Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek.
Last weekend a new class was enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. I don’t recall a HOF class being as heavily hyped as this one, and much at that revolves around Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith. For more love on that class, read Bleacher Fan’s article. And if you’re a little old school and grew up watching the NFL in the early 1990s, you might enjoy Sports Geek’s article today. But aside from the courtesy plugs, there’s no way those classes are better than the class of 2006, which includes a three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, a legendary coach and announcer, and one of the greatest defensive players ever.
Everyone knows the credentials of Troy Aikman. He, along with other Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, was the centerpiece of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. He ended with over 32,000 passing yards and 165 passing touchdowns and was a six time Pro Bowl selection. He helped lead the resurgence of Dallas Cowboys’ football. Being in Dallas, he played for a polarizing team that most fans either loved or hated. Like my perceptions of Emmitt Smith, I never had issues with Aikman.
Most of my generation knows John Madden as a former television commentator, a video game namesake, and a pitchman for Tough Actin’ Tinactin. He’s also managed to indirectly provide material for guys like Frank Caliendo. But where Madden made his name was as coach of the Oakland Raiders. He quickly built a winner working under Al Davis, and that says a lot. Counting the playoffs, he has an overall record of 112-39-7, including winning Super Bowl XI in 1977. He also never had a losing season as a head coach. I often wondered why he only coached ten years in the league and never gave it another shot after retiring from the Raiders. But he certainly continued to make his mark on the league after retiring from coaching.
Reggie White, the Minister of Defense, was one of the more dominant players of his time. Thirteen Pro Bowls and ten All-Pro selections are amazing credentials to me for someone who played such a physical position, defensive end. He made both the 1980 and 1990 All-Decade Teams, which is also really impressive. He ended his career with 198.5 sacks in his career, and was, along with Brett Favre, the face of a Super Bowl winning team.
One guy who is often overlooked in this class is Warren Moon. Looking back, Moon put up some outstanding numbers, first in the CFL for six seasons and then in the NFL for seventeen seasons. Combined, Moon threw for almost 70,000 yards and 435 touchdowns. Just from watching the latter part of his career it is evident that he was vastly underrated by the casual fan. His era was dominated by names like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and John Elway. But Moon’s numbers compare favorably, at least on an individual basis. He also remains the only modern African American quarterback in the Hall of Fame.
Those guys, along with long-time Giants linebacker Harry Carson and former Cowboys offensive tackle Rayfield Wright, make the class of 2006 the best class ever. You’ve got two quarterbacks, an offensive tackle, a defensive end, a linebacker, and a coach who needs no introduction. I’d say that’s a pretty good team.
