About Freakin' Time

...oh yeah, and sports.

'Bullet' Bob Hayes, the only man to own an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring has finally been inducted into the NFL hall of fame seven years after his death and twenty eight years after he became eligible.

For those who don't know, Bob Hayes changed the game of football with his speed. It is generally acknowledged that the zone defense was invented to try to stop Bob Hayes.

From Ralph Wiley's great ESPN Page 2 eulogy (emphasis added):

(Hayes) led the Cowboys in TDs four different seasons, including his rookie year, when he shocked the league, put them all in the Zone, by scoring 13 touchdowns on only 46 catches, for 1,003 yards in 14 games. Talk about a home-run hitter. If Bullet Bob caught four balls, one of them was going all the way. That's a better home-run percentage than Babe Ruth.

After football, Hayes had problems with drugs and alcohol. This was used as an excuse, IMO, to deny him entry into the hall of fame. I am more inclined to attribute this injustice to the anti-Cowboys bias that existed for the 80's and 90's among HOF voters. The bar certainly seemed to be higher, in terms of off-field behavior for Hayes or Michael Irvin than for someone like Lawrence Taylor (for instance).

Here's a little video from NFL Network. Note the bitter DJ from Philadelphia. I guess he had a little time to spare from cheering for injuries.


looks like a spot just opened on this list...