It’s on to the finals for three Bills
Smith, Reed, Wilson make cut for Hall
Super Bowl week will have some drama for the Buffalo Bills.
Three members of the Bills organization — former greats Andre Reed and Bruce Smith and owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. — made the list of 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Reed, Smith and Wilson made the cut from a list of 25 semifinalists to the list of 15 modern-era individuals who will be considered for the Hall’s Class of 2009. Two senior candidates — receiver Bob Hayes and defensive end Claude Humphrey — join the modern-era finalists in contention for induction.
The vote on the candidates will take place Jan. 31 in Tampa, Fla., the day before Super Bowl XLIII. A minimum of four and a maximum of seven men will be selected for induction.
The others who made the cut from 25 to 15 were: receiver Cris Carter; center Dermontti Dawson; guards Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Randall McDaniel; tight end Shannon Sharpe; defensive tackles Cortez Kennedy and John Randle; defensive end Richard Dent; linebacker Derrick Thomas; safety Rod Woodson, and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
This marks the third straight year Reed has made the finals. Wilson also is a three-time finalist, having made the cut in 2001 and 2003. This is Smith’s first year of eligibility. Players must be retired for five seasons before they are eligible for the Hall.
The case for Wilson goes far beyond wins and losses or the fact he has kept a team in Buffalo for 50 years.
He played a huge role in shaping the modern NFL, as the most influential founding member of the AFL after Kansas City’s Lamar Hunt. Wilson saved the Oakland franchise with a secret infusion of cash in the early 1960s. He helped secure the television deal that made the AFL competitive with its more senior competitor. He was a key behind-the-scenes figure in the AFL-NFL merger in 1966. Wilson has played an active role in football’s labor negotiations during his tenure.
He has stood up for the integrity of the game and the interests of the fans — voting against every franchise relocation of the past three decades — throughout his entire career.
Smith played 19 seasons in the NFL, 15 for the Bills. He is the league’s all-time leader in sacks with 200, and just one other player has more than 160. That’s Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer Reggie White, who has 198. The sack became an official statistic in 1982.
Smith, who played from 1985 to 2003, was voted the league’s Most Valuable Defensive Player twice, in 1990 and 1996. He was voted first-team All-Pro eight times and second-team All-Pro three times. He went to 11 Pro Bowls. He’s also the NFL’s alltime leader in postseason sacks, with 14z in 20 games.
Reed, who played from 1985 to 2000, caught 951 passes for 13,198 yards. Eight seasons after his retirement, he still ranks tied for sixth alltime in catches and 10th in receiving yards. Reed’s 87 touchdown catches put him 11th on the all-time list. Reed is third all time in playoff catches and fourth all time in receiving yards in the playoffs. His signature game was a three-touchdown performance in the NFL’s greatest comeback ever, the Bills’ 41-38 overtime playoff win over Houston in 1993.
Reed distinguished himself throughout his career for his toughness and his great running ability after making receptions. He also was amazingly durable. He missed only three games the first 10 years of his career.
Others who have been finalists in previous years are Carter, Dent, Grimm, Hayes, Humphrey, Kuechenberg, McDaniel, Tagliabue and Thomas.
Bills special-teams great Steve Tasker was among the 25 semifinalists but did not make the cut to 15. The Hall does not release the voting totals for the candidates. A panel of 44 media members from across the country does the voting.
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