Worst Hall of Fame Snub

1.

Pete Rose

By: beej     9 votes

With 4,256 career hits, "Charlie Hustle" has more hits, games played and at bats than anyone in baseball history. He was a 17-time All-Star and a three-time World Series champion. Rose was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year and 1973 NL MVP. He was also named MVP of the 1975 World Series. After gambling on baseball as a manager, however, Rose was banned for life and his eligibility into the Hall of Fame has been revoked.

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2.

Joe Jackson

By: beej     8 votes

Banned for life in 1920, Jackson, who played left field for most of his career, currently has the third highest career batting average. With his career having been cut short, the usual decline of a batter's hitting skills toward the end of a career did not have a chance to occur. In 1911, Jackson hit for a .408 average. That average is still the sixth highest single-season total since 1901, which marked the beginning of the modern era for the sport. His average that year set the record for highest batting average in a single season by a rookie. Babe Ruth claimed that he modeled his hitting technique after Jackson's. Jackson still holds the White Sox franchise records for triples in a season and career batting average. In 1999, he ranked number 35 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. The fans voted him as the 12th best outfielder of all-time.

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3.

Cris Carter

By: beej     5 votes

Carter finished No. 2 behind Jerry Rice in career receptions (1,101) and touchdowns (130) by a receiver. On December 28, 2008 Marvin Harrison of the Indianapolis Colts passed Carter to take the 2nd place position in career receptions. He is one of only 5 players in NFL History with 1,000 or more receptions (1,101). He is the only player to record 120+ receptions in a season twice (1994 & 1995). He also holds the record for most touchdown passes caught by African American passers, 73 (Randall Cunningham, Warren Moon, Daunte Culpepper). He was named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. Carter was one of fifteen finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2008, but was not elected in a surprise to some commentators.

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4.

Jerry Kramer

By: beej     6 votes

Kramer played in 129 regular season games and was selected as an All-Pro five times (1960, 1962, 1963, 1966, and 1967). He was the only guard selected for the NFL's 50th Anniversary All-Time team, and the only member of that team not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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5.

Jim Marshall

By: beej     3 votes

A two-time Pro Bowler, Marshall's #70 is retired in Minnesota. The defensive end played in 282 consecutive games and started 270 in a row. He also recorded an NFL record 29 fumble recoveries.

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6.

Ray Guy

By: beej     5 votes

Ray Guy was the first and only punter to ever be selected in the first round in the NFL Draft. Ray Guy retired in 1986. During his career, Guy played in 207 consecutive games, punted 1,049 times for 44,493 yards, averaging 42.4 yards per punt, with a 33.8 net yards average, had 210 punts inside the 20 yard line (not counting his first 3 seasons, when the NFL did not keep track of this stat), with just 128 touchbacks, led the NFL in punting three times, had a streak of 619 consecutive punts before having one blocked, has a record of 111 career punts in post season games, had five punts of over 60 yards during the 1981 season and never had a punt returned for a touchdown. Guy was also a seven-time Pro Bowler, a three time World Champion and was the punter on the NFL's 75th Anniversary team.

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7.

Andre Dawson

By: beej     4 votes

The 1977 NL Rookie of the Year and 1987 NL MVP, Andre Dawson was an eight-time Gold Glover and an eight-time All-Star. He finished his career with 2,774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases, and 1,591 RBI. He is one of only six players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career (300-300 club); the other players to accomplish this are Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Steve Finley. Dawson is also one of only three members of the 400 HR-300 SB club, along with Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.

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8.

Steve Tasker

By: beej     4 votes

Although he was listed as a wide receiver, and played occasionally at that position during his career (especially in his later years with the Bills), he is mostly remembered for his work as a gunner. Despite a diminutive stature by NFL standards (5'9", 185 lb), Tasker gained a reputation as one of the league's most feared hitters as he covered both punt and kickoff returns (known as being a gunner), forcing numerous fumbles by opposing return men. Contributing to his success in breaking up kick returns was his great speed; Tasker was almost always the first player to reach the return man, gaining an advantage of several seconds for his team. He was the first player to establish himself as a major star almost exclusively through special teams play without being either a kicker or a return man. Tasker played in seven Pro Bowls (1987 and 1990-1995) as a special-teamer and was named the game's MVP in 1993. Many, including former teammate and Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly, consider him to be the greatest special teams player of all time and believe that he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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9.

Bert Blyleven

By: beej     3 votes

Blyleven is often considered to be the best eligible pitcher not yet in the Baseball Hall of Fame; his first year of eligibility was 1998 and if not elected by the 2012 ballot, he will lose eligibility for election through the writers' vote. If that happens, he can still enter the Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee. He currently ranks 5th all-time in Strikeouts, 9th all-time in Shutouts, and 27th all-time in Wins. He is the only retired member of the 3000 strikeout club not in the Hall of Fame.

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10.

Chris Doleman

By: beej     4 votes

Doleman was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft and began his NFL career as an outside linebacker in the Vikings 3-4 defense. However, the team switched to a 4-3 defense early in his career. The move paid off for Doleman, who recorded 21 sacks in the 1989 season, the highest total recorded that season and the third highest total ever. He was a First-team All-Pro in 1987, 1989 and 1992. He garnered Second-team All-Pro selections in 1990 and 1993.

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11.

Ricky Watters

By: beej     5 votes

Watters played for ten seasons in the NFL with San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Seattle. He was selected by San Francisco in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft, but sat out the entire 1991 season with injuries. He started at running back for the 49ers during the next three seasons and San Francisco's offense led the NFL in scoring and yardage each year. In a January 1994 divisional playoff, Watters set an NFL postseason record with five rushing touchdowns in the game, as the 49ers trounced the New York Giants 44-3. In Super Bowl XXIX the following season, Watters scored three touchdowns in San Francisco's 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers, tying a Super Bowl mark shared by fellow 49ers Roger Craig and Jerry Rice, and later matched by Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos. Watters finished his professional career with 10,643 yards rushing and 4,248 yards receiving and 91 total touchdowns in regular season play. Watters is the only NFL running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season for three different teams. Despite his 5 Pro Bowl selections and his high rankings in total rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, criticism of his lack of professional demeanor was cited by voters as a primary reason for his failure to be inducted.

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12.

Ken Anderson

By: beej     4 votes

Anderson, a four time Pro Bowler and 1981 NFL MVP, reitred following the 1986 season. At the time, he held NFL records for consecutive pass completions (20), completion percentage for a single game (20 of 22, 90.9%, vs. Pittsburgh in 1974) and completion percentage for a season (70.6% in 1982), as well as the Super Bowl records for completion percentage (73.5%) (since broken by Phil Simms) and completions (25). Furthermore, Ken was ranked 6th all-time for passing yards in a career at the time of his retirement. Ken's record for completion percentage in a season still stands over 20 years after his retirement. As of 2005, he is among the top 30 all-time leaders in pass attempts (24th), completions (18th), passing yards (21st) and passing touchdowns (28th). He led the NFL in passing yards and completions twice, and lead the league in fewest interceptions per pass attempt 3 times. He ranks second in NFL history for postseason quarterback rating, 93.5 (Joe Montana ranks first with a postseason rating of 96.3).

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