PHOENIX — Once again, Gary Zimmerman wore them down.
Try as they might, voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame could not rush past Zimmerman’s credentials.
No longer is it accurate to say Zimmerman, an offensive tackle for the Broncos and Minnesota Vikings, is the only Hall of Fame-eligible player to have been selected to two NFL all-decade teams and not be chosen for football immortality.
It’s also incorrect to say quarterback John Elway is the Broncos’ only member of the Hall of Fame. Stepping in from Elway’s blind side is Zimmerman, who was elected Saturday to the Hall of Fame class of 2008 after receiving at least 80 percent of the vote from a 44-person board of selectors.
Middle linebacker Randy Gradishar, another former Broncos star, was among the 17 finalists in his 20th and final year of modern-era ballot eligibility but was not elected.
Two isn’t many for a team that has played in six Super Bowls, more than any other franchise but the Dallas Cowboys. But two Hall of Famers also is double what the Broncos had going into the weekend.
“Hopefully it’ll open the door for Denver, because there are a lot of players that should be in there,” Zimmerman said minutes after he learned of his election by watching the NFL Network’s announcement from his snowbound home in Bend, Ore. “But I’m really happy to be No. 2 and hopefully there will be No. 3 next year.”
Shannon Sharpe, who retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions for a tight end, is eligible next year, but the Broncos had hoped to get a third player elected this year. Gradishar now must receive recommendation from the senior committee before he can be put to a Hall vote.
“I feel bad for Randy because he’s been waiting so long,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman, a 6-foot-6, 294-pound lineman from the University of Oregon, played five seasons with the Broncos, from 1993-97. Although he played his first seven seasons with the Vikings, Zimmerman has disassociated himself from the Minnesota franchise and wants to walk through the hallowed halls in Canton, Ohio, known as a Bronco.
“The reason I want to go in as a Bronco is I feel that’s my family,” Zimmerman said. “Minnesota had kind of cast me off, and Mr. Bowlen and the whole organization has been nothing but first class to me. I’m a man of loyalty and my loyalty lies with Mr. Bowlen.”
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said his relationship with Zimmerman goes back to the 1993 training camp, when the left tackle was a disgruntled employee of the Vikings.
“He was holding out or something like that and I told our personnel director at the time: ‘We’ve got to make a trade for this guy,’ ” Bowlen said Saturday. “I remember when we brought him in and worked out, Jerry Frei and Jack Elway came back just raving about what this guy could do. I had never seen such a response from those two codgers.”
Joining Zimmerman in the Hall of Fame class of 2008 were defensive end Fred Dean, cornerback Darrell Green, wide receiver Art Monk, linebacker Andre Tippett and cornerback Emmitt Thomas, who was nominated by the same senior committee that now will consider Gradishar’s candidacy.
“I’m disappointed for Randy,” Bowlen said. “He was the best player in Broncos history until No. 7 came along.”
Gradishar joined former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, guard Russ Grimm, punter Ray Guy and wide receiver Andre Reed as finalists who did not make the cut Saturday to the final 10 modern-era candidates.
Finalists who did make the first-round cut but failed to make the Hall were wide receiver Cris Carter, linebacker Derrick Thomas, defensive end Richard Dent, guards Randall McDaniel and Bob Kuechenberg and multipurpose back Marshall Goldberg.
Perhaps the No. 1 surprise omission was Goldberg, whose election was considered a formality after he was nominated by the senior committee. Goldberg’s failure to reach 80 percent of the vote explains why only six players were elected instead of the maximum of seven.
Contemporaries also may have been surprised Carter and McDaniel didn’t get in. Carter ranks second all-time in receptions and McDaniel was named to 12 Pro Bowls.
“I thought Randall should have been a first-timer,” said Zimmerman, who played next to McDaniel for five seasons in Minnesota. “He was by far the best lineman I ever played with. He’ll get there. If there’s anything working against him, he played the guard position and I think it’s harder to get in as a guard.”
There wasn’t much debate about Zimmerman in his sixth year of Hall of Fame eligibility. His case was presented by Jeff Legwold, who is the Denver representative on the Hall voting committee.
