Story by
Randy Gradishar, Julius Peppers, 5 others in Hall of Fame class; Antonio Gates snubbed
- Story by
- Randy Gradishar, Julius Peppers, 5 others in Hall of Fame class; Antonio Gates snubbed
Among the general populace, linebacker Randy Gradishar may be the least recognizable member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024, which was revealed Thursday night during NFL Honors .
In many Buckeye minds, the Ohio State icon headlines the relatively youthful, seven-man class.
Advertisement
Gradishar, 71, was tapped along with linebacker Patrick Willis , 39; receiver-return man Devin Hester , 41; receiver Andre Johnson , 42; edge rushers Dwight Freeney , 43, and Julius Peppers , 44, and defensive tackle Steve McMichael, 66.
Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester (23) runs back the opening kickoff 92-yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Feb. 4, 2007. Hester, who holds the NFL record for kick return touchdowns with 20, announced his retirement from the NFL Tuesday. AP File Photo/ALEX BRANDON
The Class of 2024 was elected from among 19 finalists during a recent virtual meeting of 50 voters. The early vote allowed time to contact enshrinees-elect, who were asked to keep the secret until Thursday night.
Enshrinement is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Finalists who didn't make it, notably tight end Antonio Gates , are covered in another story .
Randy Gradishar
Randy Gradishar began journey to Hall of Fame as an Ohio State All-American
Gradishar struck many who followed him from Ohio State to the Denver Broncos as having been Hall of Fame-worthy years ago.
Advertisement
Few if any who studied him at Ohio State doubt he was in league with the Buckeye players already enshrined in Canton: Cris Carter, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Dick LeBeau, Orlando Pace, Jim Parker, Paul Warfield and Bill Willis.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 arrives on stage during the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Gradishar led a monster 1973 Ohio State defense that allowed, on average, 4.3 points in a 9-0-1 regular season prior to beating USC in the Rose Bowl. The tie was at Michigan, 10-10.
He grew his reputation through 10 seasons in Denver, where his versatility and durability were legend. He put up tackle numbers people literally didn't believe. He never missed a game.
Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar looks on during the 1984 Pro Bowl, Jan. 29, 1984 in Honolulu. The AFC won 45-3.
Denver Broncos legend Randy Gradishar waited decades for Hall of Fame call
It has been 41 years since his last tackle as he enters the Hall of Fame.
Advertisement
Gradishar is beloved in Trumbull County, Ohio. He was a football virtuoso who also was a cog in a Warren Champion basketball program that was one of the best in the region in those days. He missed by one season playing on a basketball team that fell to Canton Lehman in the 1971 state state finals.
Mike McLain, a writer and Warren Sports Hall of Famer, got to know Gradishar when they were young men.
Randy Gradishar, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024, speaks during a news conference at the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
"Champion is the first community you hit north of the city of Warren on Route 45," McLain said. "Randy's dad owned J&B Market in Champion.
Famed coach Woody Hayes, famous for "recruiting parents," had some baloney sliced at the J&B meat counter leading up to Gradishar's commitment at Ohio State.
Advertisement
'He was kind of like Paul Warfield'
Linebacker Randy Gradishar, the Denver Broncos' No. 1 draft choice, struggles with the bar during chin-up exercises as the NFL team began practice with rookies at Pomona, Calif., July 19, 1974. Gradishar is from Ohio State. Veterans were picketing outside the practice field.
"The Gradishars rented a cottage next to ours at Lake Milton," McLain said. "Randy would be in our cottage. We would water ski. I'm sure Woody wouldn't have been happy he was water skiing.
"Randy was very quiet. He'd be out of place in today's game. He would often help a player up after a tackle.
Randy Gradishar, left, and Dwight Freeney, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024, attend a news conference at the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
"He was a very professional, gentlemanly type of player in a mean game. He was kind of like Paul Warfield."
Warfield played at Warren Harding and Ohio State before helping the Cleveland Browns win the 1964 NFL championship game. He was still in the NFL in Gradishar's early years with the Broncos.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 arrives on stage during the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Warfield was a receiving dynamo on the 1973 Miami Dolphins team that became an unbeaten Super Bowl champion. He was back with the Browns in 1974, when one of Gradishar's first games as a Denver rookie was a 23-21 win at Cleveland.
Advertisement
Other NFL stars of the 1970s overshadowed Randy Gradishar
Sep 16, 1979; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar (53) on the field against the Atlanta Falcons at Fulton County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Gradishar starred on Denver's first Super Bowl team, in the 1977 season. In 1978 NFL player of the year voting, he handily beat out Jack Ham, Randy White and Jack Lambert .
