Judge & Jury: Should Ozzie Newsome Be Enshrined A Second Time?

Each week the Talk of Fame Two consults historians and/or media members for answers to the Question du Jour. After hearing from them, a judge – in this case, Hall-of-Fame voter Clark Judge -- renders a verdict based on their responses. Today we checked in with a jury of five Hall-of-Fame voters, asking them to answer the following question:

Q: Former NFL executive Scott Pioli this week said that Ozzie Newsome should become the first member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to be inducted twice – the second time for his stellar work as GM and vice president of the Baltimore Ravens. Do you agree?

THE JURY

GEOFF HOBSON, Hall-of-Fame voter, Cincinnati.

“I may be the only human being alive who covered Ozzie Newsome’s last NFL game in 1990 and Lamar Jackson’s first NFL start in 2018. The span of his success makes him the Wizard of Oz, one of the greatest figures in pro football history in the red zone and in the draft room. But even immortals need only one bust in Canton. It’s hard enough to put guys in once. Just be grateful. The Wizard doesn’t take up a contributor spot that can be used by a guy like Doug Williams. Not a Hall-of-Fame player, but certainly a Hall-of- Fame contributor who, like Newsome, blazed trails.”

RON BORGES, Hall-of-Fame voter, New England.

“Former NFL executive Scott Pioli recently stated that Hall-of-Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome be given a second bust in Canton for his years of solid work as the GM of the Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens. Sort of like an addendum to a too often used passport, I guess. It is an interesting idea. It is also ridiculous. Newsome was a great player and well deserving of his bust in Canton. But a double bust? A football two-headed (and double jacketed) hydra? I think not. Other deserving people have enough trouble getting into the Hall, as it is. Now we are to consider someone twice, while other deserving players languish for years on the outside looking in? I think not. Second, while Newsome was indeed a good GM, did his work transform some aspect of the game? No. Did it alter the way teams are built? No. Did he build a dynasty like the Packers of the ‘60s, the Steelers of the ‘70s, the 49ers of the ‘80s, the Cowboys of the ‘90s or the Patriots of the early 2000s? No, no, no, no and no. Ozzie Newsome was a Hall-of-Fame player and a very good GM. There is a difference. Canton is not the Hall of Very Good. It’s the Hall that Ozzie Newsome the Player deserved to enter … and the one Ozzie Newsome the GM neither deserves nor needs.”

JARRETT BELL, Hall-of-Fame voter, Washington.

“Nope. He’s already in as a Hall-of-Famer. Acknowledging Ozzie’s impact as a front-office executive is surely appropriate, but that doesn’t mean he has to be inducted again. Can revise his bio to reflect that.”

FRANK COONEY, Hall-of-Fame voter, Las Vegas.

No. Bad idea. The selection committees have a tough enough job finding room in a given year to get people in the Hall of Fame who deserve it. And there are many who deserve it who are not in.

"We're unable, for example, to get Dan Reeves in once in any capacity ... and he played in two Super Bowls, was an assistant coach in three more and head coach in four.

"It is an honor to be in the Hall of Fame and an opportunity to recount whatever achievements were made. What’s the point in inducting anybody twice, thereby taking a spot away from another deserving prospect?

BARRY WILNER, At-large Hall-of-Fame voter.

“While I would be in favor of Ozzie getting into the Hall a second time, there are others to consider. Paul Brown was a coach, innovator and owner. John Madden is in as a coach but also was a brilliant contributor to the sport as a broadcaster. Perhaps George Halas is someone who deserves to be in for his many roles from player to coach to owner to league influencer.”

THE VERDICT

It’s rare when we have a unanimous verdict, but we have one here. And for good reason: This is a wel-intentioned idea that's going nowhere.

As our jurors pointed out, the path to enshrinement can be long and daunting … and look no farther than the candidacy of former Miami guard Bob Kuechenberg. Eight times he was a modern-era finalist, and eight times he failed to gain the necessary votes. Now a senior candidate, he was a favorite to be one of three finalists for the Class of 2024. But that won’t happen, either.

He failed to make the list of 12 semifinalists.

The line to enter Canton is so long that Hall-of-Fame voter Rick Gosselin counts 58 all-decade players who aren’t enshrined, including 53 never been discussed as finalists. If Newsome were considered again, he’d be included in the coach/contributor category. And, if Pioli’s idea were to be adopted, he’d jump others who waited decades on Canton.

Buddy Parker, for instance, coached the Detroit Lions to three consecutive NFL championship games (1952-54) and won two of them, put together the team that won the 1957 title, was 4-1 vs. Paul Brown while with Detroit and has a better winning percentage than four of the last five coaches enshrined.

He’s not in Canton.

Then there’s Ralph Hay, former owner of the Canton Bulldogs. All he did was pull together pro football owners at his Canton car dealership in 1920 and form the American Professional Football Association, later to become the National Football League. Without him, there may be no NFL.

He’s not in Canton, either. Worse, he's not one of 12 coach/contributor semifinalists for the Class of 2024.

I think you get the idea. Election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is hard, and Ozzie Newsome already is in. There’s no reason to elect him twice. As Bell put it, “acknowledging Ozzie’s impact as a front-office executive is surely appropriate, but that doesn’t mean he has to be inducted again.”

Bingo.

Ozzie Newsome was a magnificent GM who built the Ravens into Super Bowl champions, and that’s terrific. But, as Bell said, we can – and do -- acknowledge that without another enshrinement. 

The jury has spoken. And the answer is no.