“It was stressed that Gary Zimmerman was the only two-time all-decade player not in the Hall of Fame,” said Hall voter Len Pasquarelli of . “And we needed to correct the mistake, perhaps, from past years. I think that played really well. You could see the momentum going his way as the discussion progressed.”
Zimmerman and Monk were the only offensive players elected, and former guard Mark Schlereth won Super Bowls with both.
“Gary Zimmerman was right up there with Anthony Muñoz as the two finest left tackles that ever played the game,” Schlereth said. “Gary was so athletic and was such a technician. But besides his technical play, the guy would beat you down. He would beat you up. You didn’t realize how physical he was. And he played with great passion.”
Gary Zimmerman
Offensive tackle
* 6-foot-6, 294 pounds
* 1986-92 Minnesota Vikings
* 1993-97 Denver Broncos
* 12 seasons, 184 games
Selected in first round (third overall) of 1984 supplemental draft. . . . Originally chosen by Giants, signing rights traded to Vikings for two second-round picks in 1986 draft. . . . Spent two seasons with Los Angeles Express of USFL before reporting to Vikings. . . . After joining Vikings, began streak of 169 consecutive starts that lasted until 1996, when surgery sidelined him. . . . Helped the 1997 Broncos win Super Bowl XXXII, the franchise’s first NFL title. . . . Made 76 starts for Denver. . . . One of just a handful of players chosen for two NFL all-decade teams, 1980s and 1990s. . . . Earned first- or second-team all-pro honors eight times. . . . Picked for seven Pro Bowls.
What they’re saying
Comments about the election of former Broncos offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, and on former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar not being elected:
“I’m very proud of Gary. Very deserving. I think he was by far the best left tackle to have played the game in the 24 years I’ve been a part of this. I don’t mean any disrespect to some of the other linemen we’ve had or have played, but Gary was special.” – Pat Bowlen, Broncos owner
“I’m shocked because I didn’t think I had a chance. All the years they passed me over, I thought it was going to happen again. It’s too good to be true.” – Zimmerman
“I just think it’s tough for inside, 3-4 linebackers. There’s only one, Harry Carson, and I think it’s a tough position to judge. Maybe (Gradishar) was a little bit of a victim of that. The point was made he was a great tackler and may be one of the best goal-line defenders in the history of the NFL. But it just wasn’t enough.” – Len Pasquarelli, Hall of Fame voter, on why Gradishar hasn’t been elected
“Zim had to block two guys — his and mine. So I take his Hall of Fame election personally.” – Mark Schlereth, former Broncos guard
“I jumped up and down when I heard (about Zimmerman’s selection). Boy, am I excited. He played great players every week, and every week Gary dominated. He was so prepared that I picked his brain every day. ” – Alex Gibbs, former Broncos offensive line coach
“I want to express my congratulations to Gary Zimmerman, who is now the second Bronco to be inducted. It’s well-deserved. He was a great offensive lineman. Congratulations to him as he joins that elite group.” – Gradishar
“Anybody who knows anything about the offensive line knows how deserving Gary is of this. He was such a brilliant, smart technician. I coached him only in name. I didn’t do much with Gary.” – John Michels, who coached Zimmerman with the Minnesota Vikings
“He is such a good guy with such a commanding presence. This is completely deserving.” – Jim Saccomano, Broncos vice president of public relations, on Zimmerman
“I remember when we were making that first Super Bowl run, Zimmerman’s shoulder was out completely. Every time I saw him, he looked like he was in so much pain. He’d grit his teeth and didn’t even miss a practice, and he played at such a high level. Nobody knew how much pain the guy was in. He was as tough as they come.” – Alfred Williams, former Broncos defensive end and Zimmerman teammate
Mike Klis, Irv Moss and Bill Williamson, The Denver Post
Hall of Famers
Fred Dean
Defensive end
6-foot-3, 230 pounds
1975-81 San Diego Chargers
1981-85 San Francisco 49ers
11 seasons, 141 games
Selected by San Diego in the second round (33rd player overall) in 1975 NFL draft. … Played linebacker at Louisiana Tech, moved to defensive line with the Chargers. … Quickness, speed, strength made him a feared pass rusher. … Recorded seven sacks, 93 tackles and had four fumble recoveries in his rookie year. … Career sacks total near 100, but unofficial because sacks were not an official NFL statistic until 1982. … Unofficially had 15-1/2 sacks in 1978, nine in 1979, 10-1/2 in 1980. … Contributed 12 sacks in 11 games with the 49ers in 1981. … Had career best 17-1/2 sacks in 1983, including then-NFL record six in one game, Nov. 13 vs. New Orleans. … Played on five division winners and two Super Bowl championship teams. … Voted all-pro in 1980 and 1981, selected to play in four Pro Bowls.
