Pro Football Hall-of-Famers By Team, 2023 Edition

Congratulations to the newly-elected members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. New members are annually announced on the day before the Super Bowl. This time, they did it on the preceding Thursday. This year's class is defense-heavy, and includes the righting of some longstanding wrongs. Here are the new electees, listed here in chronological order:

* Chuck Howley, linebacker, 1958-59 Chicago Bears, 1961-73 Dallas Cowboys. Pro Bowls: 6. Super Bowl VI winner. He also played in Super Bowl V, becoming the only player from a losing team ever to be named the Most Valuable Player of a Super Bowl. The Cowboys have already elected him to their Ring of Honor. He had to wait until age 86 to be elected, but is still alive.

* Ken Riley, cornerback, 1969-83 Cincinnati Bengals. He was never named to a Pro Bowl, but, at the time of his retirement, his 65 career interceptions ranked 4th all-time. He later served as head coach and athletic director at Florida A&M University, winning a Conference Championship in 1990. The Bengals have elected him to their Ring of Honor. He died in 2020.

* Don Coryell, head coach, 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-86 San Diego Chargers. He had previously been the head coach at San Diego State, some smaller U.S. colleges, and at one of Canada's top collegiate programs, the University of British Columbia; with a record of 127-24-3.

In the NFL, he went 114-89-1, making him the 1st head coach ever to top 100 wins both collegiately and professionally: 241-113-4. He coached the Cardinals to the NFC East title in 1974 and '75, the only 1st-place finishes for the now-Arizona franchise between 1948 (when they were in Chicago) and 2008. His passing-oriented "Air Coryell" attack led the San Diego Chargers to the AFC West title in 1979, '80 and '81, and to the 1980 and '81 AFC Championship Games, but never reached a Super Bowl. The now-Los Angeles Chargers elected him to their Hall of Fame. He died in 2010.

* Joe Klecko, defensive end, 1977-87 New York Jets, 1988 Indianapolis Colts. Pro Bowls: 4. He led the NFL in sacks in 1981, and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Ironically, the closest the Jets ever got to the Super Bowl was the 1982 AFC Championship Game, a season he missed most of due to a knee injury. The Jets have already retired his Number 73 and elected him to their Ring of Honor.

His son, Dan Klecko, was a defensive tackle who won 2 Super Bowls with New England and another with Indianapolis. Amazingly, it is only now that any member of the Jets' much-hyped "New York Sack Exchange" has been elected to Canton. Mark Gastineau and Marty Lyons aren't in, and Abdul Salaam, while a good player, wasn't at the level of the others.

* Zach Thomas, linebacker, 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys. Pro Bowls, 7. He led the NFL in tackles in 2002 and '06. He is already a member of the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team and the Dolphins' Honor Roll.

* Ronde Barber, cornerback, 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pro Bowls: 5. Super Bowl XXXVII winner. Most consecutive starts by a defensive back: 215, 224 including the Playoffs. He is already a member of the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team and the Bucs' Ring of Honor.

Interestingly enough, his identical twin brother and University of Virginia teammate, Tiki Barber, is not in the Hall of Fame, despite being the all-time leading rusher in the history of professional football in the New York Tri-State Area and being eligible for 6 additional years.

* DeMarcus Ware, linebacker, 2005-13 Dallas Cowboys (meaning, in 2008, he was a teammate of Zach Thomas), 2014-16 Denver Broncos. Pro Bowls: 9. Super Bowl 50 winner. Led the NFL in sacks in 2008 and 2010. He is already a member of the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team.

* Darrelle Revis, cornerback, 2007-12 and 2015-16 New York Jets, 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2014 New England Patriots, 2017 Kansas City Chiefs. Pro Bowls: 7. Super Bowl XLIX winner. He is already a member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team and the Jets' Ring of Honor.

A graduate of Aliquippa High School, as are Hall-of-Famers Mike Ditka and Ty Law, former All-Pro Sean Gilbert, basketball player and coach Press Maravich (Pistol Pete's father) and composer Henry Mancini. Aliquippa, 22 miles down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh, is some town: Arch-rival Hopewell High School produced Hall-of-Famer Tony Dorsett, former All-Pro Paul Posluszny, and baseball All-Star George "Doc" Medich.

* Joe Thomas (no relation to Zach Thomas), offensive tackle, 2007-17 Cleveland Browns. Pro Bowls: 10, missing only in his last season. Holds the NFL record for most consecutive snaps played, regardless of position: 10,363. Despite never having played in a Playoff game -- for most of that time, to borrow a lyric, he was a ruby in a mountain of rocks -- he was elected in his 1st year of eligibility. As an offensive lineman. Now, that is respect. He is already a member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team and the Browns' Ring of Honor.

*

Inductees are listed here with a team if they played, or coached, or were an executive, with them for at least 4 seasons.

I have divided moved teams accordingly (i.e., Johnny Unitas never took a snap for the Indianapolis Colts). "Sure future Hall-of-Famers" are not included, because, as we have seen in baseball, there is no such thing anymore. 

Tenure as a player, or a coach, or an executive is only counted if they were elected as such. In other words, Raymond Berry coached the Patriots into a Super Bowl, and Forrest Gregg did so with the Bengals, but they were elected as a Colts player and a Packers player, respectively, so those are the teams with which they're included.

Ties in the rankings are broken by more players, as opposed to other categories; and then by time in the league. So a team with 4 players is ahead of one with 3 players and 1 coach, and a team with 3 players in 50 years is ahead of one with 3 players in 80 years.

Figures are listed here as follows: Players in chronological order of their Hall of Fame service with the team (even if they had other functions with that team), then coaches, then executives, then broadcasters.

1. Chicago Bears, 31: George Halas (founder, owner, general manager, head coach, player), John "Paddy" Driscoll, George Trafton, Ed Healey, William "Link" Lyman, Red Grange, Bill Hewitt, Bronko Nagurski, George Musso, Dan Fortmann, Joe Stydahar, Sid Luckman, George McAfee, Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, Ed Sprinkle, George Connor, George Blanda, Bill George, Doug Atkins, Stan Jones, Mike Ditka (player & coach), Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, Alan Page, Jim Covert, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlahcer, Jim Finks (executive).

They have 5 from their 1985-86 "Super Bowl Shuffle" team, as opposed to 4 from their 1963 NFL Champions, and 7 from their 1940s "Monsters of the Midway" team -- 8 if you count Nagurski's 1943 comeback.

Willie Galimore and Gary Fencik should be in. Thomas Jones is now eligible, and while he didn't spend 4 seasons with any team, his 3 years with the Bears were his most productive period, so I'd list him with them if he got in, and with over 10,000 career rushing yards, he should be in.

2. Green Bay Packers, 30: Earl "Curly" Lambeau (founder, owner, executive, head coach, player), Cal Hubbard, John "Johnny Blood" McNally, Mike Michalske, Arnie Herber, Clarke Hinkle, Don Hutson, Tony Canadeo, Bobby Dillon, Jim Ringo, Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor, Jerry Kramer, Ray Nitschke, Henry Jordan, Willie Davis, Willie Wood, Herb Adderley, Dave Robinson, James Lofton, Jan Stenerud, LeRoy Butler, Reggie White, Brett Favre, Charles Woodson, Vince Lombardi (coach & executive), Ron Wolf (executive), Ray Scott (broadcaster, later the main voice on CBS' NFL telecasts).

