Big 3 Sports Blog

When a player makes it into their respective Hall of Fame, you assume they’re the best of the best, right?  Well, that’s not always true.  Sometimes they are the beneficiary of being on a very good team, a very memorable moment, or simply having a very long career.    They are Hall of Famers, they are good…but are they as good as people remember them being?  You be the judge.  Here is my “top” 10 underrated Hall of Famers from the last 50 years.  And when I say most overrated Hall of Famers, I don’t mean the worst Hall of Famers, I mean overrated in comparison to how many seem to remember them.

Honorable Mention - Archie Manning
What Is True – Although he is not a Hall of Famer, often times people talk like he was…he is the father of Peyton & Eli…let’s face it, if this were not the case, we would know basically nothing about him
What Is Also True – He had a putrid career 35-101-3 record as a starter, a 125 to 173 TD to INT ratio, career 67.1 passer rating, and never played in a Playoff game; no way we even know his name if it wasn’t for his kids

10. Troy Aikman
What Is True – He was a 3-time Super Bowl Champion, and compiled an 11-4 postseason record
What Is Also True – He had a very average 165-141 TD to INT ratio, averaged less than 14 Touchdowns per season, and had 20+ Touchdowns in a season only once; solid Quarterback, but was definitely the beneficiary of a great defense, along with several other Hall of Famers on his side of the ball; Note - I think he is one of the best color analysts in professional sports!

9. Nolan Ryan
What Is True – He is the career leader with 5,714 Strikeouts and 7 No-Hitters, and amassed 324 career Wins
What Is Also True – He is also the career leader with 2,795 Walks, had a mediocre 324-292 record, won 20+ games only twice (in a 27 year career), and never won a Cy Young Award; the ultimate stat-collector

8. Terry Bradshaw
What Is True – He was a 4-time Super Bowl Champion and 2-time Super Bowl MVP
What Is Also True – He had a career 51.9% completion percentage, a very average 212-210 TD to INT ratio, a career 70.9 passer rating, and was the beneficiary of one of the best defenses ever assembled

7. James Worthy
What Is True – He was a 3-time NBA Champion, and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP
What Is Also True – Although he did average almost 18 Points per game, he (as a Forward) averaged just 5 Rebounds per game, never finished in top 10 of NBA MVP voting, and after Magic retired, he led the Lakers to just 1 Playoff appearance (1^st round loss); solid player, but statistically barely “worthy” of the Hall of Fame

6. Andre Dawson
What Is True – He won the 1977 Rookie of the Year, the 1987 NL MVP, hit 438 career Home Runs, and had an absolute cannon in right field
What Is Also True – Played in the Playoffs only 2 seasons, hit over 33 Home Runs just once (49 in 1987), hit under .275 nine times in his career; playing in the MLB for 21 years, he was a stat collector

5. Lynn Swann
What Is True – He was a 4-time Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl X MVP, and made one of the best Super Bowl catches in history
What Is Also True – He never had 900+ yards Receiving in a season, and had only 336 career Receptions and 51 career TDs; all very average numbers

4. Bill Mazeroski
What Is True – Hit a World Series winning, walkoff Home Run to beat the Yankees in the 1960 World Series
What Is Also True – He had a career .260 Batting Average and 138 career Home Runs; without that Home Run, not a chance he sniffs the Hall of Fame

3. Bill Walton
What Is True – He was a 2-time NBA Champion, the 1977 NBA Finals MVP, and the 1978 NBA MVP
What Is Also True – Played in 50+ games only 6 times in his career, made it to the 2^nd Round of Playoffs only 3 times in his career, and averaged just 13 Points per game; he is undoubtedly one of the best college players ever, but how he is a NBA Hall of Famer is beyond me

2. Bill Bradley
What Is True – He was a 2-time NBA Champion, and one of only 2 players to win an NBA Title, a EuroLeague Title, and an Olympic Gold Medal (other being Manu Ginobili); also served 3 terms as Senator of New Jersey
What Is Also True – Averaged just 12 Points, 3 Rebounds, and 3 Assists per game, and had just a .4% Hall of Fame probability…yes, less than 1%

1. Joe Namath
What Is True – He led the underdog Jets to a Super Bowl III victory, and was one of the more popular athletes of his generation
What Is Also True – He had a very pedestrian 62-63-4 career record as a starter, a pretty awful 173-220 TD to INT ratio, a career 67.1 passer rating, and was over .500 in all of 3 full seasons as a starter

Like this article?  Share it on Twitter or Facebook.  Like us?  Follow us on Twitter (@big3sportsblog1) or like our Facebook page (@big3sportsblog).  Not a fan?  Tell us why!