinees are tackle Jonathan Ogden, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, linebacker Dave Robinson, tackle/guard Larry Allen, nose tackle Curley Culp, wide receiver Cris Carter, and tackle Bill Parcells. Of course, the selection of Parcells was based on his coaching career.
The enshrinees include three players drafted in the 1st round, two 2nd round choices, a 4th round pick and a 7th round choice.
Jonathan Ogden was the 4th pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college ball at UCLA. He was the first of two 1st round selections for the Ravens that year. Ogden played in 176 games from 1996-2007, spending his entire career with the Ravens playing both tackle and guard. He was first-team All Pro four times and was selected for the Pro Bowl on 11 occasions. Ogden is a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade team. He played with the Super Bowl winners in 2000. Ogden had two career receptions, both 1-yard touchdowns, and two scores on recovered fumbles. The other Raven drafted in the 1st round in 1996 was linebacker Ray Lewis, who will undoubtedly be joining Ogden in the Hall about five years from today. Not a bad draft for the Ravens first year of selecting.
Warren Sapp was the 12th player selected in the 1995 draft. He attended Miami (FL). His 12-year, 188 game career as a defensive tackle included nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and three years with the Oakland Raiders. Sapp had two receiving touchdowns, two touchdowns on recovered fumbles and a touchdown on an interception. Sapp was first-team All Pro four times and was selected to seven Pro Bowls. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. He help lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in 2002.
David Robinson was the 14th player chosen in the 1963 draft. He played 155 games in a career that spanned from 1963 to 1974, spending 10 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Washington Redskins. Robinson had 27 career interceptions, including one for a touchdown, and 12 fumble recoveries. He was first-team All Pro in 1967 and was selected for three Pro Bowls. He helped the Packers win the first two Super Bowls. He played college ball at Penn State.
Curley Culp was the 4th player selected in the 2nd round of the 1968 draft (the 31st player overall) by the Denver Broncos from Arizona State. But Culp never played for the Broncos. He was considered too short for the defensive line and too slow for a linebacker. Coach Hank Stram and the Kansas City Chiefs found a spot for Culp, however, by creating the modern nose tackle position in the 3-4 defense where Culp could dominate. He played 179 games over 14 seasons with the Chiefs, Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions. He had one interception and 13 fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown. He starred with the Chiefs during their Super Bowl winning season. Culp was first-team All Pro once and was selected for six Pro Bowls.
Larry Allen was drafted as a guard with the 17th pick in the 2nd round, the 46th pick overall, in the 1994 draft by the Dallas Cowboys from Sonoma State. He also attended Butte Junior College. Allen spent 12 years with the Cowboys and two with the San Francisco 49ers. He played in 2003 games. Allen was first-team All Pro six times and was selected for 11 Pro Bowls. He played on one Super Bowl winner.
Cris Carter was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles as a wide receiver from Ohio State in the 4th round of the 1987 supplemental draft. He is the first player selected in a supplement draft to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Carter is among the most prolific receivers of all-time, catching 1,101 passes for 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns during a career that included three seasons with the Eagles, 12 with the Minnesoto Vikings and one with the Miami Dolphins. His total receptions currently rank 4th all-time, but were 2nd only to Jerry Rice at the time of his retirement. He ranks 8th in career touchdowns. Carter was named first-team All Pro twice and was selected for eight Pro Bowls. He played in one Super Bowl with the Vikings. Carter joins defensive end Reggie White, tackle Gary Zimmerman and Quarterback Steven Young, each selected in the 1984 USFL / Canadian League dispersal draft, as players selected in unique drafts that were eventually enshrined in the Hall. He is the only skill position player being enshrined in 2013.
Bill Parcells was drafted in 1964 by the Detroit Lions with the 5th pick in the 7th round (89 player overall) as a tackle from Wichita State. He never played in a regular season game and immediately began a career in coaching, first at the college level as an assistant at Hastings, Wichita State, Army, Florida State, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech and as head coach for one season at the Air Force Academy where his team went 3-8. He began his pro coaching career as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 1979 but quit before the season began. He returned to coaching a year later as linebackers coach with the New England Patriots. He returned to the Giants as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 1981 becoming head coach in 1983. Parcells had a 172-130-1 (.570) record as a head coach with the Giants, Patriots, New York Jets, and Dallas Cowboys. He also served as Executive Vice President of Football Operations with the Miami Dolphins. He led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories. He was NFL Coach of the Year in 1986 with the Giants and 1994 with the Patriots.
| 2013 Hall of Fame Selections | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drafted | Round | Pick | Player | Name | Team | Position | College | Enshrined |
| 1996 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Jonathan Ogden | Ravens | T | UCLA | 2013 |
| 1995 | 1 | 12 | 12 | Warren Sapp | Buccaneers | DT | Miami (FL) | 2013 |
| 1963 | 1 | 14 | 14 | Dave Robinson | Packers | LB | Penn State | 2013 |
| 1968 | 2 | 4 | 31 | Curley Culp | Broncos | DE | Arizona State | 2013 |
| 1994 | 2 | 17 | 46 | Larry Allen | Cowboys | G | Sonoma State | 2013 |
| 1987s | 4 | Cris Carter | Eagles | WR | Ohio State | 2013 | ||
| 1964 | 7 | 5 | 89 | Bill Parcells | Lions | T* | Wichita State | 2013 |