Nearly half of the Packer figures enshrined in Canton, 13, are from the Lombardi Era, including Lombardi himself. This doesn't count Emlen Tunnell, who played the last 3 seasons of his career with the Packers and retired after the 1st title of the Lombardi Era, 1961.

Now eligible from the Mike Holmgren era, and they would join White, Favre, Butler and Woodson, are Holmgren himself, Adam Timmerman and Gilbert Brown. Eugene Robinson could be considered, but he was only a Packer for 2 seasons, although both ended in Super Bowls, but only 1 won.

Sean Jones played 3 seasons for the Packers, and would qualify as a Raider and an Oiler if he got in. Donald Driver is the only figure from the Mike McCarthy era yet eligible and worthy of consideration.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers, 29: Walt Kiesling (also coach), John "Johnny Blood" McNally, Bill Dudley, Ernie Stautner, Jack Butler, John Henry Johnson, Bobby Layne, Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, Donnie Shell, Rod Woodson, Dermontti Dawson, Jerome Bettis, Troy Polamalu, Alan Faneca, Art Rooney (founder-owner), Dan Rooney (owner), Bert Bell (coach, later NFL Commissioner), Chuck Noll (coach), Bill Cowher (coach), Bill Nunn (scout), Myron Cope (broadcaster). 

While the Steelers were rarely competitive for their 1st 40 seasons, they did have a few players who were Hall-worthy, but note that 15 of the 29, more than half, including 11 of the 22 players, were involved with the club during their 1972-79 "Steel Curtain" dynasty.

Hines Ward is now eligible, and while that touchdown he scored on a kickoff return for the Gotham Rogues as the field collapsed behind him in The Dark Knight Rises does nothing to help his candidacy, if he does get in, you know that highlight will be played over and over again.

4. Dallas Cowboys, 23: Bob Lilly, Chuck Howley, Mel Renfro, Bob Hayes, Rayfield Wright, Mike Ditka, Roger Staubach, Cliff Harris, Drew Pearson, Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Larry Allen, Charles Haley, DeMarcus Ware, Tom Landry (coach), Jimmy Johnson (coach), Bill Parcells (coach), Tex Schramm (executive), Jerry Jones (owner).

Parcells did coach them for 4 seasons, so that counts. Ditka is so identified with the Bears (with whom he practically invented the position of tight end and won an NFL Championship in 1963) that people forget he was a Cowboy, and won a Super Bowl each as a player and as one of Landry's assistant coaches -- as did Dan Reeves, although if he ever gets elected, it will be as a head coach, and therefore not as a Cowboy.

Don Meredith was elected as a broadcaster, but was never a broadcaster specifically for the Cowboys. A case can be made that he deserves election as a player. Charlie Waters and Herschel Walker also have their advocates.

5. New York Giants, 22: Steve Owen (elected as a coach, also a pretty good player for Giants), Ray Flaherty, Benny Friedman, Red Badgro, Mel Hein, Ken Strong, Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans, Emlen Tunnell, Arnie Weinmeister, Frank Gifford, Roosevelt Brown, Sam Huff, Andy Robustelli, Y.A. Tittle, Fran Tarkenton, Harry Carson, Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, Tim Mara (founder & owner), Wellington Mara (owner), Bill Parcells (coach), George Young (executive).

Gifford has also been elected as a broadcaster. So has Pat Summerall, but as a CBS & Fox broadcaster, not as a Giants player or broadcaster, so he can't be included here. Tom Landry was the 1st great defensive back to be only a defensive back, after the early 1950s shift to two-platoon football, and was the defensive coordinator on the Giants' 1956-63 contenders. But was elected to the Hall based on his service as a head coach, and he only served as such for the Cowboys, and thus can't be counted here.

There are 6 from the 1956 NFL Champions, but only 3 from Parcells' Super Bowl-winning teams, 5 if you count Parcells himself and the newly-elected Young. Phil Simms has not yet been elected, and you can also make a case for Mark Bavaro (tight ends are in short supply in the Hall), George Martin and Leonard Marshall. I wonder if anyone will be willing to vote for Tiki Barber, who is now eligible.

6. Washington Commanders, 22: Cliff Battles, Turk Edwards (also coach), Wayne Millner, Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, Sonny Jurgensen, Charley Taylor, Sam Huff, Paul Krause, Chris Hanburger, Ken Houston, John Riggins, Art Monk, Russ Grimm, Darrell Green, Bruce Smith (last 4 years of his career as a Redskin), Champ Bailey, George Preston Marshall (founder & owner), Ray Flaherty (elected as a Giants player, but coached Washington to 2 NFL titles, so I'm counting him as one of theirs), George Allen (coach), Joe Gibbs (coach), Bobby Beathard (executive).

Jurgensen and Huff have also been broadcasters for the team. Grimm is the only one of the "Hogs" yet elected, but Jeff Bostic and Joe Jacoby should also be elected. A case can be made for an earlier Washington lineman, Len Hauss.

None of the men who have thus far quarterbacked the team formerly named the Washington Redskins into a Super Bowl is in: Not Billy Kilmer, not Joe Theismann, not Doug Williams, not Mark Rypien -- and good cases can be made for all but Rypien, who just didn't play long enough. If Jan Stenerud got elected as a kicker (who didn't also play another position, as did Lou Groza and George Blanda), then why not Mark Moseley?

Oakland Raiders, 22: Jim Otto, Fred Biletnikoff, George Blanda, Ken Stabler, Gene Upshaw, Willie Brown, Art Shell, Cliff Branch, Dave Casper, Ray Guy, Ted Hendricks, Mike Haynes, Howie Long, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, Tim Brown, Charles Woodson, Richard Seymour, John Madden (coach), Tom Flores (coach), Al Davis (owner-coach), Ron Wolf (scout).

Madden has also been elected as a broadcaster. Rice and Sapp were both there for 4 seasons, so they count. Now that Guy is in, who's the most obvious Raider not in? I'd say Jack Tatum, if anybody's got the guts to elect a great cornerback who needlessly paralyzed a man in a preseason game. Also worthy of consideration are Ben Davidson and Lester Hayes.

Note that I'm making an exception to my one-city-only rule for the California-era Raiders, treating them as a continuous Oakland franchise, since they did return, even though their Los Angeles edition became a cultural icon (and not for good reasons). Counted separately, the Oakland Raiders have 19, and the Los Angeles Raiders have 4 (Haynes, Long, Allen, with Branch the only one qualifying for both).

7. Kansas City Chiefs, 19: Bobby Bell, Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Emmitt Thomas, Johnny Robinson, Curley Culp, Jan Stenerud, Derrick Thomas, Marcus Allen, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Tony Gonzalez, Hank Stram (coach), Mary Levy (coach), Dick Vermeil (coach), Lamar Hunt (founder-owner), Bobby Beathard (executive), Charlie Jones (broadcaster, did Dallas Texans/K.C. Chiefs games before becoming the main voice for NBC's AFL and then AFC broadcasts).

Dawson has also been elected as a broadcaster.

8. Cleveland Browns, 18: Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Bill Willis, Mac Speedie, Frank Gatski, Len Ford, Mike McCormack, Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Gene Hickerson, Leroy Kelly, Paul Warfield, Joe DeLamiellure, Ozzie Newsome, Joe Thomas, Paul Brown (coach-executive).

