Orlando Pace's induction into the hall yesterday puts the scarlet and gray at ten total Hall of Famers, third to Notre Dame (who claimed first outright with their thirteenth induction this class, Edward DeBartolo Jr.) and USC (12). Let's take a look back on these ten great buckeyes.
Jim Parker, G, T - Enshrinement class of 1973
AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN HAS GOT TO STAY IN THERE. TAKE A BEATING WITHOUT COMMITTING HIMSELF. THAT’S THE ONLY WAY.
Jim Parker on being an offensive lineman.
I thought I was quick, but that old man put me down bing-bing-bing.
Colts defensive end Bubba Smith, who faced an older Parker after Smith was acquired during the season.
A deadly and versatile combination of size and speed here.
Parker was most definitely decorated at college, earning an all-american nod twice and being the team MVP in 1956. He played mostly tackle. All this was enough to get him selected eighth in the 1957 pro draft.
Jim would play all eleven of his seasons (1957-1967) with the team that selected him, the Baltimore Colts. He earned eight pro bowl trips in those eleven seasons, getting the first-team all pro selection every single time. He was split half and half between guard and tackle through his career, as pretty much just a plug n' play for the Colts. He is on the all-1950s first team for the PFHOF.
Lou "The Toe" Groza, K - Enshrinement class of 1974
KICKING WAS SOMETHING I DID BECAUSE I HAD THE TALENT. I ALWAYS CONSIDERED MYSELF A TACKLE.
Lou Groza, a slob at heart.
One of just three placekickers in the HOF, Groza also had a decent collegiate career. I mean, all he did was get the award for best collegiate kicker named after him.
The first of many Buckeyes turned Browns hall of famer to come, Groza was a pretty underrated tackle at the pro level. He played there fourteen of his twenty one seasons in Cleveland (every year from 1946-1967 except 1960).
Back to place kicking, Groza was a nine-time pro bowler in the NFL, earning four first-team all-pros. He is on the all-1950s team for the PFHOF. Groza led the league five times in field goal percentage, only once finishing outside the top eight. He led the league six times in made field goals as well.
Dante "Gluefingers" Lavelli, Tight End - Enshrinement class of 1975
THEY TALK ABOUT THE BUMP-AND-RUN NOWADAYS. HECK, WE HAD THAT WITH ONE DIFFERENCE. A DEFENDER DIDN’T BUMP YOU, HE KNOCKED YOU DOWN.
Dante Lavelli on Ends now versus then.
Dante would scratch, claw and kick to get the ball. He was always coming into the huddle and telling me he was open and that I should throw to him. He wasn't saying that to be a big shot. He just loved to play. If he was open by a few inches, he'd be yelling, 'Otto, Otto.' Many a time when I was stuck and heard that voice I would throw it in his direction and darned if he didn't come down with it. He had fantastic hands.
Great Browns Quarterback Otto Graham
I think the description of Lavelli's attributes can be left to his nickname.
A member of the 1942 title squad, it was his only season with the buckeyes. A darn shame too. He was drafted after that, his sophomore year. Probably would have been renowned as a great player in our history...
His pro career was, of course, much more successful. A three time pro bowler, Dante played all eleven of his seasons (1946-1956) with the Cleveland Browns upon his return from World War II. Over his career he amassed 386 receptions for 6,488 yards and 62 touchdowns, in a time when the forward pass wasn't exactly the cornerstone of an offensive game plan.
Bill Willis, NG, OG - Enshrinement class of 1977
THE SPLIT SECOND THE BALL MOVED, I CHARGED AND I ALWAYS CAME AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE…I COULD UNLEASH A PRETTY GOOD FOREARM BLOCK AND A RATHER DEVASTATING TACKLE TOO.
Bill Willis on his style of play.
His great speed and pursuit carried him to the point of attack before anyone would block him. Bill was the forerunner of the modern middle linebacker.
Paul Brown
My, how I love a good nose guard.
Bill Willis showed great versatility as a lineman throughout his collegiate and professional career. He played defensive guard and offensive tackle for Ohio State, becoming a two-time first team all-american at the latter. I believe that Willis was also a letter man for Ohio State's 1942 championship season. Perhaps his greatest collegiate accolade is that his number 99 is retired, one of just two players with a retired number for the buckeyes that didn't win a Heisman in college (and the other, Chic Harley, would have if the award had existed in his time).
His quickness off the ball was the stuff of legend, and as a result he quickly earned the starting right guard slot with the Cleveland Browns. He played this role for three seasons before moving to the defensive side at middle guard (I prefer nose guard). The defensive spot is where he became a three-time pro bowler and first-team all-pro. Willis is on the all-decade team for the 1940s at guard. He played all eight of his professional seasons with the Browns.
Paul Warfield, WR, SE - Enshrinement class of 1983
WHAT THE ZONE (DEFENSE) HAS DONE IS TAKE AWAY ALL THE ARTISTRY OUT OF PASS RECEIVING. IT’S LIKE TAKING BRUSHES FROM AN ARTIST.
Warfield on a new style of defensive back play in the sixties and seventies.
Known as an incredible athlete, I was fairly shocked to learn Warfield was never a consensus all-american choice. He was a two-time first team all big ten, and has a natty in his OSU repetoire from 1961. He played mostly half back for Woody Hayes, totalling 1,047 yards rushing and 525 yards receiving, with a total of 14 touchdowns (8 rushing, 6 receiving) in his career for the buckeyes.
