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WP: Art Monk Eliminated From Hall of Fame Voting


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Art Monk Eliminated From Hall of Fame Voting

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1162-2004Jan31.html

HOUSTON, Jan. 31 -- Former Washington Redskins wide receiver Art Monk failed to gain entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The 39 selectors met here Saturday morning and also voted to enshrine former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller and former Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Oakland offensive tackle Bob

Monk was among the five candidates eliminated in the first round of tiered voting during the selectors' annual meeting Saturday morning. The selectors first cut the list of finalists from 15 to 10, and Monk was eliminated along with Jim Marshall, George Young, Lester Hayes and Gary Zimmerman.

Monk, who has more catches than anyone currently enshrined in Canton, Ohio, also was eliminated in the first cut a year ago.

"Art Monk belongs in the Hall of Fame," Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said. "His teammates know it. Those he played against know it. His coaches know it, and all Redskins fans know it. There's no acceptable explanation for why he has been denied the honor he deserves."

When the voters cut the list from 10 candidates to six, they eliminated Harry Carson, Richard Dent, Cliff Harris and Bob Kuechenberg.

That left six candidates -- John Elway, Barry Sanders, Carl Eller, Rayfield Wright, Bob Brown and Bob Hayes. The final results of the balloting were not clear and were to be announced at an afternoon news conference here. As few as three of the final six candidates could end up being enshrined, or all six could.

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That absolutley sucks. Whoever is doing the voting for the fall should consider a better process of elimination.

There is no doubt in my mind that Monk is a Hall of Fame receiver and would have even had more yards if he didn't play over the middle as much as he did. He was tough, sure handed, and besides that a HARD WORKER with a training regiment that wasn't even matched by Darrell Green.

During that time the Skins had 3 receivers that got over 1000 yards.

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Originally posted by DieselPwr44

Somebody needs to seriously look into exactly why Zimmerman and Peter King have any kind of credentials to be voters. They obviously have no sense of history about the game nor do they even know the game of football.

add Lenny P to the Monk Haters

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Guest SkinsHokie Fan

I must have emailed each HOF voter a dozen times with different letters about why Monk belongs in the HOF. Sure seems like they took my input seriously

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I just got home from work and saw the news about Monk. I'm so fricking mad:evil: How in the world he is not already in the hof is beyond me. But not to make it again is just a crime. When he retired I thought he was a first ballot hall of famer for sure. Now I'm wondering if he will ever get in. I'm sure he will one day but it is a shame it has'nt happen yet. Who can I e-mail to bitc* to? I know it won't do any good but it will make me feel better:soapbox:

Art Monk for the hof in 2005!!!!!!:pint:

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No justice...no peace.:stick:

Let's start a year long campain emailing these ignorant sports writer sluts the definition of what a true hall-of-fame player should be.

Not to make the top ten is laughable. Not to be enshrined is beyond reason.

I can agree will Elway and Sanders, but Monk deserves the third spot.

Man, am I pissed.:mad:

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Article Updated

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1162-2004Jan31.html

Monk Is Passed Over Once Again

Elway, Sanders, Eller and Brown Are Elected to the Hall of Fame

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, February 1, 2004; Page E16

HOUSTON, Jan. 31 -- Former Washington Redskins wide receiver Art Monk failed to gain entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday as four enshrinees, including former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, were elected.

The 39 selectors met here Saturday morning and also voted to induct former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller and former Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Oakland offensive tackle Bob Brown.

Monk was among the five candidates eliminated in the first round of tiered voting during the selectors' annual meeting on the day before the Super Bowl. The selectors first cut the list of finalists from 15 to 10, and Monk was eliminated along with Jim Marshall, George Young, Lester Hayes and Gary Zimmerman.

Monk, who played on three Super Bowl-winning teams in 14 seasons with the Redskins and has more catches than anyone currently enshrined in Canton, Ohio, also was eliminated in the first cut a year ago.

"Art Monk belongs in the Hall of Fame," Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said. "His teammates know it. Those he played against know it. His coaches know it and all Redskins fans know it. There's no acceptable explanation for why he has been denied the honor he deserves."

Voters said there was no debate about Monk's candidacy during Saturday's meeting. His detractors maintain that Gary Clark, not Monk, made the most important catches during the Redskins' glory years and Monk didn't have any signature big-game moments.

Elway and Sanders breezed into the Hall in their first season of eligibility.

"When you think about the Hall of Fame, it seems like something that happens to someone else -- Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, names of that like," said Sanders, the third-leading rusher in NFL history behind Emmitt Smith and Payton. "To be here, I truly feel, in a lot of ways, out of place."

Elway is the winningest quarterback in NFL history and ranks second in pass attempts, completions and passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes. He retired after helping the Broncos to their second straight Super Bowl title after the 1998 season, and he said Saturday he was most proud of those two victories after he and his franchise became a national punch line with their three Super Bowl defeats earlier in his career.

"Probably the thing I'm most proud of is the fact I was able to hang in there and win a couple of Super Bowls," Elway said.

He recalled being benched in his first NFL start against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983.

"I wanted to click my heels and say, 'Auntie Em, bring me home. You can have my signing bonus, whatever. I don't want to be here any more looking at Jack Lambert spitting and drooling,' " Elway said. "It's amazing that I'm standing here today talking about it."

Sanders played his final NFL game when he was 30, retiring abruptly from the Lions after the '98 season, and was elected to the Hall at age 35. He shied from publicity until lately, when he has been making the rounds of interviewers while promoting his autobiography. He appeared Saturday with Elway and Eller at a news conference at the convention center at which the vote took place. He said he never was tempted to return to football as a player after retiring but he is talking to the Lions about going back to the organization in some capacity.

"I think I'll always miss it," Sanders said. "There's nothing like waking up on Sunday morning with the anticipation of a game."

Asked about his reasons for retiring, Sanders drew laughs by saying: "It doesn't sound like you bought a copy of my book." He added: "Simply put, it was time to move on. . . . It was time to do some other things in my life."

He called Jim Brown the most dominant running back in history and said that Gale Sayers and Payton also are at the top of his list. "I'm somewhere up there, but I definitely think there are some guys ahead of me," Sanders said.

Bob Brown was eligible for the Hall for 26 years and Eller for 20 years. "I was up all night pacing back and forth," Brown said. "Don't ever let anyone tell you they can be calm and cavalier about it."

Said Eller, a member of the famed "Purple People Eaters" defensive line on a Vikings team that lost four Super Bowls: "I think it was made better by the wait."

When the voters cut the list from 10 candidates to six, they eliminated Harry Carson, Richard Dent, Cliff Harris and Bob Kuechenberg. Rayfield Wright and Bob Hayes were eliminated in the final vote. To be enshrined, nominees had to be approved by at least 80 percent of the selectors, a group that includes Washington Post reporter Leonard Shapiro and columnist Michael Wilbon.

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