Sharpe, Holmgren, Remmel, Isbell, Vainisi all up for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Fifty-four Seniors, Coaches and Contributors have moved one step closer to election as members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
By PackerAaron
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's 12-person Seniors Committee trimmed a list of eligible nominees to 54 Semifinalists for both the player and coaches/contributors categories who will advance to the next round of consideration.
The senior committee will select up to three nominees to send to the full selection committee for a final vote, while one coach/contributor also will be voted upon for inclusion in the Class of 2023.
Sterling Sharpe is the most obvious name on the list and someone we talked about just last week. It's well past time for him to be in.
In addition to Sharpe, former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren is included. Holmgren coached the Packers to back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1996-97 seasons, winning Super Bowl XXXI. He later coached the Seahawks and took them to a Super Bowl, one of the few head coaches to ever appear in the big game with two separate teams.
Long time team PR man and team historian Lee Remmel is nominated in the contributor category. Remmel worked with every coach from Dan Devine to Mike McCarthy. Remmel witnessed more than 100 Packers-Bears games and 40 Super Bowls.
Also up in the contributor category is Jack Vainisi. At the age of 23, he was hired by Packers head coach Gene Ronzani to lead the team's player personnel department. The Packers drafted or acquired eight future Pro Football Hall of Fame players during his tenure, essentially laying the groundwork for Vince Lombardi's championship teams in the 1960's. Vainisi also was instrumental in attracting Vince Lombardi to the vacant head coaching job in Green Bay in 1959.
Another Packers player up for consideration is Cecil Isbell, who played five years with the Packers, leading them to the NFL Championship in 1939. Isbell played halfback for Green Bay from 1938-42 but also became the Packers' primary passer, getting named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1930s. Isbell held the NFL record for most consecutive games with a touchdown pass with 23 games from 1940 to 1942.
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Comments (8)
Ferrari-Driver
July 08, 2022 at 01:28 am
I read up on Jack Vainisi and found that he made the major change in scouting and preparing for the NFL draft. Rather than just rely on the media ratings, he sought the details about college players from coaches and scouts he hired to evaluate players. He was a great innovator and he techniques were likely the reason he was able to draft all the Hall of Fame players who played for the Packers in the 1960's. It's truly a shame he died so young at age 33.
Consider the players Vainisi drafted: Jim Ringo in 1953, Forrest Gregg and Bart Starr in ‘56, Paul Hornung in ’57 and Jim Taylor and Ray Nitschke in ’58. He also signed Willie Wood as an undrafted free agent and facilitated trades for Willie Davis and Henry Jordan. All are in the Hall of Fame.
In addition, Vainisi drafted Max McGee, Bob Skoronski, Hank Gremminger, Ron Kramer, Dan Currie, Jerry Kramer, Boyd Dowler, Tom Brown and Bob Jeter, all of whom would start on championship teams.
LambeauPlain
July 08, 2022 at 10:54 am
Jerry Kramer is in the HOF now too, finally.
Ferrari-Driver
July 08, 2022 at 10:28 pm
Those were a group of exceptional players that Mr. Vainisi drafted. He died of a heart condition that was caused by Rheumatic fever that he had when he was a kid. I went on a fishing trip in Canada with his brother, Dr. Samuel Vainisi years back who is very accomplished and a nice man to boot.
jont
July 08, 2022 at 12:30 pm
Lee Remmel is an obvious first ballot and in to the HOF. Dedicated his entire career to the Packers and the NFL.
The hall is about football not celebrity, right? He was a football man.
HarryHodag
July 08, 2022 at 02:05 pm
Left out of the story was that Remmel covered the Packers for the Green Bay Press-Gazette for many years. He covered Curly Lambeau up to Bart Starr then began working for the Packers. If a writer/PR person deserves HOF, it's Lee Remmel.
Why isn't Holmgren already in the HOF?
Why isn't Vainisi in the HOF? Without him, maybe Lombardi doesn't win all those championships?
Someone had to throw all those passes to Don Hutson. Isbell also worked as a running back along with throwing the ball. Why isn't he in the HOF?
Ferrari-Driver
July 08, 2022 at 10:30 pm
Good points as usual. Fully agree with your take.
LeotisHarris
July 08, 2022 at 06:40 pm
Well, I'm not going to sit on my hands and be all politically correct here. Jason Isbell is a talented musician and songwriter, but he does *not* belong in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. First Dolly Parton's nominated for the Rock and Roll HOF and now this? What a load of crap!
jannesbjornson
July 09, 2022 at 12:54 am
Holmgren is the Top Dog from this list. Think about it....