The Cleveland Browns fell in love with his athleticism and selected him with the eleventh choice of the 1964 draft. He was a pro bowler his rookie season, the first of eight career pro bowl appearances that included seven in a row from 1968-1974. He was named first team all pro in 1971 and 1973. He's second-team all-decade for the seventies, with 427 career receptions for 8,565 yards (that's 20.1 a catch) and 85 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Browns coupled with five playing for the Miami Dolphins.
Sid Gillman, Coach - Enshrinement class of 1983
ATTITUDE IS THE WHOLE THING IN COACHING. EVERY TEAM HAS THE TALENT AND THE COACHING. MOTIVATION MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. THE TEAMS THAT WIN STAY HEALTHY AND INTERESTED.
Sid Gillman on coaching.
Sid Gillman made his career at Ohio State as a player, then in the NFL as a coach.
He played end for the buckeyes, being a team captain and first-team all big ten selection in 1933.
As a pro football coach, he went 18 seasons (1955-1969, 1971, 1973-1974) with the Los Angeles Rams (5), Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (10) and Houston Oilers (2). Known as one of the great innovators in the passing game, he was the first to win division titles in both the NFL and AFL, taking home a total of five AFL division crowns. He won his only AFL title in 1963. He was AFC COY in 1974.
Dick LeBeau, CB - Enshrinement class of 2010
LET ME STRESS THAT I'VE NEVER INTENTIONALLY MADE A DIRTY PLAY IN MY LIFE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE WAY I LIKE TO LIVE. BUT IF YOU COME NEAR ME AND YOU'RE NOT IN THE PATTERN AND I HAVE A CHANCE TO HIT YOU-I'M GONNA HIT YOU.
Dick LeBeau, a "clean" player
Before he was a DC, LeBeau was a top-notch pro corner.
LeBeau's career with Ohio State didn't include many accolades, but he was on the 1957 national championship team. He went two ways for the scarlet and gray, playing half back with corner back.
Initially cut from the team he was drafted to (fifth round Cleveland Browns) LeBeau found a home with the Detroit Lions and played there all fourteen of his pro seasons (1959-1972). He made the pro bowl three times. He intercepted 62 passes on his career, good for tenth all-time in pro history, and returned three of those picks for touchdowns.
Ed Sabol, Contributor - Enshrinement class of 2011
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNOWS AS MUCH ABOUT FOOTBALL AS MY PEOPLE. WE SEE MORE THAN ANYONE IN THE WORLD.
Ed Sabol on his team at NFL films.
Through his determination and innovative spirit, Ed Sabol transformed how America watched football and all sports.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell following Sabol's passing last year.
Sabol was a great swimmer at Ohio State, graduating in 1937.
His great football achievement came with the founding of NFL films in 1964, which he ran until 1995. NFL films won 52 Emmy awards under his direction.
Cris Carter, WR - Enshrinement class of 2013
EVERY MINUTE THAT I STEPPED ON THAT FIELD FROM THE TIME THAT I WARMED UP, I WAS TRYING TO PUT ON A SHOW FOR THOSE PEOPLE, SO THEY WOULD BE PROUD. I COME FROM SOME HUMBLE BEGINNINGS, AND I JUST BELIEVED THAT WHEN PEOPLE PAY THEIR MONEY, HARD-EARNED MONEY, THAT THEY DESERVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE.
Carter on the fans.
All he does is catch touchdowns.
Chris Berman
If you couldn't tell from the famous Berman quote, Carter was known for making the big catch.
At Ohio State, his recognitions include team MVP in 1986, the same year he was selected to the all-american team. He led the Big Ten with 69 receptions that year, with 1,127 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. His career he totalled 168 receptions for 2,725 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was taken with the third pick in the fourth round of the 1987 draft.
In the pros, he started off shaky in three seasons with the Eagles before finding a twelve-season long home in Minnesota (his career was from 1987-2002). He made the pro bowl eight times (all in a row). He was first team all pro in 1994 and 1999. On his career he had 1,101 receptions, ranking fourth all-time in pro history, for 13,899 yards (twelfth all-time) and 131 touchdowns (eighth).
Orlando Pace, OT - Enshrinement class of 2016
I KIND OF PULLED BACK, AND I THINK I PULLED SOMETHING.
Orlando Pace on the dangers of not going full go, also giving me my signature line I've always used.
A guy like Orlando Pace, there's no replacing him. How do you do what you do without him there? He was the one guy we didn't want to lose to a knee injury or for two or three games. Oh no, that changes everything. So to me, he's the guy. He's the guy that you didn't want to have to replace. Thank god we didn't have to.
Former Rams Receiver and teammate of Orlando Pace Isaac Bruce.
Arguably the best college football lineman ever, and in the discussion at the pro level too, is the man who invented the stat that offensive linemen use today - the pancake.
Pace is the only two-time Lombardi award winner at the collegiate level, this in addition to an Outland trophy, two all-american selections, and a 1996 team MVP selection. And he left a year early to go be the number one draft choice.
In thirteen seasons with the St. Louis Rams, Pace amassed seven pro bowls and five all-pro selections. The line he captained paved the way for three consecutive NFL MVPs in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Three times the Rams threw for over four thousand yards while he protected the blindside.