It’s been too long since the NFL inducted a Washington player into the Hall of Fame
Earlier this month, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 183 names of players that had been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 in the Seniors category. To be considered in this group, an individual must have last played at least 25 full seasons ago (1999 or earlier). Qualifications include five years of service and at least one recognized postseason honor.
The newly created Seniors Screening Committee will reduce this list to 50 nominees to be considered by a separate Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee. That committee will narrow the list to three finalists who will qualify for possible election to the HOF.
Looking through the list, the names of six former Washington players stood out to me. This is not an exhaustive list of every nominee to have ever worn a Redskins uniform, but I think that each of these six players is significantly (though not always exclusively) associated with the Washington franchise.
- Joe Theismann
- Doug Williams
- Larry Brown
- Earnest Byner
- Joe Jacoby
- Wilber Marshall
Of the six, only Brown and Jacoby spent their entire careers in Washington.
Theismann, of course, began his professional career with the CFL, playing for the Toronto Argonauts. When he joined the Redskins in 1978, he was unable to get on the field as a quarterback, so he volunteered to return punts. He eventually took over as the starter from Billy Kilmer, and led the team to its first Super Bowl victory (XVII). His playing career ended in 1985 when he suffered a severe leg injury similar to the one suffered by Alex Smith in 2018. Theismann has been involved in broadcasting for most of his post-playing career.
Williams was the first black quarterback to play in a super bowl (and, of course, win one), but in 1978, he was the first black quarterback to be drafted in the first round of an NFL draft — by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When he was unable to reach agreement on a contract extension with the Bucs’ owner, he left for the USFL where he played for the Outlaws. His $3m contract ($1m signing bonus) made him one of the highest paid pro football players at the time. He finished his career with the Redskins, then went on to work as a coach, scout, and personnel executive in college and pro ranks.
Earnest Byner played for the Browns before and after his five seasons with the Redskins, but he had his two best statistical seasons in Washington, where he became a super bowl champion (XXVI). He actually finished his career with the Ravens. In his post-playing career, Byner worked in player development with the Ravens and coaching with several NFL teams, including 4 seasons with the Redskins.
Wilber Marshall, of course, may be as famous for his role in helping to establish free agency for players as for his incredible skills on the field. In 1988, Marshall became the first NFL free agent in eleven years to sign with another team, agreeing to a 5-year, $6 million contract offer to play for the Washington Redskins. Washington had to send its first-round draft picks from the next two NFL Drafts to Chicago as compensation. Marshall was a game-wrecking monster on the field, and was on two super bowl championship teams — one with the Bears (XX) and one with the Redskins (XXVI). Marshall has had a combative relationship with the NFL in his post-playing career, battling the league and the players’ union in court over a settlement pertaining to injuries sustained during his playing career. He also refused to appear at a 25th anniversary tribute for the 1985 Bears team due to disagreements with the McCaskey family over player treatment
Both Larry Brown and Joe Jacoby played their entire careers in Washington.
Brown was drafted by Vince Lombardi, newly-arrived coach of the Redskins, in the eighth round of the 1969 draft, and, playing in the era of 14-game seasons, gained 3,289 yards in three seasons (‘70-’72) while scoring 17 rushing touchdowns. Brown was also a receiving threat. During his playing career, which lasted through the 1976 season, he amassed 5,875 rushing yards, but added 2,485 receiving yards, and 20 of his 55 career touchdowns were scored as a receiver. Brown was a successful businessman in his post-playing career, and remained active with the team and the Washington DC community for decades. He now lives in Pennsylvania. No Washington player has worn No. 43 since Brown’s retirement.
Joe Jacoby is the very definition of an undrafted player becoming an NFL success story. He signed with the Redskins out of Louisville in 1981. That turned out to be a great decision for the player and the team. Jacoby made four Super Bowl appearances with the ‘Skins, three of which Washington won (XVII in 1983, XXII in 1988, and XXVI in 1992). Jacoby was a founding member of the Redskins’ renowned “Hogs” offensive line — the namesake of our site. Since his retirement at the end of the ‘93 season, the team has been unable to match the glory years defined by his career. He has remained in the DMV area in his post-playing career as a businessman and local celebrity.
Pro Football Reference has a Hall of Fame Monitor that tries to predict which current and past players will (not should) make the HOF based on what they see as stats that HOF voters appear to weigh in deciding whom to vote for. I thought it might be of interest to see how these six players stack up on that list.
- Joe Theismann has a score of 66.35 on the PFR list. The average score for quarterbacks who are actually in the Hall of Fame is 108. Only two quarterbacks with lower scores — Troy Aikman, 64.28 and Jim Kelly, 59.1 — have been inducted. The six inductees with the lowest scores listed above Theismann are Len Dawason, Joe Namath, Warren Moon, Bob Griese, Sonny Jurgenson, and Kenny Stabler. It seems unlikely that Theismann will be honored with induction into the Hall of Fame.
- With a score of 30.28, Doug Williams would appear to be a much longer shot than Theismann for induction into the Hall of Fame; however, Williams’ significance as the first black quarterback to be drafted in the first round, to play in a super bowl and to win a super bowl might be factors that could sway voters.
- Earnest Byner has a score of 45.05, compared to the average score of 107 for running backs already inducted into the Hall of Fame. Only one player (Floyd Little, 40.25) with a lower score has ever been inducted. The lowest ranked player above Byner who is actually in the HoF is Larry Csonka, with a score of 52.65. Byner seems to have faint hope of induction.
- Wilber Marshall’s score of 63.05 is 25th on the list of OLBs that they track. Of the 24 players ahead of him, 14 are already in the Hall of Fame; however, 3 of the remaining 10 OLBs ahead of Marshall on the list are also nominated in the Seniors category for induction. Personally, I think Wilber Marshall belongs in the HoF, and I think most people who saw him play might agree, but his combative post-retirement relationship with the league is likely to prevent him from getting any ‘benefit of the doubt’ consideration from voters.
- Larry Brown’s score of 61.6 would seem to keep him in the conversation. While there are only two running backs with lower rankings actually in the Hall of Fame, there are only 9 players with higher rankings that aren’t yet inducted, none of whom is currently under consideration for induction in the Seniors category.
- Joe Jacoby has the highest ranking of the six players discussed in this article (74.55). Four OTs currently in the Hall of Fame have lower rankings. Only 4 OTs with higher scores on the list of tracked players are not yet in the Hall of Fame; of those, two are recent retirees who are not eligible. The two others are both nominated, along with Jacoby, in the Seniors category. One is Jim Tyrer, who began his career in the AFL in 1961, playing for the Dallas Texans (now known as the Kansas City Chiefs). Tyrer spent 13 seasons with the same franchise before playing his 14th and final season with the Redskins in 1974. His Texans/Chiefs team won 3 AFL championships and a super bowl. If he gets inducted ahead of Jacoby, we might at least take solace in the fact that Tyrer retired as a Redskin. Ralph Neely, who sits one position higher on the list than Jacoby, would be a different story. Neely spent his entire career (1965-1977) with the Cowboys, and was part of two super bowl championship teams (VI, XII).
Remember that the current list of 183 candidates will be whittled down to a list of just 3 potential candidates for induction, so the odds are long that any of these six players will break through, but having seen every one of these six players on the field, I can assure you that each is deserving of being remembered and recognized for their contributions to the game.