There will be no Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year. With the COVID-19 pandemic, they have pushed the festivities to next year, making it a two-day event, instead of just one.
No Raiders made the Centennial class, but the hope is that clearing the backlog will help open the doors for others. Here are ten who I think should receive consideration.
HC Tom Flores
Tom Flores spent most of his NFL career with the Raiders as a player and returned as a coach. In total, he won three Super Bowls with the Raiders, one as an assistant coach and two as head coach. He was the first Hispanic head coach in the NFL and the first minority head coach to win the Super Bowl.
Flores just turned 83 and watched what could have been his best shot to make the Hall go by with yet another snub. But if you choose to see the potential bright side, with Jimmy Johnson getting the nod, Flores becomes one of just two head coaches in NFL history to win two Super Bowls and not get in (George Seifert is the other). So, perhaps Flores’s time is coming.
WR Cliff Branch
Branch and Flores were among the finalists for the Centennial class and it looked like at least one of them could get in. Then neither did. Branch retired with the most career postseason receptions in NFL history. He was part of all three Raiders Super Bowl teams. His fellow receiver, Fred Biletnikoff, is in the Hall of Fame. It’s a real mystery how Branch has been denied for so long. Even if he gets in now, he passed away last year, so he won’t get to enjoy it.
CB Lester Hayes
Lester Hayes is one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time. He and Hall of Famer Michael Haynes made up a lethal tandem in the Raiders’ secondary. A five-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, Hayes spent his entire career with the Raiders and was on both Super Bowls in the early 80s. He gets a bad rep for his generous use of Stick-em during games, while others who also used plenty of stick-em don’t seem to have had their legacies stigmatized by it.
S Jack Tatum
Jack Tatum was one of the most feared defenders to ever roam the defensive secondary of any team. He embodied the knock-around style of the Raiders teams of the ’70s. Hall of Fame safeties such as Ronnie Lott and Rod Woodson have said they emulated Tatum in their style of play. And yet the man who set the standard never even gets nominated.
G Steve Wisniewski
Wiz has been nominated a few times, but always gets eliminated in one of the cutdowns. Why exactly is beyond me. In 13 NFL seasons, all with the Raiders, he missed two games. He made eight Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice. He contemplated retirement, but Jon Gruden convinced him to come back for one more run. That run should have been to a Super Bowl, but the Tuck Rule game ended his career and Gruden’s tenure with the Raiders.
TE Todd Christensen
Todd Christensen went for five Pro Bowls, was a two-time All-Pro. The only tight end to ever lead the Raiders in receiving four-straight seasons. One of those seasons was the 1983 Super Bowl-winning season in which he had 1247 yards. He was part of both Raiders Super Bowl wins in the 80s.
C Dave Dalby
Part of a franchise with a great run of great centers, only one of them started for their Super Bowl-winning teams — Dave Dalby. All three rings are on his fingers. Not just as a member of the team, but as the starting center all three times. He would make just one Pro Bowl and gets overshadowed by his Hall of Fame linemates Art Shell and Gene Upshaw.
LB Matt Millen
Matt Millen spent 11 seasons in the NFL. He came to the Raiders in 1980 the season they won Super Bowl XV. He was a part of their Super Bowl XVIII team as well. He went to a Pro Bowl in 1988, his final season with the Raiders. He then joined the 49ers and won his third Super Bowl. After two seasons in San Francisco, he headed to Washington and won a Super Bowl his first season there. After his fourth ring, he retired from the NFL.
QB Jim Plunkett
Jim Plunkett was the starting quarterback for both Raiders Super Bowls in the 80s. His career numbers aren’t fantastic but he won when it counted. He is the only eligible two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback not to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
DE Greg Townsend
One of the more oddly overlooked players in NFL history. Townsend isn’t often even mentioned among Raiders great pass rushers like Howie Long. I don’t want to compare them in such a way that would take away from Long’s greatness, but he had 84 career sacks while Townsend is the Raiders all-time leader with 109.5. Both were crucial parts of the 1983 Super Bowl squad. Long is in the Hall of Fame. Townsend doesn’t get a sniff. I know sacks aren’t everything, but they’re something.
