Old Timers Who Belong in the HOF

[TanksAndSpartans]

Wow! Awesome items.

Mike, nice Lavie Dilweg piece. I also bid on a matchbook once which I think may have been a promotional piece for his campaign, but I’m not sure.

Jeff, great idea for a thread. Several of the players depicted in your Canton Bulldogs composite in addition to Calac are on my list of pre-NFL players worth a look for the HOF:

Ralph “Fats” Waldsmith (who I list first because I have him as the best Center of the era which is saying something because there was good competition)
Howard “Cap” Edwards
Clarence “Doc” Spears
Milton Ghee (probably not considered as good of a pure passer as his contemporaries Al Marht and Gus Dorias, but I liken him to Bob Waterfield.)

Not to go on a tangent, but... my records have Greasy Neale playing for Canton in ’15 and ’17 which matches him not being in your composite, but why didn't he play in '16? He didn't want to risk his day job?

Nice photos of Ted and Al. I think Frank is the most underrated - he was a solid passer, punter, and ball carrier and played some minor league baseball which to me shows he was a solid athlete, not just a big goon on the line . Wikipedia says this:

"Nesser was also a minor league baseball player in the Ohio State League from 1910–1914. He later played in the North Carolina State League in 1915 and 1916. After abandoning baseball for a few years he restarted his career in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League in 1920 and played one final season, in 1921, in the Michigan–Ontario League. He left baseball after 9 seasons in which he posted a .325 batting average."

It would be something if there had been a baseball card of Frank. I think some of the contemporary tobacco card issues did include minor leaguers.

Great signed Latone piece. He was a senior finalist at one point and in Ralph Hickok's bio of Johnny Blood where they are both at the HOF in '73 and Blood is asked by John Bankert and Jim Campbell if any players from his era ought to be in the HOF he said:

"Tony was a Jim Taylor type, ran low with real high knee action, and you couldn't hit him hard enough to make him happy. You could just clobber him, you'd think you wiped him out, knocked him out of the game, and he'd get up and grin at you. Like he was saying, 'Is that the best you can do?' If you tried to tackle him low, one of his knees might break your nose, and if you tried to get him high, he'd carry you on his back for five or six yards, and then he wouldn't go down unless a couple other people helped you out. He was also a great linebacker, if he played today, he'd be in a class with Nitschke and Butkus, the same type, a ferocious hitter. And he could also get into pass coverage when he had to."

[AFLfan]

Here are a handful from my little era...

[Bigshot69]

Maybe not old school, but I always felt Karl Mecklenburg should be in the HoF. The guy has nearly 80 sacks, 4 X 1st Team All-NFL, and literally carried an otherwise weak Broncos defense during thier first couple AFC Championship runs with Elway under Center.

[pclpads]

Charley Conerly QB of the '50's Giants; and the '60's AFL Dolts guard Walt Sweeney. Always surprised the Giffer didn't push for CC's election as they were teammates for 10 years and from what I've read, pretty tight. And CC was a helluva QB in his own stead.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Charlie Conerly, Bill Forester, Alex Karas

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by TanksAndSpartans

Not to go on a tangent, but... my records have Greasy Neale playing for Canton in ’15 and ’17 which matches him not being in your composite, but why didn't he play in '16? He didn't want to risk his day job?

Neale played for years for the Bulldogs under assumed names. One of them was "Fischer". Accounts vary as to whether he played at all in Canton in 1916. Here are a few Greasy Neale items you might like.





From a 1913 West Virginia Wesleyan basketball team composite:




jeff

[TanksAndSpartans]

Thanks Jeff - great Neale player collection and I'm glad you posted the Canton composite - that's such a great piece. Did you get the '22 one BST auctioned off last year? I stick to cards, but that one really tempted me especially since I thought it went low for what it was, but I have no idea about memorabilia prices.

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by TanksAndSpartans

Did you get the '22 one BST auctioned off last year? I stick to cards, but that one really tempted me especially since I thought it went low for what it was, but I have no idea about memorabilia prices.

I did. Have missed on that item a few times in the past. I'm putting together a run of NFL championship team photos from 1920-1969 and was missing a 1922 Canton Bulldogs photo so happy to finally snag this!



jeff

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by jefferyepayne

I'm putting together a run of NFL championship team photos from 1920-1969 and was missing a 1922 Canton Bulldogs photo so happy to finally snag this!

I would hope 1925 is not represented by the Cardinals.

[TanksAndSpartans]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

I would hope 1925 is not represented by the Cardinals.

+1

And congrats on the '22 composite.

Lots of great players mentioned. I've always really liked the '50 Bowman Conerly. If I had an an Al Wistert, I'd add him as well.

[revmoran]

Some here will appreciate this advertisement from an NFL program from October 10, 1926