Darrell Green
Cornerback
5-8, 176
1983-2002 Washington Redskins
20 seasons, 295 games
Selected in first round (28th player overall) in 1983 draft. … Holds NFL record with at least one interception in 19 consecutive seasons. … Career totals: 54 interceptions for 621 return yards and six touchdowns. … Tied for first on NFL all-time list for most consecutive seasons playing with one team (20). … Had three interceptions vs. Detroit in 1987 game. Had careerbest five interceptions in three seasons: 1984, 1986, 1991. … Also returned 51 punts for 611 yards. … Tied for second in NFL history for most interceptions returned for touchdowns in playoffs with two. … Selected to play in seven Pro Bowls. … Named to the all-pro team in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991.
Art Monk
Wide receiver
6-3, 210
1980-93 Washington Redskins
1994 New York Jets
1995 Philadelphia Eagles
16 seasons, 224 games
Redskins’ first-round pick (18th player overall) in 1980 draft. … Prototype for today’s bigger, stronger receivers. Caught 58 passes as a rookie. … Had 50 or more receptions in a season nine times. Gained 1,000 or more yards receiving in a season five times. … Set then-NFL records for catches in a season (106), most consecutive games with at least one reception (164) and career receptions (820). Finished career with 940 catches. … Had finest season in 1984, catching eight or more passes in six games, five games of 100-plus yards receiving, and in one game caught 10 passes for 200 yards. … Chosen as Redskins MVP in 1984. … First Redskins player to produce three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. … Three-time Pro Bowl selection, was all-pro choice in 1984 and 1985.
Emmitt Thomas
Cornerback
6-2, 192
1966-78 Kansas City Chiefs
13 seasons, 181 games
Joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. … One of finest cornerbacks of his era. … Ranks ninth all-time in interceptions with 58, which is fourth alltime best by a pure cornerback and is Chiefs all-time record. … Led NFL with team-record 12 interceptions in 1974 — two shy of league record. … Two of his 1974 interceptions were returned for touchdowns. … Led the AFL with nine picks in 1969 and added three more during playoffs, including interception in Chiefs’ Super Bowl IV win over the Vikings. … Returned five interceptions for TDs during career. … Led the Chiefs in interceptions in 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974 and 1975. … His 937 return yards on 58 interceptions is team record. … Selected to play in five Pro Bowls. Was first- or second-team all-AFL/AFC in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974 and 1975, and first- or second-team all-NFL in 1971, 1974 and 1975.
Andre Tippett
Linebacker
6-3, 240
1982-93 New England Patriots
10 seasons, 151 games
Selected in the second round (41st overall) of 1982 draft. … Used primarily on special teams in strike-shortened rookie season. … Earned starter role in following season. … In 1984 established team record with 18-1/2 sacks and earned first of five consecutive (1985-89) Pro Bowl selections. … Was a factor in team’s success that led to first Super Bowl appearance in 1985 season. That season, led AFC with 16-1/2 sacks (second in NFL), earning AFC
defensive player of the year honors. … Began 1986 season with 9-1/2 sacks before injury sidelined him for five games following surgery. Returned for final two games of season and earned Pro Bowl spot. … In 1987 had AFC-leading 12-1/2 sacks. … Missed four games in 1988 and entire 1989 season because of injuries.
Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame
