Nine individuals were granted football immortality Thursday as part of their elections into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
They are: offensive tackle Joe Thomas, linebacker Zach Thomas, linebacker DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Darrelle Revis, cornerback Rondé Barber, coach Don Coryell (deceased), linebacker Chuck Howley, defensive lineman Joe Klecko and cornerback Ken Riley (deceased).
The newest batch of inductees were announced during the “NFL Honors” show. They will take their place in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5. A 49-person selection committee met on Jan. 17 to vote on the 19 finalists.
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Here’s more about each of the nine newest Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Rondé Barber
No cornerback in history has more sacks and he is the only player in NFL history with at least 45 interceptions and 25 sacks. He returned eight of his 47 career regular-season interceptions for touchdowns. Barber won Super Bowl 37 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team he spent his entire 16-year career with.
Don Coryell
Already a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Coryell has been eligible for the Hall for 36 years and a finalist for the last seven. He coached 14 seasons with the St. Louis Caridnals (1973-77) and the San Diego Chargers (1978-1986) and took both teams to the postseason. During his college coaching career, Joe Gibbs and John Madden were assistants on his staff.
Chuck Howley
Howley was drafted seventh overall in the 1958 draft by the Chicago Bears out of West Virginia. He retired the next season after suffering what was thought to be a career-ending injury. But he participated in the West Virginia alumni game in 1961 and mounted a comeback that landed him in Canton. He was the MVP of Super Bowl 5, making him the first defensive player (and non-quarterback) to win those honors. He’s also the only Super Bowl MVP from the losing team. Howley was All-Pro from 1966-70 and was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1977.
Joe Klecko
Only five New York Jets players have had their jerseys retired, and Kelcko’s No. 73 is one of them. He’s the second player in NFL history, along with Frank Gifford, to be selected to the Pro Bowl at three different positions.
Darrelle Revis
At the peak of his career, no quarterback would so much as look in the direction of Revis. Hence, the iconic nickname “Revis Island” he picked up in the early part of his career with the Jets. He finished his career with 29 interceptions and 139 passes broken up and was also a member of the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl 49 team. Revis and Joe Thomas are the lone first-ball Hall of Famers in this year’s class.
Ken Riley
A quarterback in college at Florida A&M, he converted to cornerback for his 15 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals (1969-1983). He led the AFC in interceptions for three seasons and is tied for fifth with Charles Woodson on the NFL’s all-time interceptions list. Riley picked up the nickname “Mr. Bengal” and died on June 7, 2020 in his native Bartow, Florida.
Joe Thomas
The 21st century version of the NFL’s ironmen, Thomas played 10,363 consecutive snaps at one point in his career that ended after suffering a torn triceps on Oct. 22, 2017. Thomas retired after that season, but not before becoming the first offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons – all with the Cleveland Browns. He allowed a total of 30 sacks over his career and was a first-team All-Pro in six seasons.
Zach Thomas
Thomas made an immediate impact by winning 1996 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Miami Dolphins, where he played from 1996-2007. Thomas amassed 100 tackles in each of his first 11 seasons and was a first-team All-Pro five times. He finished his career with 20.5 sacks and played his last season in 2008 with the Dallas Cowboys.
DeMarcus Ware
In his 12 NFL seasons, Ware played on only one team with a losing record. With the Dallas Cowboys (2005-13), he twice led the NFL in sacks (2008, 2010) and holds the Cowboys’ career sacks record with 117. Ware won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos – he had two sacks and four quarterback hits in the game – and was named first-team All-Pro on four occasions.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
