back to Niagara Falls Reporter archive
Jim Kelly never won professional football's biggest game.
But next month, a day before Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, the best quarterback in Buffalo Bills history will receive the National Football League's greatest honor.
In his first year of eligibility, Kelly is one of 15 finalists for selection to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
He's also the closest among players in this year's class to rating as a sure thing.
Now that Bill Parcells resisted Tampa Bay's advances and insists that he'll remain retired, his election is guaranteed. But among the 12 players in the final 15, nobody's credentials are stronger than Kelly's.
Also helping Kelly's case -- he's the only quarterback, as well as the only player in his first year of eligibility. Having his case presented to the Hall's Board of Selectors by former Buffalo News Sports Editor Larry Felser, one of that body's most respected members, won't hurt either.
But Kelly's election won't be by default, or as a favor to anyone. His career numbers -- 35,467 passing yards (10th in NFL history), 2,874 completions (8th) and 237 touchdowns (13th) aren't a sure ticket to Canton. Decided mortals such as Dave Krieg and Vinny Testaverde rank ahead of him on the career lists, and they're not getting into the Hall without paying admission. Kelly's enshrinement, though, won't be due to the numbers alone. The way he compiled them will be what puts his bronze bust in Canton.
During 11 seasons in Buffalo, Kelly embodied his team and its city the way few other players have. His feel for the game led the traditionally conservative Marv Levy to turn over the offense to him.
The resulting barrage of yardage and points changed the way the game is played on both sides of the ball (Pittsburgh's success smothering the no-huddle with the then-revolutionary zone blitz is the most obvious example). Kelly's offense also made Buffalo's teams from 1990-93 one of history's most dominant dynasties.
If losing four Super Bowls ever put an asterisk on Kelly's legacy, it was removed last year by Levy's election. The Hall of Fame is meant to honor careers as a whole, not to single out individual contests.
Had Buffalo won at least one Big Game, the gates may have opened for some of the borderline Bills, like Darryl Talley. But Levy's election showed that the Hall will honor those who truly deserve it.
Another ex-Bill on the bubble, James Lofton, won't get in. Lofton's 14,004 career receiving yards were an NFL record at the time of his retirement, but they were compiled over 16 seasons. Had Lofton played on better teams in Green Bay and not hung around too long, he'd have a better shot.
Even playing a major role on one of history's greatest teams is no guarantee of selection -- L.C. Greenwood, John Stallworth and Donnie Shell are still waiting to join their teammates from the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.
You can make a case for any of this year's finalists, save one -- Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell. Yes, Modell helped negotiate the television deals that elevated football past baseball as America's most popular sport.
But upon buying the Cleveland Browns, Modell fired Paul Brown, football's greatest innovator. After winning one NFL champion, Modell turned the Browns into the NFL's equivalent of the Buffalo Sabres -- usually mediocre or worse, occasionally pretty good, but never quite good enough.
Eventually, Modell's lack of football sense and wild spending habits (Felser once said that "If they made silk toilet paper, Modell would buy it.") forced him to flee to Baltimore. The former Browns finally won a Super Bowl last year, but only after Modell's ineptitude forced him to sell almost half the team.
Modell's main qualification -- he's been around since the early days of modern pro football. But if longevity alone isn't enough to earn a player a spot in the Hall, it shouldn't be enough for owners, either.
With four starters returning from the Niagara Falls High School basketball team that reached last year's state Final Four in Glens Falls, everybody expected another overpowering season from the Wolverines. But this is ridiculous.
After winning its first 13 games, Niagara Falls is predictably ranked No. 1 in Western New York large schools poll. Last week, the Wolverines thrashed Iroquois (then ranked No. 9 among large schools by coaches and officials surveyed by the News) 73-47. Then they destroyed Nichols, which came into Friday's game with a 7-5 mark, 95-38.
How overwhelming has Niagara Falls been? Lockport, the Niagara Frontier League's only other ranked team, remains tied for No. 7 among large schools, even after absorbing a 40-point drubbing by the Wolverines. In Lockport, no less.
The string of one-sided wins has enabled Niagara Falls coach Dan Bazzani to spread out playing time, with six Wolverines scoring in double figures against Nichols. That will provide quality depth when the Wolverines need it most -- during next month's Section VI playoffs and, barring a stunning upset, in Glens Falls in March.