It says something about this franchise that Thomas is the 1st player who has played so much as a down for them since 1990 that can be called a Browns' HOFer -- and, additionally, only DeLamielleure and Newsome have played for them since 1977. Tom Cousineau hasn't made it, and neither has Clay Matthews Jr. (father of Packer linebacker Clay Matthews III and brother of Oliers/Titans HOFer Bruce Matthews -- Clay Sr. played for the 49ers in the 1950s, but wasn't HOF quality).

And yet, look at just what they produced in the 1940s and '50s. And that doesn't include players they let get away, like Doug Atkins, Henry Jordan, Willie Davis, Len Dawson, and (while they did both play long enough for the Browns to be counted with them) Mitchell and Warfield.

Maybe that's the real reason Art Modell isn't in the Hall: It's not that he moved the original Browns, and screwed the people of Northern Ohio, it's that he was a bad owner. (Though, to be fair, his firing of Paul Brown and installation of Blanton Collier in 1962 did bring the 1964 NFL Championship, Cleveland's last title in any sport until the 2016 Cavaliers.)

9. San Francisco 49ers, 18: Bob St. Clair, Y.A. Tittle, Joe "the Jet" Perry, Leo Nomellini, Hugh McElhenny, John Henry Johnson, Dave Wilcox, Jimmy Johnson, Joe Montana, Fred Dean, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Charles Haley, Bryant Young, Terrell Owens, Bill Walsh (coach), Eddie DeBartolo (owner).

Tittle, Perry, McElhenny and John Henry Johnson are the only entire backfield that all played together to all be elected to the Hall, and they were known as the Million Dollar Backfield. The Jimmy Johnson listed above was a black cornerback in the 1960s and '70s, and should not be confused with the white coach for the Cowboys -- although this Jimmy Johnson, unlike the coach, was actually born in Dallas.

Rickey Jackson only played 2 seasons for the Niners, but he did win his only ring with them. Deion Sanders played only 1 season for them, but got the same Super Bowl XXIX ring that Jackson did. So, due to insufficient longevity, I can't count either of them as 49ers HOFers.

From their 1980s champions, Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, Randy Cross, Guy McIntyre, Harris Barton and Ken Norton Jr. have not been elected, but all are worth consideration, and Craig absolutely should be in.

10. Detroit Lions, 16: Dutch Clark (also coach), Jack Christiansen, Bobby Layne, Doak Walker, Yale Lary, Alex Wojciechowicz, Lou Creekmur, Dick Stanfel, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Joe Schmidt (also coach), Alex Karras, Lem Barney, Dick LeBeau, Charlie Sanders, Barry Sanders (no relation to each other) and Calvin Johnson.

Although he played for their 1935 NFL Champions and coached them to the 1952 and '53 titles, Buddy Parker is not in the Hall. It took until this year, a little over 7 years after he died, for Karras to be elected. If Paul Hornung, a man whose morals were a lot looser than Karras', could be forgiven for his gambling charge that led to his suspension for the 1963 season and get elected, why not Karras, who was suspended at the same time for the same offense? Even though he's in now, the question still hangs there.

It says something about this franchise that there has been only 2 players (Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson) who have played so much as a down for them since 1977 that can be called a Lions' HOFer, although cases can be made for Herman Moore, Lomas Brown and Chris Spielman.

11. Minnesota Vikings, 15: Fran Tarkenton, Carl Eller, Alan Page, Paul Krause, Ron Yary, Mick Tinglehoff, Chris Doleman, Gary Zimmerman, Randall McDaniel, Cris Carter, John Randle, Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, Bud Grant (coach), Jim Finks (executive). Warren Moon was only there for 3 seasons. 

12. Los Angeles Rams, 15: Bob Waterfield, Tom Fears, Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Norm Van Brocklin, Les Richter, Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Tom Mack, Jackie Slater, Jack Youngblood, Eric Dickerson, Kevin Greene, George Allen (coach), Dan Reeves (owner, not to be confused with the Denver/Atlanta coach), Dick Enberg (broadcaster).

Joe Stydahar coached the Rams to their only NFL Championship in Los Angeles, 1951, but he was elected as a player, not a coach, and so he can't be counted as a Rams' Hall-of-Famer. Counting their St. Louis years, the Rams franchise has 19. Now that Greene is in, Henry Ellard is the most deserving former L.A. Ram not yet in the Hall, but he's a borderline case at best.

13. Philadelphia Eagles, 15: Steve Van Buren, Alex Wojciechowicz, Pete Pihos, Chuck Bednarik, Sonny Jurgensen, Tommy McDonald, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Brown, Jim Ringo, Harold Carmichael, Reggie White, Brian Dawkins, Greasy Neale (coach), Dick Vermeil (coach), Bert Bell (founder-owner-coach, later NFL Commissioner).

Van Brocklin only played 3 seasons for the Eagles, but he was the quarterback on their last NFL Championship team before the Super Bowl era, 1960, and then he retired, despite being only 34 years old, so I'm bending the rule to count him. On the other hand, Claude Humphrey played 3 seasons for them, 1 being their 1st trip to the Super Bowl, but unlike Van Brocklin is not an Eagles icon, so I can only include him with the Falcons.

Art Monk, James Lofton and Richard Dent briefly played for the team, and cases could be made for Stan Walters, Jerry Sisemore, Bill Bergey, Randall Cunningham, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner and Donovan McNabb. Ron Jaworski, however, only stands to be elected as a media personality, not a player. That is how Irv Cross was elected: While he made 2 Pro Bowls as an Eagle cornerback, he is not in the Hall as a player.

14. Miami Dolphins, 13: Larry Csonka, Nick Buoniconti, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Paul Warfield, Dan Marino, Dwight Stephenson, Zach, Thomas, Jason Taylor, Don Shula (coach), Jimmy Johnson (coach), Bobby Beathard (executive).

Johnson didn't win as Dolphins' head coach, but he was there for 4 seasons, so he counts there. In spite of everything that happened in his career, Ricky Williams rushed for over 10,000 yards. He is now eligible, but I doubt he'll ever get in. If he does, he would qualify only as a Dolphin, not as a Saint.

15. Denver Broncos, 12: Willie Brown, Floyd Little, John Elway, Steve Atwater, Shannon Sharpe, Gary Zimmerman, Terrell Davis, Champ Bailey, John Lynch, Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Pat Bowlen (owner). 3-time AFC Champion coach Dan Reeves has not been elected, but should be. So should Randy Gradishar and Mark Schlereth, although, because of how many feathers he ruffled, I don't think you'll ever see Bill Romanowski get in. Ware was a Bronco for 3 seasons, but 1 was a Super Bowl season, so I'm bending the rule for him.

16. Buffalo Bills, 12: Billy Shaw, O.J. Simpson (had to list him), Joe DeLamiellure, James Lofton, Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Marv Levy (coach), Ralph Wilson (owner), Bill Polian (executive) and Van Miller (broadcaster).

Shaw played his entire career in the AFL, making him the only man in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who never played a down in the NFL. (Remember, it's not the National Football League Hall of Fame, it's the Pro Football Hall of Fame.) So much fuss was made over the special-teams skills of Steve Tasker that I'm surprised that he's not in.

Houston Oilers, 11: George Blanda, Elvin Bethea, Curley Culp, Robert Brazile, Earl Campbell, Dave Casper, Ken Houston, Charlie Joiner, Warren Moon, Mike Munchak, Bruce Matthews. Since Matthews counts as both an Oiler and a Titan, if we combine the Houston years and the Tennessee years, their total rises to 12.

