The Best of the Class
By: James AlderDateline: July 27, 2000
Five men were added to the list of the NFL's greatest Saturday morning at the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony in Canton, Ohio. Joe Montana, Howie Long, Ronnie Lott, Dan Rooney, and Dave Wilcox were all honored for their accomplishments in the NFL with 111 present Hall of Fame members looking on.
These five men were honored for the greatness they brought to the game and the accomplishments they reached during their careers. This year's class is a great one, featuring possibly the greatest quarterback ever and several of the hardest hitting defenders to ever strap on the shoulder pads. Also being honored was one of the games greatest team architects, Dan Rooney.
The star of the day, though, was Joe Montana. This day was his moment to bask in the glory that he has brought upon himself by his greatness. This was a day for all of the greats to pay tribute to an athlete that is a giant among giants, a hero among heroes, a hall of famer among hall of famers.
In classic Joe Montana style, he attempted to push the spotlight onto his former teammates and the Hall of Famers in attendance. While standing in front of the greatest players in the history of the game Joe said, "The Hall of Fame is a tremendous, tremendous honor... It wasn't until this weekend, these past three days with these gentlemen behind me, spending the time with them, that I think I really got the true meaning of what this was all about."
Joe Montana
What more can you say about Joe Montana that has not been said already. Joe is definitely one of footballs greatest quarterbacks, ranking right up there with guys like Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, and John Elway. Joe was also one of the greatest sportsmen and gentleman that the game has ever seen.Having not been drafted until the 82nd overall pick in 1979, Joe could be considered to be one of the biggest "sleepers" to ever come out of the NFL draft. He wasn't a big guy. He wasn't exceptionally fast or athletic either. And his arm was not considered to be one of the better ones coming out of college that year.
The thing that Joe Montana had that put him head and shoulders above the other great quarterbacks was his intelligence and his understanding of the 49ers offense. He always knew where every receiver would be on every play, and he never lost his cool.
Joe Cool, that was his moniker. When a 325 pound defensive lineman would squeeze his way through the Niners front line with the intentions of doing a tap dance on Joe's chest, Joe would calmly glide the ball over to one of his waiting receivers and then lightly jog out of the path of the oncoming freight train.
Former 49ers head coach, Bill Walsh once said,"The minute I saw Joe move, there was no question in my mind that he was the best I'd seen, I knew with the offense I planned to run, Joe would be great."
Joe was as tough as he was cool, also. In 1986 he suffered what was supposed to be a career ending back injury, and he was forced to undergo back surgery. But Joe would not even consider retirement, and he was back on the field playing within two months.
Probably the best way to describe Joe Montana's performance on the gridiron would be to compare it to that of a surgeon. He could carve up greatest defenses with the precision ball control offense that Montana's Niners made popular around the league. The short to mid-range passing game that he and Walsh employed fit Joe's quick thinking and accurate passing style perfectly.
Joe's career passer rating of 92.3 still ranks second in the NFL's entire history. He ranks third in completions with 3,409 and fourth in career passing yards. He orchestrated 31 fourth quarter comebacks. He won four Super Bowls in four chances and he is the only player to be named Super Bowl MVP three times.
It is tough to compare athletes from different eras, but Joe Montana surely ranks right up there with all of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game.
Poll: Is Joe Montana truly the best quarterback to ever play the game? Cast your vote in this pro football poll!
Howie Long
Howie Long joined the Oakland Raiders as a second-round draft pick out of Villanova University in 1981 and quickly became a mainstay on the end of the Raiders line. His combination of speed and power made him one of the most dominating defenders in the league. Long played 13 seasons with the Raiders, eight of those seasons were as a Pro Bowler.Howie was also named as one of the defensive ends on the NFL Team of the '80s. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1985, and Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1984 and 1986. Long retired after the 1993 season holding the Raider record with the most Pro Bowl appearances (8) and for the most sacks in one game (5). He also holds the Pro Bowl record for AFC players with nine sacks.
Howie Long was the type of player that opposing teams tried to run away from. He was the type of dominating lineman that always drew a double team. But despite the strategies of opposing coaches and players, Howie was always stepping up to make the big play by stuffing a runner, sacking a quarterback, or stripping the ball from some overmatched opponent. Howie was the heart of the Raiders in the '80s.
Ronnie Lott
If one word could desribe Ronnie Lott's career in the NFL, it would have to be impact. Ronnie was an impact player, no doubt, but the biggest impact he made was on the bodies of opponents. One big hit was all it took for Ronnie to change the momentum of a game.When asked what his favorite part of the game was Ronnie said, "Making people say woo", referring to the sound a crowd makes after a big hit.
Ronnie Lott was a throw-back type of player that played the game with a passion. He had the same ferocious style of his idols, Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke. He played every down as if it were the Super Bowl, and if you roamed into his territory he could turn your best day in the NFL to your worst in a split-second.
Lott was named to the Pro-Bowl ten times at three different positions. He is fifth on the career interceptions list with 63 and he recorded over 1,000 tackles during his career. He was also named to the NFL's 75th anniversary team. Ronnie Lott was as important to the 49ers defense as Joe Montana was to their offense.
Dan Rooney
Dan Rooney becomes half of only the second father/son combination to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The son of Pittsburgh Steelers' owner Art Rooney, Dan is credited with building one of the greatest football teams of all time out of the ashes of one of the leagues traditionally losing franchises.Possibly the most important move he made was the hiring of head coach Chuck noll. Equally as important was his decision to seperate the coaching duties from the scouting and talent eveluation process. This move gave the Steelers an advantage over other teams by when it came to evaluating college talent, and it showed in the quality of players they picked up over the next couple of years.
Dan Rooney will be remembered as a revolutionary owner that brought changes to the game that are now commonplace in the NFL today. Dan was a visionary that saw the benefits of having a state-of-the-art stadium. His efforts put the Steelers into Three Rivers Stadium in 1970, making them the envy of the league and starting a trend of new stadiums around the league.
Dan Rooney will be remembered for the innovations he brought to the game, but he will be most remembered for the cast of players he put together in the '70s that dominated the NFL for years.
Dave Wilcox
A tremendous hitter and intimidator, that's the way Dave Wilcox's playing days are remembered. He was a powerful linebacker that had the physical ability to stop the big lumbering tight ends, but he also had the speed to keep up with the quick, shifty running backs.Dave, until now, may have been one of the leagues most forgotton players. His blue-collar style he brought to the San Francisco 49ers did not draw attention to himself the way many athletes today seem to crave the attention. His election into the Hall of Fame is an honor that he deserved to receive years ago.
Poll: Is Joe Montana truly the best quarterback to ever play the game? Cast your vote in this pro football poll!
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