OPINION:
In addition to the people mentioned in your article, former Washington Redskins players Larry Brown and Joe Jacoby and former coach Marty Schottenheimer are also among the 60 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists (“Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan are among the semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” web, July 12).
To understand why Mr. Brown deserves enshrinement, set aside his four Pro Bowls, his 1970 National Football League rushing crown and his 1972 NFL Most Valuable Player award, and recall the all-out way he played in a 27-24 win against the New York Giants in 1973. He scored two tough rushing touchdowns and made a gutsy catch of Sonny Jurgensen’s game-winning scoring pass.
As for Mr. Jacoby, his four Pro Bowls and three Super Bowl championships attest to his greatness. He and fellow “Hog” Russ Grimm easily could have shared Super Bowl XVII MVP honors with John Riggins.
But what of the many Redskins greats who aren’t semifinalists? Mark Moseley kicked 317 career field goals (playoffs included) and was named NFL MVP in 1982. His six game-winning overtime field goals and 18 game-tying or game-winning field goals in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime were records when he retired.
Joe Theismann is the only quarterback to be named NFL MVP (1983) and win a Super Bowl (XVII) as a starter who is eligible for but not inducted in the Hall of Fame. His block that sprung Joe Washington for a touchdown run against the Giants in 1982 earned him the Hogs’ respect and the sobriquet Piglet.
And what of Pat Fischer, Dexter Manley, Dave Butz, Charles Mann, Brig Owens, Ron McDole, Joe Lavender, Coy Bacon and many others? They also deserve a “call from the Hall.”
STEPHEN A. SILVER
San Francisco
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