17. New England Patriots, 11: Nick Buoniconti, John Hannah, Mike Haynes, Andre Tippett, Curtis Martin, Ty Law, Richard Seymour, Junior Seau, Randy Moss, Bill Parcells (coach) and Don Criqui (broadcaster). This counts players from their AFL days, when they were officially named the Boston Patriots.

Cases could also be made for Jim Nance, Jim Hunt, Steve Nelson, Julius Adams, Irving Fryar, Drew Bledsoe and Tedy Bruschi, all eligible.

18. New York Jets, 11: Don Maynard, Winston Hill, Joe Namath, John Riggins, Joe Klecko, Curtis Martin, Kevin Mawae, Darrelle Revis, Weeb Ewbank (coach), Bill Parcells (coach-executive), Ron Wolf (executive).

Although the Big Tuna only coached the Jets for 3 seasons, he was an executive with them for 4 seasons, and thus meets my qualification for a Jet HOFer. Wesley Walker and Marty Lyons should be considered, although nobody seems to be willing to vote for Mark Gastineau. Vinny Testaverde is eligible, but not yet in. (He would also qualify as a Buccaneer.) No, you can't count Alan Faneca, as he was only a Jet for 2 seasons.

San Diego Chargers, 11: Ron Mix, Lance Alworth, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow, Junior Seau, LaDainian Tomlinson, Sid Gillman (coach), Don Coryell (coach), Bobby Beathard (executive).

Chicago Cardinals, 10: Jimmy Conzelman, Paddy Driscoll, Guy Chamberlin, Duke Slater, Ernie Nevers, Walt Kiesling, Charley Trippi, Ollie Matson, Dick "Night Train" Lane, Charles Bidwill (owner). Conzelman, Driscoll and Kiesling were also head coaches for the Cards. Counting all their cities, despite having been around for nearly a century, the Cards have only 14 Hall-of-Famers.

Baltimore Colts, 10: Art Donovan, Raymond Berry, Gino Marchetti, Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, Jim Parker, John Mackey, Ted Hendricks, Weeb Ewbank (coach), Don Shula (coach). Counting their Indianapolis years, the Colts have 14.

19. Indianapolis Colts, 7: Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, Tony Dungy (coach), Bill Polian (executive). Reggie Wayne is now eligible. 

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 7: Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Ronde Barber, Tony Dungy (coach), Ron Wolf (executive). Warrick Dunn is now eligible, and should be in, and would also qualify as a Falcon.

21. Seattle Seahawks, 6: Steve Largent, Kenny Easley, Cortez Kennedy, Walter Jones, Kevin Mawae, Steve Hutchinson. Rickey Watters is eligible, and while he only played 3 seasons each with the 49ers and Eagles, he played 4 with the 'Hawks, so if he goes in, he would qualify only for them. Tom Flores coached 3 seasons with the 'Hawks, so is not eligible here.

Canton Bulldogs, 6: Jim Thorpe, Guy Chamberlin, Joe Guyon, Pete Henry, William "Link" Lyman, Earl "Greasy" Neale.

St. Louis Rams, 6: Orlando Pace, Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Aeneas Williams, Dick Vermeil (coach). Torry Holt is eligible. Note that the St. Louis edition of the Rams is now italicized as a former team. Unlike the Raiders with their Oakland and Los Angeles eras, it doesn't really make sense to fold the St. Louis era in with Los Angeles.

22. Baltimore Ravens, 5: Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson, Ed Reed, Ozzie Newsome (executive). Newsome was elected as a Cleveland Browns player, but has been a masterful executive for the franchise since the move, so I'm bending the rules to include him as a Brown and a Raven. Jamal Lewis is eligible, but isn't yet in.

23. Atlanta Falcons, 5: Deion Sanders, Claude Humphrey, Morten Andersen, Tony Gonzalez, Bobby Beathard (executive). I wonder how many writers voted for Michael Vick, now that he's eligible? Andre Rison, another controversial figure, is also eligible, and, while he played for 7 different teams (plus 1 in the CFL), on this list, he would qualify only for the Falcons.)

24. New Orleans Saints, 5: Rickey Jackson, Willie Roaf, Morten Andersen, Sam Mills, Jim Finks (executive). Mike Ditka was Saints coach for 3 seasons and Tom Fears for 4, but neither was elected as a coach, so they can't be included here anyway. Same for Hank Stram, who was elected as a coach, but only coached the Saints for 2 seasons.

St. Louis Cardinals, 5: Larry Wilson, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith, Roger Wehrli, Don Coryell (coach). Dierdorf has also been elected as a broadcaster, although not specifically with the Cardinals. Ottis Anderson should be elected as a Cardinal, although he achieved his greatest moment as a Giant.

25. Cincinnati Bengals, 4: Charlie Joiner, Ken Riley, Anthony Munoz, Paul Brown (founder-owner-coach). Reggie Williams and Corey Dillon should be in, but Boomer Esiason is a borderline case. Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson is both a borderline Hall of Fame case and a borderline mental case.

Duluth Eskimos, 3: Walt Kiesling, John "Johnny Blood" McNally, Ernie Nevers.

26. Tennessee Titans, 2: Bruce Matthews, Kevin Mawae. Matthews only played 3 years as a "Tennessee Titan," but counting 2 years as a "Tennessee Oiler," he qualifies for the Titans. Eddie George is eligible, and should be in.

27. Arizona Cardinals, 2: Aeneas Williams, Kurt Warner. Emmitt Smith wasn't with them long enough. Nor was Edgerrin James.

28. Carolina Panthers, 2: Sam Mills, Bill Polian (executive). Kevin Greene only played 3 seasons for them, so he doesn't count. Cam Newton, of course, is still active.

Frankford Yellow Jackets, 2: Guy Chamberlin, William "Link" Lyman. The 1926 NFL Champions should also have Russell "Bull" Behman and Henry "Two-Bits" Homan -- the former a big guy by the standards of the time, and the latter a little guy who was the NFL's answer to Wee Willie Keeler -- in the Hall.  But both died in the early 1950s, so neither was able to speak on his own behalf since the 1962 founding of NFL Films. Although the Eagles replaced the Jackets as Philadelphia's NFL team, the two teams are not the same franchise.

Providence Steam Roller, 2: Jimmy Conzelman (player & coach), Frederick "Fritz" Pollard.

Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL 1930-1948), 2: Clarence “Ace” Parker, Frank "Bruiser" Kinard.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1: Tony Boselli. Fred Taylor is also a possibility.

Rock Island Independents, 1: Duke Slater.

30. Las Vegas Raiders, none. Sorry, Mark Davis, but you dropped your team (nearly) to the bottom of this list when you screwed Oakland over, like your daddy did before you.

31. Los Angeles Chargers, none. Sorry, Dean Spanos, but you dropped your team (nearly) to the bottom of this list when you screwed San Diego over.

32. Houston Texans, none. Not surprising, as they are the newest franchise -- if not, as you saw above, "the newest team." Now retired, J.J. Watt will probably be their 1st HOFer, although it could also be Andre Johnson, who made 7 Pro Bowls to Watt's 5. No, you can't count Ed Reed, who played only 7 games as a Texan. 

How to Go to a Temple Football Game

This Saturday at noon, Temple University of Philadelphia, having split their 1st 2 football games of the 2021 season by losing to Rutgers 61-14, and beating the University of Akron 45-24, play their 1st home game of the season, against Boston College.

Most of you know Temple as a school with a good basketball program. Some of you might not know they even have a football team.

