Seattle Hall of Famers

Erebus

Active member
Joined
Nov 23, 2009
Messages
1,588
Reaction score
4
Location
San Antonio, TX
Just five years ago, we only had one Hall of Famer. That number is (relatively) skyrocketing and should continue to do so for a while. Counting players only, and only those that went into the Hall representing a Seattle team, we currently have:

Steve Largent
Cortez Kennedy
Walter Jones
Gary Payton
Ken Griffey Jr.

Next on the list is hopefully Kenny Easley this year as the Senior Finalist. He isn't competing against anyone. Its either a yes or no by the voters. I think he makes it.

Edgar Martinez actually appears to be heading there as well in the next year or two. He has two more years on the ballot until he will be at the mercy of the veteran's committee. But the article below paints his chances of making it in before then in a positive light. All the love David Ortiz is getting as a DH has certainly helped Edgar's case in the eyes of many voters.

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/...ng-appears-to-be-trending-in-right-direction/

So after these two, who is next? I believe Shaun Alexander has a chance because of his 100 touchdowns and MVP award, although I don't think he gets in anytime soon. Time may diminish his reputation of being soft, and voters may just have stats to look at. Marshawn Lynch also has a chance for completely different reasons. He doesn't have the career stats, but I believe he was famous enough thanks to his highlight (actually legendary) runs and being the key offensive player on a couple Super Bowl teams.

The problem with both players is the nature of the running back position. It's a position that just doesn't lend itself very well to longevity, especially with Lynch's style. But longevity is exactly what voters want to see from skill position players. Average guys like Jerome Bettis can get in just by playing forever and compiling rushing yards.

The current Seahawks that are most likely to get in, in my opinion, are Wilson, Sherman, and Thomas. Wilson hasn't come close to doing enough yet, but I have no doubt he will. Sherman and Thomas may have already done enough without needing to add any more significant accomplishments. A couple more All Pros for each would lock things up.

I believe Wagner should win the Defensive Player of the Year award this year. That is a major accomplishment on a HOF resume. Fifteen of the 25 HOF-eligible players that have won the DPOY award are in the Hall. A few more seasons like this one and he's probably in. He definitely played at a Hall of Fame level this year.

Kam Chancellor may make it in eventually based on his reputation. He has often been thought of as the identity of the Seahawks defense. He put the boom in Legion of Boom. Our run of leading the league in defensive scoring for 5 straight years, along with a 43-8 beatdown of the greatest offense of all time, will probably earn Kam a few more looks. Whether he deserves it or not, voters tend to vote for players on units that were dominant for an extended period of time.

For the Mariners, Ichiro will go in, probably on the first ballot, but that will be another 5 years at least (not sure if he retired or not). King Felix is close, but he has to put together a solid second half of his career and bounce back from his troubled 2016. Fortunately for him, the BBWAA has moved on from judging pitchers by wins.

Robinson Cano is a likely Hall of Famer. According to the Hall of Fame Monitor on baseball-reference.com, he has already done enough. The main question with him is who he represents. He will need to fulfill his entire contract and play well the whole time to go as a Mariner. And even then it will be close, but ultimately up to him. If he somehow delivers the Mariners their first World Series championship, that may be a deciding factor.

The best case scenario is that In 20 years, all these guys are in and we have 17 Hall of Famers. Am I missing anyone?
 

SixSeahawk

New member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
375
Reaction score
0
Marshawn is building his case with all his extra curricular activities now....although they have nothing to do with football. I think pop-culture relevancy plays a big part.
 

Kennedyin92

New member
Joined
Feb 20, 2014
Messages
493
Reaction score
0
SixSeahawk":1pe1giwo said:
Marshawn is building his case with all his extra curricular activities now....although they have nothing to do with football. I think pop-culture relevancy plays a big part.

I agree that pop-culture relevancy plays a big part, but should it? After all, it's not the "Hall of Good People" it's the Hall of Fame. IMO, it's for this reason that Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, but Edgar Martinez should not. Kenny Easley should, but Shaun Alexander should not. The debate regarding whether someone should be inducted or barred should rest completely on their level of play, not who they are as a person. If we were talking about "Ambassadors of the Game," that's a different argument entirely.
 

SixSeahawk

New member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
375
Reaction score
0
Kennedyin92":3fl0hchw said:
SixSeahawk":3fl0hchw said:
Marshawn is building his case with all his extra curricular activities now....although they have nothing to do with football. I think pop-culture relevancy plays a big part.

I agree that pop-culture relevancy plays a big part, but should it? After all, it's not the "Hall of Good People" it's the Hall of Fame. IMO, it's for this reason that Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame, but Edgar Martinez should not. Kenny Easley should, but Shaun Alexander should not. The debate regarding whether someone should be inducted or barred should rest completely on their level of play, not who they are as a person. If we were talking about "Ambassadors of the Game," that's a different argument entirely.

I agree about the football accomplishments being the only criteria. But I think Marshawn had that too, if you consider the fact that he was a run to contact type of back as opposed to trying to elude people (which explains his lack of yards). Plus the guy had one of, if not THE most epic run in football history (and even had a sequel to it lol).
 

West TX Hawk

Active member
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
Messages
2,476
Reaction score
1
Dennis Johnson and Lenny Wilkens were HOF players for the Sonics.

Wilkens also HOF coach, largely for his success with the Sonics; Jack Sikma and Gus Williams should be in the HOF. Downtown Freddie Brown has a case as well. Ray Allen had 5 great years with the Sonics but won titles elsewhere. (He played 5 years with Boston, 6+ with Milwaukee and 2 with Miami, so not fully clear which team he's most associated with when he's elected.)

Lynch should be in the Hall eventually-very similar career and playing style as HOFer Earl Campbell, plus his SB success should help him. Earl, yes. Sherman, probably. Wagner, likely. Kam, possibly. Bennett, possibly. Wilson, TBD.

Randy Johnson needs to be noted since he had several years of success in his HOF career with the Mariners. Warren Moon should be mentioned in parenthesis because his HOF status was largely based on longevity and consistency, primarly with Houston but he did have a couple good years with the Hawks.
 

Latest posts

Top