Gonzalez to Hall with Bailey, Reed
ATLANTA – For towering tight end Tony Gonzalez, this was a slam dunk.
The 6-foot-5 Gonzalez, who turned the celebratory post-TD dunk over the crossbar into an art form, was voted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Joining him will be two more firsttime nominees, Champ Bailey and Ed Reed, along with another defensive back, Ty Law, and center Kevin Mawae; Law and Mawae were both in their third year as finalists.
Mawae, who serves as an offensive analyst for Arizona State football under his former Jets coach Herm Edwards, was a second-round draft pick in 1994 and played 16 seasons for the Seahawks, Jets and Titans. He made three All-Pro teams and joins Mike Webster, Dwight Stevenson and Jim Otto among the few true centers in Canton.
The contributor nominees, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and Cowboys and NFL executive Gil Brandt, each made it, as did senior Johnny Robinson, the defensive back who helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 4.
Gonzalez started in Kansas City and finished in Atlanta, where voters met on the eve of the Super Bowl to select the Class of 2019; they didn’t need much time to debate his worthiness.
In short, Gonzalez had more than his fair share of chances to jam. (Maybe not by accident, the NFL banned the practice in 2014, the year after he retired.)
The most prolific pass catcher at his position over a 17-year career, Gonzalez caught 1,325 passes (second in NFL history) for 15,127 yards (sixth) and 111 touchdowns. He was a six-time All-Pro, made 14 Pro Bowls, and his 916 catches with the Chiefs set one of 22 franchise records he held upon his retirement.
“I knew I had a good chance, I’m not going to lie about that,” he said. “Still, when you hear the knock, your heart drops.”
Like so many great cornerbacks, Bailey did not rewrite the record book, in part because he was, for a huge chunk of his career, considered the best cover guy in the league. So most quarterbacks simply avoided him. Still, he made three AllPro teams, 12 Pro Bowls and a none-tooshabby 52 interceptions.
Reed won his only title in the 2012 season, his last with the Ravens. Running the defense from his safety position, he was a standout playmaker on a roster full of them – including Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Peter Boulware. Reed finished his career with 64 interceptions.
Law finished with 53 interceptions and three Super Bowl rings, all with the Patriots.
Bowlen goes in after what some believe was a longer-than-necessary wait. He is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which has put the future of the Broncos’ franchise on uncertain ground.
Bowlen was key in securing the NFL’s future via a number of multibillion-dollar TV contracts.
Brandt spent 29 years with the Cowboys, where his keen eye for talent helped turn Dallas into “America’s Team.”
Robinson was the key to a defense that helped Kansas City to two AFL titles, each of which landed the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.