Before You Go. Philadelphia is just down the road, so it's in the Eastern Time Zone, and you don't have to worry about fiddling with various timepieces. And the weather will be almost identical to what you'd have on the same day in New York. Still, check the combined website for the Philadelphia newspapers, the Inquirer and the Daily News, before you head out.

For the moment, it looks like, for tomorrow, temperatures in Philly will be in the mid-80s in the afternoon, and in the high 60s, with no rain being predicted.

Tickets. Temple are not going to sell this game out. You can sit pretty much in whatever seat you're willing to pay for. Their biggest crowd of 2019, the last pre-COVID season, was 34,253. The only time they've ever sold The Linc out, 69,280 strong, was on Halloween 2015, and that's because they were hosting Notre Dame, and since Philly is a city with a huge Catholic community, most of the fans were rooting for Notre Dame. (The Fighting Irish won, but only 24-20.)

In fact, the University is only opening the lower level, and not even all of that. Midfield tickets are $60, and they're only opening one end zone, at $35.

Getting There. It's 99 miles from Times Square in Manhattan to City Hall in Center City Philadelphia. (In fact, there's a cheesesteak place on 3rd Avenue in the East Village named "99 Miles to Philly.") This is close enough that you could spend an entire day in Philadelphia, and, hopefully, you've already done this. Having done so many times myself, I can tell you that it's well worth it.

If you are driving, you'll need to get on the New Jersey Turnpike. If you're not "doing the city," but just going to the game, take the Turnpike's Exit 4 to NJ Route 73 West, to NJ Route 90, over the Betsy Ross Bridge. Then take Interstate 95 South to Center City.

From anywhere in New York City, allow 2½ hours for the actual drive, though from North Jersey you might need only 2, and from Central Jersey an hour and a half might suffice. But you'll need at least another half-hour to negotiate the last mile or so, including the parking lot itself.

If you don't want to drive, there are other options, but the best one is the train. Philadelphia is too close to fly, just as flying from New York (from JFK, LaGuardia or Newark) to Boston, Baltimore and Washington, once you factor in fooling around with everything you gotta do at each airport, doesn't really save you much time compared to driving, the bus or the train.

And I strongly recommend not taking the bus. If you do, once you see Philadelphia's Greyhound terminal, at 10th & Filbert Streets in Center City, the nation's 2nd-busiest behind New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal, you'll say to yourself, "I never thought I'd say this, but thank God for Port Authority!"

The Philly terminal is a disgrace. I don't know how many people are in Atlantic City on an average summer day, when both the beaches and the casinos are full (I'm guessing about half a million, or one-third the size of Philly), but it has a permanent population of 40,000 people, compared to the 1.6 million of Philadelphia, and it has a bus station of roughly equal size and far greater cleanliness than Philly's. Besides, Greyhound service out of Newark's Penn Station is very limited, and do you really want to go out of New Jersey into Manhattan just to get across New Jersey into Philadelphia? At any rate, it's $82 round-trip, but it can drop to as little as $44 with advanced purchase.

If you can afford Amtrak, and that will be $132 round-trip between New York and Philly, it takes about 2 hours to get from Penn Station to the 30th Street Station at 30th & Market Streets, just across the Schuylkill River from Center City.

Unlike the dull post-1963 Penn Station, this building is an Art Deco masterpiece from 1933, and is the former corporate headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Ironically, it never had the official name "Pennsylvania Station" or the nickname "Penn Station." You might recognize its interior from the Eddie Murphy film Trading Places. (If you can't afford Amtrak, or if you can but you'd rather save money, I'll get to what to do in a minute.) 

West front of 30th Street Station

In 2020, it was renamed the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, in honor of the Rev. Bill Gray, a Congressman from 1979 to 1991, and then the president of the United Negro College Fund until 2004. There had been a movement to rename it Ben Franklin Station, but this was discarded, because it was presumed people would call it "Ben Station," and this would sound too much like "Penn Station," of which there were already several on the Northeast Corridor.

Interior of 30th Street Station

Like Philly's commuter-rail and bus systems, their subway system is run by SEPTA, the SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. You might recognize their "S" logo from Trading Places, and the bus that hits Tommy Morrison at the end of Rocky V. You'll have to exit 30th Street Station and cross 30th Street itself to get into the 30th St. station on the Market-Frankford Line.

Philadelphia was the last city in the U.S. that still used tokens rather than farecards or tickets for their subways, switching in 2018. One ride on a SEPTA subway train is $2.50, and a one-day KeyCard, good for 8 rides, is $9.00.

If you don't want to take Amtrak, your other rail option is local. At Newark Penn, you can buy a combined New Jersey Transit/SEPTA ticket to get to Center City Philadelphia. Take NJT's Northeast Corridor Line out of Penn Station to the Trenton Transit Center. This station recently completed a renovation that has already turned it from an absolute hole (it was so bad, it made Philly's bus station look like Grand Central) into a modern multimodal transport facility.

At Trenton, transfer to the SEPTA commuter rail train that will terminate at Chestnut Hill East, and get off at Suburban Station, at 17th Street & John F. Kennedy Blvd. (which is what Filbert Street is called west of Broad Street). Getting off there, a pedestrian concourse will lead you to the City Hall station on the Broad Street Line, and then just take that to Pattison.

A SEPTA train at 30th Street Station

Because there will be a lot more stops than there are on Amtrak (especially the SEPTA part), it will take 2 hours and 10 minutes, but you'll spend $50 round-trip, about what you'd spend on a same-day purchase on Greyhound, and less than half of what you'd be likely to spend on Amtrak. However, again, time will be an issue: The last SEPTA Trenton Line train of the night that will connect to an NJT train leaves Suburban Station at 11:57 PM (and the NJT train it will connect to won't get to Penn Station until 2:46 AM), so this might not be an option for you this time, either.

The subway's cars are fairly recent, and don't rattle much, although they can be unpleasant on the way back from the game, especially if it's a football game and they're rammed with about 100 Eagles fans who've spent the game sweating and boozing and are still loaded for bear for anyone from outside the Delaware Valley.

Once In the City. Philadelphia is a Greek word meaning "brotherly love," a name given to it by its founder, William Penn, in 1683. So the city is nicknamed "The City of Brotherly Love." The actions and words of its sports fans suggest that this is ridiculous. Giants coach Bill Parcells was once caught on an NFL Films production, during a game with the Eagles at the Vet, saying to Lawrence Taylor, "You know, Lawrence, they call this 'the City of Brotherly Love,' but it's really a banana republic." And Emmitt Smith, who played for that other team Eagles fans love to hate, the Dallas Cowboys, also questioned the name: "They don't got no love for no brothers."

On a map, it might look like Penn Square, surrounding City Hall, is the city's centerpoint, but this is just geographic, and only half-refers to addresses. Market Street is the difference between the north-south numbering on the numbered Streets. But the Delaware River is the start for the east-west streets, with Front Street taking the place of 1st Street. Broad Street, which intersects with Market at City Hall/Penn Square, takes the place of 14th Street.

The William Penn statue atop City Hall

In the Colonial and Revolutionary periods, Philadelphia was the largest city in America, before being overtaken by New York. As recently as 1970, it had about 2 million people. But "white flight" after the 1964 North Philadelphia riot led to the population dropping to just over 1.5 million in 2000. It has inched back upward since then, to about 1.6 million. The metro area as a whole -- southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and most of Delaware -- is about 7.2 million, making it the 7th-largest in the country, behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Dallas.

