Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

According to the PFHoF website, the Senior nominee will be named tomorrow, while the two Contributors will be named next Thursday.

Not sure who’s likely. Might be Johnny Robinson for the former, Gil Brandt and Pat Bowlen for the latter. But predicting this is always a crap shoot.

Any ideas who’s got momentum this time around?

I've been hearing some buzz about Bowlen lately. Brandt would be a logical choice. ....aaaand we will get closer to the day that they will run out of "contributors" to nominate and do away with that silly category.

I've heard zero rumors about seniors. I would loooooove it to be Robinson. Does anyone in the know, know who's being discussed these days for seniors? I thought something about Howley was mentioned within the last year or two?

True about the Contributor category. There aren’t a lot of viable candidates:

Gil Brandt
Steve Sabol
Art McNally
Robert Kraft
Ralph Hay
Bucko Kilroy
Joe Thomas
Pat Bowlen
Bud Adams
Art Modell
Clint Murchison
Jack Kent Cooke
Carroll Rosenbloom

I’d probably draw the in-out line either before or after Kilroy. Though they could prolong this by adding in coaches.

They’d open a can of worms if they start adding scouts. They actually have their own Hall of Fame, with an extensive membership roster:

https://www.ourlads.com/scouthof/

Personally, I think that’s sufficient for them.

bachslunch wrote:True about the Contributor category. There aren’t a lot of viable candidates:

Gil Brandt
Steve Sabol
Art McNally
Robert Kraft
Ralph Hay
Bucko Kilroy
Joe Thomas
Pat Bowlen
Bud Adams
Art Modell
Clint Murchison
Jack Kent Cooke
Carroll Rosenbloom

I’d probably draw the in-out line either before or after Kilroy. Though they could prolong this by adding in coaches.

They’d open a can of worms if they start adding scouts. They actually have their own Hall of Fame, with an extensive membership roster:

https://www.ourlads.com/scouthof/

Personally, I think that’s sufficient for them.

I concur with Bach's 100%

The Broncos and some media have really been pushing Bowlen. I'd say that's the safest assumption.

I'm surprised Steve Sabol has waited as long as he has to get nominated as a contributor, as he was more or less the face of NFL Films and was there since basically day one of Blair films. I thought he would go in a year or two after his death.

Argh — always forget someone when drawing up a list like this. Definitely add George Young second from top and Joe Robbie second from bottom.

bachslunch wrote:True about the Contributor category. There aren’t a lot of viable candidates:

Gil Brandt
Steve Sabol
Art McNally
Robert Kraft
Ralph Hay
Bucko Kilroy
Joe Thomas
Pat Bowlen
Bud Adams
Art Modell
Clint Murchison
Jack Kent Cooke
Carroll Rosenbloom

Joe Thomas going into the HOF would be an incredible story.

There were a few years when deserving players would be 'bumped' because of coaches like Hank Stram and George Allen taking up a class size spot. I thought the Contributor category was created to keep the players separate from the coaches and all other entities, but its now turned into an old boys network of the Contributor spot being for owners and ex-commissioners. The day Paul Tagliabue is enshrined as a Contributor is the day the Contributor category jumps the shark (if it hadn't already with Jerry Jones in 2017).

This is probably picking too many nits, but I think the Contributor enshrinees should be completely separate from the player (and I guess head coach) enshrinees. They should have their own class sizes, their own selection process, their own enshrinement ceremony, their own induction speeches, their own separate wing in Canton. In Academy Award terms, the players/head coaches would be the Best Actor/Best Director categories, while the Contributors would be the Best Sound Editing and Best Wardrobe categories. Contributor would be prestigious but also a step below players/head coaches.

I think if you make Contributor a completely separate entity, you could open it up to its true meaning...recognizing a wide range of different people: scouts, officials, assistant coaches, owners, Steve Sabol, whomever. Pat Summerall could earn credit for his broadcasting and NFL Films week in review work. Richie Petitbon's lifetime service could be recognized. John Facenda, Lloyd Wells, Mark Henderson...the list is endless.

I think if you make Contributor a completely separate entity, you could open it up to its true meaning...recognizing a wide range of different people: scouts, officials, assistant coaches, owners, Steve Sabol, whomever. Pat Summerall could earn credit for his broadcasting and NFL Films week in review work. Richie Petitbon's lifetime service could be recognized. John Facenda, Lloyd Wells, Mark Henderson...the list is endless.

^^^ This is a great idea.

Looks like it is Robinson as the seniors candidate.