From James Alder,
Your Guide to Football.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Aug 4 2003

Pro Football Hall of Fame alumni were 115 strong in attendance as five more NFL legends were immortalized in the NFL’s most exclusive fraternity in Canton, Ohio on Sunday. Marcus Allen headed a class that includes James Lofton, Elvin Bethea, Joe DeLamielleure, and long-time Kansas City Chiefs head coach Hank Stram.

Rains threatened to move the ceremony indoors, but a break in the rain allowed hall of fame quarterback Len Dawson to present his former head coach Hank Stram for induction. In one of the days most emotional moments, the 80-year-old Stram was pushed to the front of the stage as his prerecorded induction speech played while a video montage of his career highlights were shown on the video screens in Fawcett Stadium.

Stram was regarded as an excellent evaluator of talent and an innovator on both sides of the ball. He devised formations such as the two tight end offense and the stack defense and was the first to employ a moving pocket to enhance the abilities of his mobile quarterback. Read more on Hank Stram...

After being presented by his father, Red, Marcus Allen took the opportunity to thank his family members. "Every inch, every yard, every hit, every hurt, every pain, every run, I did because of you guys," He said as his voiced cracked with emotion.

Over his 16-year career, 11 years with the Raiders and five with the Kansas City Chiefs, he rushed for a record (at the time of his retirement) 123 touchdowns, carried the ball 3,022 times for 12,243 yards, and had 5,411 yards receiving. Read more on Marcus Allen...

In 16 seasons that saw him play for the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and the Philadelphia Eagles, James Lofton caught 764 passes for 14,004 yards and recorded six seasons of 1,000+ receiving yards. Read more on James Lofton...

Joe DeLamielleure, best known as the swift pulling guard that opened many running lanes for hall of fame running back O.J. Simpson, was one of the greatest offensive guards to ever play the game and the anchor of the Bills’ famed “Electric Company” offensive line in the 1970s. Read more on Joe DeLamielleure...

Despite being selected as an offensive lineman in the third round of the 1968 AFL/NFL Draft, Elvin Bethea starred for 16 seasons as a defensive end with the Houston Oilers, and went on to be the first North Carolina A&T State University player to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Read more on Elvin Bethea...