Philadelphia's racial and ethnic issues are long-standing. There was a pro-slavery riot in 1834, a nativist riot in 1844, race riots in both Philadelphia and nearby Chester in 1917, the aforementioned race riot in North Philadelphia in 1964, a race riot across the river in Camden in 1971, and the 1977 and 1985 police actions against the black separatist group MOVE. Elsewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania, there was the Scranton Coal Riot in 1871, and the York Race Riot in 1969.

And black Philadelphians were upset that a statue of 1972-80 Mayor Frank Rizzo, a notorious bigot, was placed in front of the Municipal Services Building, across the street from the north side of City Hall, in 1998.

A statue of professional baseball player and civil rights activist Octavius Catto, murdered on South Street in 1871, was placed on the south side of City Hall later in 2017. I had hoped that it would be placed on the north side, so he could stare Rizzo down. That became academic in 2020, when Rizzo's statue was removed.

Philadelphia is about 42 percent black, 36 percent white, 13 percent Hispanic, and 7 percent Asian. North, Northwest and West Philadelphia are now almost entirely black, although University City (home to the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University) and some of Southwest Philly remains white. South Philadelphia (Italian) and Northeast Philadelphia (Irish) remain mostly white.

The sales tax is 6 percent in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Massachusetts, Virginia and Kentucky are also "commonwealths" in their official State names), 8 percent within the City of Philadelphia.

ZIP Codes in Philadelphia start with the digits 191. In the suburbs, it's 189, 190, 193 and 194. The Area Code for the city is 215, and the suburbs 610, with 267 overlaying both, and 445 being added in 2018. Philadelphia's "beltway" consists of Interstate 276 (the easternmost part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike) in the north, Interstate 476 (the Mid-County Expressway) in the west, and Interstate 95 (the Delaware Expressway) in the south and east.

The Philadelphia electric company is named just that: Philadelphia Electric Company, or PECO. And while it's not quite as close as it is to New York, much of the Jersey Shore is easily reachable from Philadelphia, thanks to Interstate 195, New Jersey Route 70, U.S. Routes 30 and 40, the Atlantic City Expressway, and New Jersey Transit's buses and its Atlantic City Rail Line. Point Pleasant Beach is 76 miles away, Seaside Heights 64 miles, Long Beach Island 62, Atlantic City 61, Ocean City 65, Wildwood 90, and Cape May 92.

Once On Campus. When I was a kid, I associated the word "temple" with Judaism, so I figured that Temple University was a Jewish school. Then, a friend got in, and since he was Catholic, I figured that Temple was a Catholic school. Both perceptions were boosted by Philly schools La Salle, St. Joseph's and Villanova all being Catholic.

As it turned out, it was founded in 1884 by Russell Conwell, a Baptist minister, and a lawyer from -- if you're actually from Philly, brace yourself -- Boston. He opened The Temple College of Philadelphia in the basement of his church, the Baptist Temple, and taught students at night, to accommodate their work schedules. The students became known as "night owls," and Temple students have been "Owls" ever since.

The school added Samaritan Hospital and a Medical School. In 1907, it acquired the Philadelphia Dental College, and reorganized as Temple University. In 1965, it became a State-related university: It receives funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, subject to State appropriations, but is independently operated: Neither the Commonwealth, nor the City of Philadelphia, nor any religious institution has a hand in its actual operation.

Temple is roughly the buffer between Center City and the North Philadelphia ghetto. As a result, it's had a major role in the local side of the civil rights movement. The former Columbia Avenue, which goes right through the campus, was renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue, after the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. Martin Luther King gave a noted speech on campus in 1965. And longtime basketball coach John Chaney was heavily involved in the African-American educational experience, and not just on the Temple campus.

Until recently, the most honored graduate of Temple, living or otherwise, was comedian and TV giant Bill Cosby. His fall into disgrace was a terrible blow to the University's image, as he was probably the biggest fundraiser they ever had. But the school still has many distinguished alumni: 

* Journalism (non-sports) MSNBC host Tamron Hall, HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill, conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin.

* Literature: Science fiction author Ben Bova, minister and theologian Tony Campolo.

* Entertainment: Actors Norman Fell, Robert Prosky, Veronica Hamel, Patricia Wettig, Tom Sizemore, Danny Woodburn and Kunal Nayyar; comedians David Brenner, Bob Saget and Paul F. Tompkins; directors Irvin Kershner, Dan Trachtenberg and Adam McKay; both Daryl Hall and John Oates (they met at Temple), soul singer Billy Paul, R&B singer Jill Scott, songwriter Julie Gold, and music producer Thomas Pentz, a.k.a. Diplo.

* Politics: Mayor John Street of Philadelphia, and Charles Sandman, Congressman from South Jersey was the Republican nominee for Governor in 1973, and then made a fool of himself standing up for President Richard Nixon during the Watergate hearings.

While not a political office, this is, in a way, a governmental role: Captain Frederick C. Branch, was the 1st African-American to become an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. His attendance at Temple was interrupted by World War II, but he got his degree there in 1947.

Serial killer Ted Bundy attended Temple for one semester, in 1969. Salvatore Testa, son of local Mob boss Philip Testa, attended Temple for a year in 1981, before joining the family business. Like his father, "the Chicken Man," he was rubbed out by his fellow wiseguys. And Edith Windsor, whose lawsuit overturned the federal "Defense of Marriage Act," a key moment in the gay rights movement, was a Temple graduate.

Temple was renowned for its basketball program long before John Chaney got there, and it's still renowned for it after his retirement and death. Its stars include Mike Bloom in the 1930s; Bill Mlkvy (a.k.a. The Owl Without a Vowel); Hal Lear and Guy Rodgers in the 1950s; Terrence Stansbury, Nate Blackwell and Mark Macon in the 1980s; Aaron McKie in the 1990s; and Pepe Sanchez at the turn of the 21st Century.

The school's sports department and its journalism program have produced NFL writer and historian Ray Didinger, ESPN's Howard Bryant and Kevin Negandhi, and Los Angeles Angels broadcaster Terry Smith.

Going In. If you were going to the campus, this is how you would go: Temple: Take Broad Street north from Center City, to Oxford Street. Turn left, go 3 blocks, then right on Sydenham Street. The parking garage for the Liacouras Center is 2 blocks north. The Center's address is 1776 Broad Street, across Montgomery Avenue from their 3,900-seat 1969-97 arena, McGonigle Hall. 2 miles north of Center City. Temple also has campuses in Center City and in the State capital of Harrisburg. They the only 1 of the Big 5 that has a campus outside its main area.

If you were going in by public transportation, you would take the Broad Street Line uptown to Cecil B. Moore station.

But the stadium is not on campus. It's Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Eagles, in the opposite direction. The Philadelphia sports complex is at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, 36 blocks -- 7 miles -- south of City Hall.

It once included Sesquicentennial/Municipal/John F. Kennedy Stadium (1926-1992), The Spectrum (1967-2009), and Veterans Stadium (1971-2004). The arena now known as the Wells Fargo Center was built on the site of JFK Stadium. Citizens Bank Park, the new home of the Phillies, was built to the east of The Vet. And Lincoln Financial Field was built south of the new ballpark, and east of the Spectrum. Once known as Pattison station, the end of the line is now "AT&T Station." 

It's highly unlikely anyone will give you anything more than a little bit of verbal on the subway ride into the Sports Complex, while they might give a little more gusto to the verbal on the ride back. But despite Philly sports fans' reputation, this will not be the equivalent of the London Underground on a Saturday afternoon in the 1980s: They might tell you that your team sucks (even if your team is ahead of theirs in the standings), but that's about the worst you'll get.

There is plenty of parking in the complex, including a lot on the site of  The Vet. Parking is $22. But you'll be a lot better off if you take the subway. Not really because of the price of parking, but because traffic is going to be awful.

Coming out of the AT&T subway station, you'll walk down Pattison Avenue, with a parking lot on the former site of Veterans Stadium to your left, and the site of the Spectrum to your right. Further to your right is the successor to the Spectrum, the Wells Fargo Center, named for the banking and insurance company. Further to your right is Lincoln Financial Field. You'll be likely to enter either at the north end zone or the west sideline.

The new home of the Eagles has seen them make the Playoffs more often than not, and reach the Super Bowl in the 2004 and 2017 seasons, finally winning it in 2017-18. And fan behavior, while still rowdy, is not as criminal as it was at The Vet: No more municipal court under the stands is necessary. Still, this is not an Eagles game, it's a Temple game.

"The Linc" has hosted the Army-Navy Game every year since it opened, except for 2007, 2011 and 2014, 2016 and 2020. It's hosted 4 games of the U.S. National Soccer Team, most recently a 3-0 win over Bolivia in a friendly on May 28, 2018; games of the 2003 Women's World Cup, an MLS All-Star Game, and several games by touring European teams such as Manchester United, Glasgow Celtic and A.C. Milan. It will probably host games of the 2026 World Cup. (UPDATE: It has been chosen as a World Cup site.)

It looks a lot taller from the inside,

because the field is well below street level.

Inside the stadium, concourses are wide and well-lit, a big departure from The Vet. Escalators are safe and nearly always work, as opposed to the Vet, which did not have escalators, only seemingly-endless ramps. Getting to your seat should be easy. The field is natural grass (clearly, the organization listened to all those complaints about the Vet's turf), and runs (more or less) north-to-south.

On February 23, 2019, The Linc hosted an NHL Stadium Series game, with the Flyers beating the cross-State Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3.

In 2017, Thrillist had an article ranking all 31 NFL stadiums. The Linc didn't come off so well, 25th place:

The outside of Lincoln Financial Field is a land of wonder and joy (and fisticuffs). It's the best part of every game, because out there, the Eagles haven't yet disappointed their fans in spectacularly new and innovative ways.

You can take the Broad Street Line to avoid traffic AND start drinking early. Tailgates are unequivocally the best part of an Eagles game because you can't lose the tailgate like you can the home opener, season finale, every rivalry, and the NFC Championship Game. For the cheap fans (most of us), you can still tailgate the game and watch every disappointing minute next door at XFINITY Live!, where you chase sorrows with mechanical bull rides and light-up shots of Rumchata (just me?). The inside of the Linc is a hellscape where dreams and civility go after their undignified death. But say this for the joint: Eagles fans will never, ever let you forget where you are. You're guaranteed to leave with new memories, kind of a feat for a weekend afternoon in Pennsylvania.

Food. From the famed Old Original Bookbinder's (125 Walnut Street at 2nd, now closed) and Le Bec Fin (1523 Walnut at 16th) to the Reading Terminal Market (Philly's version of  the South Street Seaport, at 51 N. 12th St at Filbert) to the South Philly cheesesteak giants Pat's, Geno's and Tony Luke's, Philly is a great food city and don't you ever forget it.

The variety of food available at The Linc. Little of it is healthy (no surprise there), but all of it is good. Tony Luke's has a stand (as it also does at the ballpark and the arena). So does Chickie's & Pete's, to sell their fish and their "crab fries" -- French fries with Old Bay seasoning mix, not fries with crabmeat. Also at The Linc are outlets of Bassett's Original Burgers & Fresh Cut Fries, Seasons Pizza, and Melt Down grilled cheese stands.

When The Linc opened, the Eagles instituted a policy that the City had previously allowed at The Vet, which it, not the team, owned: No longer would fans be allowed to bring hoagies (hero/sub sandwiches) into the stadium. The fans revolted, and the old policy was restored, making The Linc one of the few sports venues in North America where you can bring in your own food -- but only hoagies. 

Team History Displays. They will all be for the Eagles, not for Temple. Their football history is pretty spotty, anyway: Their historical record is 474 wins against 586 losses, with 52 ties, for a winning percentage of .450.

They began playing in 1894, suspended the program from 1918 to 1921, and have been bad much more often than good. Under coach Heinie Miller, they were 7-1 in 1927, 7-1-2 in 1928, 8-1-1 in 1931, and 5-1-2 in 1932. Under Pop Warner, they were 7-1-2 in 1934. Under Ray Morrison, they were 7-2 in 1941 and 7-1 in 1945. Under George Makris, they were 7-2 in 1964 and 1967. Under Wayne Hardin, they were 7-3 in 1970, 6-2-1 in 1971, 9-1 in 1973, 8-2 in 1974, 7-3-1 in 1978, and 10-2 in 1979. Under Al Golden, they were 9-4 in 2009, 8-4 in 2010 and 9-4 in 2011. Under Matt Rhule, they were 10-4 in 2015 and 2016.

But much more common seasons are like the winless seasons of 1955 (0-8), 1958 (0-8), 1959 (0-9) and 2005 (0-11); the 1-10 seasons of 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1996; the 1-11 seasons of 2003 and 2006; and the 2-10 season of 2013.

Their chances of winning any kind of championship have been hindered by the fact that they've been an Independent for much of their history. They belonged to the Middle Atlantic Conference from 1960 to 1969, the Big East Conference from 1991 to 2004, the Mid-American Conference from 2007 to 2011, the Big East Conference only in 2012, and have been in the American Athletic Conference since 2013. They won the Middle Atlantic title in 1967, the MAC East Division in 2009, the AAC East Division in 2015, and the AAC overall in 2016.

In 1934, under the already legendary coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, Temple went 7-0-2, earning them an invitation to the 1st Sugar Bowl game, hosted by Tulane University at their stadium on January 1, 1935. Tulane won it, 20-14.

Temple weren't invited to another bowl until the 1979 season, and it was the Garden State Bowl in the nearby Meadowlands, hardly prestigious. They beat the University of California 28-17. They lost the 2009 EagleBank Bowl to UCLA, 30-21; and won the 2011 New Mexico Bowl over Wyoming, 37-15.

They made a bowl game 5 years in a row, before COVID caused them to cancel their entire last season. 2015: Lost to Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, 32-17. 2016: Lost to Wake Forest in the Military Bowl, 34-26. 2017: Beat Florida International in the Gasparilla Bowl, 28-3. 2018: Lost to Duke in the Independence Bowl, 56-27. 2019: Lost to North Carolina in the Military Bowl, 55-13. So, 9 bowls, only 1 of them major, a 3-6 record.

The program has had 4 men elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. But 3 were elected as coaches, for what they did elsewhere before they ever got to Temple: Pop Warner (Carlisle, Pittsburgh and Stanford), Ray Morrison (Southern Methodist) and Wayne Hardin (Navy).

The 1 true Temple Hall-of-Famer was Paul Palmer, a running back who was the runner-up to Vinny Testaverde of Miami for the 1986 Heisman Trophy. He later played 27 games for the Kansas City Chiefs, 9 for the Dallas Cowboys and 5 for the Detroit Lions. He later coached high school ball in South Jersey, and is now a radio analyst for Temple football.

Other notable Temple football players include Jets legend Joe Klecko and his son Dan Klecko, who won 3 Super Bowls * with the New England Patriots; Ed Kolman, a 1930s tackle who made 3 Pro Bowls and won 3 NFL Championships with the 1940s Chicago Bears; Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, a 1940s guard who became known as the NFL's dirtiest player with the 1950s Eagles; Randy Grossman, a 1970s tight end who won 4 Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers; Steve Watson, a 1970s receiver who made a Pro Bowl and 2 Super Bowls for the Denver Broncos; and Todd Bowles, a 1980s cornerback who was head coach of the Jets from 2015 to 2018, and is now the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Joe Klecko and coach Wayne Hardin

The basketball "Big 5" doesn't come into play much. St. Joseph's stopped their football program in 1939. La Salle followed in 1941, started again in 1997, and stopped again in 2007. Villanova stopped playing after the 1980 season, but started again in 1987. And the University of Pennsylvania, being an Ivy League school, stopped playing the big schools in the late 1970s.

But the Temple-Villanova rivalry does exist in football. They played every year from 1928 to 1943, again from 1970 to 1980, in 2003, every year from 2009 to 2012, and again in 2017 and 2018. Overall, the series is dead even, 16-16-2. Even though Villanova Stadium is outside Philadelphia, 11 miles west of City Hall, Temple and Villanova play for a trophy named the Mayor's Cup.

Stuff. Souvenir stands will sell Temple souvenirs, but the team store will be all Eagles stuff. If you want Temple stuff, you'll have to go to the Temple University Shop & Cafe, at 1755 N. 13th Street (Cecil B. Moore station); or the Temple University Center City Bookstore, at 1515 Market Street (City Hall station).

Don't bother looking for books about Temple football: If there are any, they may not be in those stores, and they definitely aren't on Amazon.com. There are books about Temple basketball.

T-shirt sold in the Temple University Bookstore.

"The Bad" is 'Nova, "The Ugly" is St. Joe's.

During the Game. You may have heard about, or even experienced, trouble at an Eagles or Flyers game. At a Temple football game, just stay away from the interaction between the students, and you'll be fine.

Temple has a live female owl mascot, Stella, and a guy in a suit, Hooter the Owl. Both are brought to basketball games at the Liacouras Center and football games at the Eagles' Lincoln Financial Field. Temple may be the only major football-playing college that calls its shade of red "cherry."

If the guy playing Hooter is smart, he won't do a

Marlon Brando impression from A Streetcar Named Desire

and yell, "Stellaaaaaaaa!"

After the Game. Philadelphia is a big city, with all the difficulties of big cities as well as many of the perks of them. You should get back to your car/public transit stop as quickly as you can. 

The legendary Pat's and Geno's Steaks, arch-rivals as intense as any local sports opponents, are across 9th Street from each other at Passyunk Avenue in the Italian Market area. My preference is Pat's, but Geno's is also very good. Be advised, though, that the lines at both are of Shake Shack length, because people know they're that good.

You can also pick up a sandwich, a snack or a drink at any of several Wawa stores in and around the city. If you came in via Suburban Station, there's one at 1707 Arch, a 5-minute walk away; if the game lasts 3 hours or less, you have a shot at getting in, getting your order, getting out, and getting back to the station in time to catch your train.

If your visit to Philly is during the European soccer season (which is in progress), you can probably watch your favorite club at Fadó Irish Pub, at 1500 Locust Street in Center City. Be advised that this is home to supporters' groups for Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic FC; so if you're not particularly fond of any of those teams, you might want to stay away.

Sidelights. On November 30, 2018, Thrillist published a list of "America's 25 Most Fun Cities," and Philadelphia came in 17th. 

The 1st home of Temple football, from 1894 to 1927, was Vernon Park, at 5800 Germantown Avenue. The park is still there, but there's no evidence that there was ever a football stadium on the site. SEPTA Bus 23 from 11th & Market.

Temple Stadium opened in 1928, in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of North Philadelphia. It seated 40,000 at the time. They played there until 1977, and continued to play their soccer games there until 1995, after which it was demolished. The Philadelphia Spartans, the city's 1st entry into what became the original North American Soccer League, played there in 1967.

On November 6, 1934, the Eagles played at Temple Stadium, and beat the Cincinnati Reds 64-0. It remains the 2nd-most lopsided game in NFL history. Named for the city's baseball team, these Reds never played again, going out of business due to the Great Depression. Not until the birth of the Bengals in 1968 would Cincinnati have another major league football team.

In 1952, unhappy with their lease at Shibe Park (soon to be renamed Connie Mack Stadium), the Eagles offered to buy Temple Stadium and make it their home field. The University had it appraised for $1 million, and the Eagles refused to pay it. They moved to Franklin Field in 1958, Veterans Stadium in 1971, and Lincoln Financial Field in 2003.

The U.S. national soccer team played a friendly against Israel at Temple Stadium on September 25, 1968. Israel won 4-0. Jimi Hendrix played one of his last concerts there, on May 16, 1970, with the Grateful Dead and the Steve Miller Band also appearing.

As with Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium, a church was built on the site: Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, which already had a link with Temple, as it was holding services at the Liacouras Center until this new building opened in 2006. 2800 W. Cheltenham Avenue, 9 miles north of City Hall, and 7 miles north of the Liacouras Center. Broad Street Line to Olney Transportation Center, then Bus 22 to Cheltenham & Vernon.

From 1978 to 2002, Temple played football at Veterans Stadium, and, with the Eagles, moved to The Linc in 2003. Since 2015, the University has been talking about building a 35,000-seat stadium on campus, but aside from a feasibility study, nothing has been done about it.

From 1938 to 1955, Temple played its home basketball games at the Convention Hall of the Philadelphia Civic Center. It stood from 1931 to 2005, and was home to the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors from 1946 to 1962, and the Philadelphia 76ers from 1963 to 1967. It hosted the 1936 Democratic Convention, the 1940 Republican Convention, and both parties' Conventions in 1948. The Beatles played there in 1964.

The University of Pennsylvania's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine is now on the site. 3400 Civic Center Blvd. Market-Frankford Line to 33rd Street.

From 1955 to 1969, they played home games at The Palestra, as tenants of the University of Pennsylvania. "The Cathedral of College Basketball" has hosted Penn since 1927, and Big 5 doubleheaders have been great events. 223 S. 33rd Street, next to Franklin Field. Market-Frankford Line to 33rd Street.

Finally, in 1969, Temple opened an on-campus arena, McGonigle Hall, named for Arthur T. McGonigle, a major donor to the University. It was a fortress: They went 179-28 there. But it was a small fortress, topping out at 4,500 seats, and so they still played the occasional "home game" at The Palestra, which seats twice as many.

Given how big coach John Chaney had made Temple basketball, a bigger facility was needed. The Liacouras center opened in 1997, named for University President Peter Liacouras, and seating 10,206. Liacouras is at 1776 N. Broad Street, and McGonigle at 1800 N. Broad, separated by Montgomery Street. Broad Street Line to Cecil B. Moore.

*

So, if you want to see a football game in Philadelphia, but don't want to risk your life amongst a bunch of crazed and possibly drunken Eagle fans, a Temple game may be the way to go.