Art Modell Overlooked For Hall Of Fame Again

by Bruce Raffel on Nov 29, 2011 7:02 AM EST

BALTIMORE MD - OCTOBER 24: Art Modell previous owner of of the Baltimore Ravens comes onto the field for halftime celebrations of the ten year Super Bowl anniversary team during the game against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium on October 24 2010 in Baltimore Maryland. The Bills lead the Ravens at the half 24-20. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

Former Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell was overlooked by voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame once again. In fact, Modell was not even one of the 26 semi-finalists for the class of 2012 that will be narrowed down through voting to 15 finalists and the Class of 2012 will be announced just before Super Bowl XLVI on Saturday, February 4, 2012.

Modell had been a semi-finalist in past years, but didn't even get that far this season. The fact that the guy was one of the major people involved in the modern evolution of the game, including helping develop Monday Night Football was apparently overlooked due to the fact that the Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, not too far from Cleveland.

Between the locals and sportswriters who have a personal vendetta against Modell for moving the team, it doesn't appear that the rest of the voters have either enough of a voice or enough of a spine to vote down the revenge-minded yet ignorant miscreants. With other owners deservedly in the Hall, Modell equally if not more so, also has earned the right to be inducted. That honor is overdue and it will be a shame if that honor is awarded posthumously when there is still a chance to right this terrible wrong.

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rightly or wrongly..

he will not be forgiven for leaving Cleveland! Not saying its right, but, you know how it goes.

A man is innocent untill proven guilty...Even if it's Ben Roethlisberger!
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"Government is not the solution to our problems, it is the cause of them" Ronald Wilson Reagan..40th President of the United States

by nycsteelerfan on Nov 29, 2011 7:37 AM EST reply actions

Yep...

I agree and its retarded. Al Davis got in, after he moved the Raiders repeatedly and sued every entity involved repeatedly…got in. Like Art, Davis did a Lot of important things early in his career that for most fans don’t remember. But for whatever reason, Davis got his nob polished when he died by everyone, while Art is person non grata by the league.

He will get in when he dies though. Which just goes to show how retarded and vindictive some sports writers can be.

"The ball always seems to find Ed Reed...The man is a menace"

by UMBC Oriole fan on Nov 29, 2011 9:29 AM EST up reply actions

Ralph Wilson of Buffal is in

and deserved to be, but his accomplishments ere not quite what Modell’s were.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Nov 29, 2011 9:31 AM EST up reply actions

Actually, no I don't

There are a lot of voters outside of Cleveland that if they banded together and had a pair of stones, they’d overlook that and acknowledge what the man did for the league and vote him in!

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Nov 29, 2011 9:31 AM EST up reply actions

Art Modell an NFL ICON!!!!

There is no denying that Art Modell is the heart and soul of the NFL. Mr. Modell as well as the other owners back in the day is the reason the league is what it is. Without him and people like him the league would be no where near as popular and far reaching as it is. The snub by the Hall of Fame writers is a travisty and needs to be corrected. Any writer that didn’t vote for Mr. Modell should be ashamed of themselves. This just goes to show what the writers really know. Let’s just hope that he does get in before he passes. Thank goodness for people like Art Modell who did finally bring a team to Baltimore or we may not be having this conversation. Thank you Mr. Modell

jeff klein

by jklein on Nov 29, 2011 12:09 PM EST reply actions

Are you pushing for him to be in the Hall of Fame, or for beatification?

Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.

State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel

by Ampallang on Nov 29, 2011 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

Pushing for Hall of Fame. However he is one of the few left from the early years of the NFL

jeff klein

by jklein on Nov 29, 2011 3:19 PM EST reply actions

Totally Agree

Should have a statue on other side of the stadium from Johnny U.

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Nov 29, 2011 3:28 PM EST up reply actions

Nope - that's too far.

Art brought us a team and I thank him for it. Art didn’t pioneer Baltimore football though and while he should be in the NATIONAL Football HoF, his real contribution to Baltimore’s football history was short and ended with his signature on the sale documents to Biscotti. Modell’s Baltimore legacy mostly consists of placing a call to Mayflower and then selling to local ownership. Not really statue worthy here when compared to Unitas, now is it?

Cam Cameron - the creator of the Prevent Offense™, and best-selling author of "150 Short Runs Into the Line on 3rd and 10"

re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs

by GrumpyOldBird on Nov 29, 2011 4:25 PM EST up reply actions

agreed!

I have a question for you guys. Why did the city of Baltimore let the Colts go? Stadium? attendance?

thanx!

by nycsteelerfan on Nov 29, 2011 5:38 PM EST up reply actions

Let Them Go?

Where to begin…

Long story short, Bob “hiccup” Irsay, dead father of Jim Irsay (current owner of the dolts), sneaked the team out of town overnight (literally) when he feared the Maryland legislature was going to Eminent Domain the team in March of 1984. Irsay had been whining about attendance and revenues, but this was after he hallowed out the team. The Colts of the late ’70’s and early ’80’s were a far cry from their heyday, all attributed to Irsay as Irsay acquired the team in 1972.

The City of Baltimore most certainly did not let them go…

From 1957 – 1977, for over twenty seasons, Baltimore had one of the highest winning percentages, three Championships, two other championship appearances, eight division championships plus two additional wildcard appearances. Not sure how many other teams can claim a run for as long as that comparable to that; maybe Dallas; maybe Green Bay. San Fran And P-burgh both had a decade or so of sustained excellence, but not 20+ years in a row’s worth.

