Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

Harrison denied induction to Pro Football Hall of Fame

PHOENIX - For the second straight year, and in his second year of eligibility, Philadelphia native Marvin Harrison didn't garner enough support to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

PHOENIX - For the second straight year, and in his second year of eligibility, Philadelphia native Marvin Harrison didn't garner enough support to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

The former Colts receiver will have to wait his turn, like several from this year's group of inductes, in some cases for more than a decade.

Defensive end/outside linebacker Charles Haley finally made it on his 11th try; wide receiver Tim Brown got in on his sixth attempt; running back Jerome Bettis needed five years; and it took four tries for guard Will Shields to be selected. They were chosen along with linebacker Junior Seau; center Mick Tingelhoff, a senior finalist; and executives Ron Wolf and Bill Polian, who will enter the Hall as contributors.

The eight members of the 2015 Class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in August.

Harrison ranks third in NFL history in receptions (1,102), seventh in receiving yards (14,580), and fifth in touchdown catches (128). He holds the NFL single-season record for receptions, with 143 in 2002. But the Hall of Fame selection committee, made up mostly of members of the Pro Football Writers Association, snubbed him again.

The 42-year-old Harrison was born and raised in Philadelphia and excelled in football and basketball at Roman Catholic High School. Many believe he will eventually get in. But more receivers are expected to join the field in the coming years.

Harrison, who shunned the spotlight as a player, was put under the microscope not long after his retirement when a gun registered to him was used to shoot Dwight Dixon outside a North Philadelphia bar that he also owned in April 2008. Harrison has not been charged with any crime.

Dixon died in July 2009 when he was shot several times while in his car outside a building two blocks away from Harrison's bar.

Aside from Harrison, tackle Orlando Pace; quarterback Kurt Warner; outside linebacker Kevin Greene; running back Terrell Davis; kicker Morten Anderson; safety John Lynch; and coaches Jimmy Johnson, Tony Dungy, and Don Coryell didn't make the cut.

The late Seau was elected in his first year of eligibility. He was widely considered one of the best linebackers of his era. He played most of his 20 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and was named to the NFL's all-decade team of the 1990s.

His death in 2012 at 43, which was ruled a suicide, came after periods of abnormal behavior. Later, studies concluded that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a type of brain damage that has also been found in other deceased NFL players.

Haley, who played 12 seasons (1986-96, 1999) for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, is the only player to play on five Super Bowl champions. He was twice named NFC defensive player of the year and finished with 1001/2 sacks.

Brown set Raiders records for receptions, receiving yards, and punt-return yards in 17 seasons (1988-2003). When he retired, his 14,934 receiving yards were the second-highest total in NFL history, his 1,094 receptions were third, and his 100 touchdown catches were tied for third.

Bettis played 10 of his 13 seasons (1993-2005) for the Steelers. At the time of retirement, his eight 1,000-plus-yard seasons were tied for third-best in league history, and his 13,662 yards ranked fifth all-time in career rushing.

Shields played all 14 of his seasons (1993-2006) for the Chiefs. He earned 12 straight Pro Bowl berths and was a member of the NFL's all-decade team of the 2000s. Tingelhoff spent all 17 of his seasons (1962-1978) with the Vikings, never missed a game, and excelled in an era and a division in which middle linebackers such as Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus dominated.

Wolf spent nearly 40 years as a talent evaluator and general manager, most notably with the Raiders and Green Bay Packers. Polian helped build the Buffalo Bills of the late 1980s and early 1990s and oversaw a Colts team that won the 2007 Super Bowl.