One reason Gradishar did not make the Hall of Fame until now was the NFL star power of his era.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Dwight Freeney, Andre Johnson, Randy Gradishar, Patrick Willis, Steve McMichael (wife Misty McMichael accepting), Devin Hester and Julius Peppers stand on stage during the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
On the 1970s All-Decade team picked by Hall of Fame voters, Chuck Noll's four Super Bowl wins with Pittsburgh were good enough only to get him on the second team. The first-team coach was Miami's Don Shula.
Gradishar made neither the first nor the second team. The linebackers deemed better than him were Ham, Dick Butkus and Ted Hendricks on the first team, and Lambert, Robert Brazile and Bobby Bell on the second team.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024 appears onstage during the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Also hindering Gradishar was a suspicion among key Hall of Fame voters that his stats were padded. This incensed Joe Collier, Denver's defensive coordinator for all of Gradishar's 10 seasons.
Advertisement
Gradishar was credited with 2,049 total tackles, including assists.
"Randy was unbelievable," Collier told DenverBroncos.com in 2020. "Some people have tried to say those tackle stats were padded, but I can assure you they were not. I personally watched every inch of film over and over. I kept those stats myself, and they were legit."
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 poses during a news conference at the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Gradishar's pro career was fairly short, about the length of 2023 inductee Joe Thomas's, but he went out on top of his game, earning player of the year votes for the fourth time in his final season.
Now he is part of a seven-man Hall of Fame class that is the smallest since seven in Class of 2017.
Advertisement
Elite pass rushes Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers part of defensive-minded Hall of Fame class
Indianapolis Colts Dwight Freeney celebrates after they defeated the New England Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship game Sunday afternoon at the RCA Dome.
This group prolongs a trend on defense. Over the last three classes (2022-24), 16 of the 24 inductees have been defensive players, only five have been offensive players, and the other three have been coaches/contributors.
The Class of 2024 includes four defensive players other than Gradishar.
The compactly built, uber-quick Freeney was a pass rusher (125.5 career sacks) and a thumper (47 forced fumbles, tied for third all-time). He spent 11 of his 16 seasons with the Colts prior to stints with the Chargers , Cardinals, Falcons, Seahawks and Lions. He reached the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility.
Julius Peppers, NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2024, speaks during a news conference at the NFL Honors award show, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Peppers, in contrast to the 6-foot-1, 265-pound Freeney, wielded classic size at 6-7, 295. The No. 1 pick of the 2002 draft played for 17 seasons ( Panthers , Bears, Packers ) and is fourth on the all-time sacks list with 159.5. He is the only Class of 2024 member elected in his first year of eligibility.
San Francisco 49ers' Patrick Willis reacts during player introductions before an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Dec. 8, 2013, in San Francisco.
Willis, like Freeney, arrived in the NFL as a No. 11 overall draft pick. He was a first-time, All-Pro linebacker for five of his eight seasons. He was a force on 49ers teams that won five playoff games across the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons under Jim Harbaugh. Injuries limited him to six games in 2015, after which he retired.
Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael on the field prior to Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots at the Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 1986.
McMichael was a ringleader of a defensive tackle for the 1985 Bears, who in some eyes fielded the best defense of all-time. He was a third-round draft pick by the Patriots in 1980; after they cut him before the 1981 season, he thrived in 13 seasons in Chicago . Nicknamed "Mongo," he made a run through professional wrestling in the 1990s. A push to wait no more for his Hall of Fame election was influenced by his three-year battle with ALS ("Lou Gehrig's Disease").
Advertisement
Hester was a rookie Round 2 pick by the Bears in 2006 when he returned three punts for touchdowns. He ran 92 yards for a TD with the opening kickoff in Super Bowl XLI. He once returned a missed field goal 108 yards. In eight years with the Bears, he caught 217 passes. He also played defensive back while making stops with the Falcons and Ravens .
Johnson arrived in Houston as a No. 3 overall pick in 2003 and gave the Texans 12 years. The 6-foot-3 speedster ranks 11th all-time with 14,185 receiving yards in a career that included stops with the Colts and Titans.
The Hall of Fame's membership, including the newly elected class, now stands at 378.
Six members of the Class of 2024 were notified in person by Hall of Famers, including Tony Dungy (Freeney), Steve Atwater (Gradishar), Edgerrin James (Hester), Cris Carter (Johnson), Bruce Smith (Peppers) and Bryant Young (Willis). McMichael and his wife, Misty, were phoned by his former Bears teammate Richard Dent.
Advertisement
Those encounters will be part of a one-hour special at 9 p.m. Saturday on NFL Network.
Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 includes Randy Gradishar