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For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Nov 29, 2011 6:11 PM EST up reply actions

I heard that..

memorial stadium was a dump, true? I hear the M T bank staduim is really nice and camden yds is wonderful..I saw that myself! I remember the bert jones roger carr connections and Lydel Mitchell, raymond chester and the “sack” pack! excellent teams from the middle 70s.

by nycsteelerfan on Nov 29, 2011 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

While I disagree with Vlad on the 70s Colts – as you say, the Jones/Carr/Mitchell era, was better than he gives it credit for, but it was certainly not the Unitas era champions-every-year Colts of the late 50s and 60s.

Memorial Stadium was well past its prime, certainly. But this was before the era of sports teams holding cities and states hostage to get the public to pay for a windfall income the public wouldn’t get back (as we eventually did for Art with M&T). In fact, it may have been one of the original test cases.

We had a stubborn mayor (to say the least) who didn’t like being blackmailed and threatened and he played hardball with Irsay, which Irsay also wasn’t used to. In retaliation, Irsay drunkenly sent his drug addict son (why people seem to want to relieve Jimmy of involvement, I’ll never know) out as point man, visiting other cities/mayors/rich guys and trying to sell the team. So while our mayor was slowly trying to convince the state legislature to give up the cash for a new stadium (in a state where Baltimore is considered the red headed step child), Irsay found a cohort in the Indy mayor who was actively looking to steal a team and thus a hatred was born… LOL

Cam Cameron - the creator of the Prevent Offense™, and best-selling author of "150 Short Runs Into the Line on 3rd and 10"

re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs

by GrumpyOldBird on Nov 30, 2011 10:09 AM EST up reply actions

I Gave Credit

To the early and mid- ’70’s Colts. Their records-
1970: 11-2-1 Super Bowl Winners
1971: 10-4 Wildcard (lost to fins in playoffs after beating the brownies in the first round)
1972: 5-9 First losing season in 16 years -not too shabby
1973: 4-10 but some rookie by the name of Bert Jones wins the last two games that season
1974: 2-12 foreshadowing what was to come under the new regime
1975: 10-4 Division champs; get knocked out in the first round by the squeelers
1976: 11-3 Repeat Division champs; some guy named Bert Jones wins the MVP for the season
1977: 10-4 Three-peat Division champs but lose to Raiders in double OT in the playoffs

But seriously, Bert Jones was my favorite Colt as a child growing up. Those last three years mentioned were all Ted Marchibroda as Irsay fired him in ’76 (typical Irsay move) but the players threatened mutiny so Bob had to ask Ted back. 1972 – 74 were more indicative of Irsay than the three Ted Marchibroda years.

By 1978, Irsay’s neglect of the franchise took firm root and it was downhill from there.

Grump is correct in his description of Jim, though.

Yeah, Memorial Stadium was starting to show its age towards the end (Orioles would play there through 1991 though) and as an eclectic footnote, a small single engine place crashed into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium shortly after a football game in December 1976 -luckily no one was hurt including the pilot.

For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Nov 30, 2011 11:05 AM EST up reply actions

And probably the other thing that closed the door on the Colts staying in Baltimore was when that buck-toothed weasel, John Elway refused to play here after we drafted him in ’83. He was the “hope” for a resurrection.

Cam Cameron - the creator of the Prevent Offense™, and best-selling author of "150 Short Runs Into the Line on 3rd and 10"

re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs

by GrumpyOldBird on Nov 30, 2011 11:16 AM EST up reply actions

I Still

Can’t get with anything Elway-related. Hate that bastard.

The fact that he is saddled with Tebow is kind of sweet irony. And no, I do not believe Tebow can keep pulling rabbits out of his never regions…

For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Nov 30, 2011 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

Depends on how long

opposing offenses refuse to score enough on Denver’s D, making it possible for Tebow to come back. Seriously, take advantage of the fact that that offense rarely does shit for 55 mins and get a 21 point lead. A Tebow-led has rarely scored more than 2 TDs a game.

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by organizedchaos52 on Nov 30, 2011 12:59 PM EST up reply actions

It's A

Gimmick offense that will get exposed sooner rather than later. Yeah, they are aided by a pretty good defense that will keep them in most games, but still.

A pretty good assessment from an unlikely source can be found here.

For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Nov 30, 2011 1:47 PM EST up reply actions

Try

Here

For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind

by vlad755 on Nov 30, 2011 1:48 PM EST up reply actions

Ah but,...

…without Modell, there would be no Baltimore Ravens!

aka 'Rexx'

by Bruce Raffel on Nov 29, 2011 5:32 PM EST reply actions

Yup! Dude should be in Baltimore’s HoF. Along with Cal, Frank, Brooks, Johnny, Ray, and the Wire.

you remember that play, from that game, on that day. sweet, right?... right...

by El.Dude on Nov 30, 2011 9:40 AM EST up reply actions

Late to the dance here, but...

…Art belongs in the Hall. Period. Several previous posters stated very well that skank owners like Al Davis got in as did a few other less scrupulous owners (and players)… Art has always been a man of class, something the NFL sorely needs right now. I mean seriously, Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell will probably get in. Why not Art Modell?

by Smiley4660 on Nov 30, 2011 9:53 PM EST reply actions