hen the Pro Football Hall-of-Fames board of selectors voted down senior candidate and AFL star Art Powell for the Class of 2024, football fans barely noticed. But they should have. Because by voting down Art Powell, the Halls board of selectors all but delivered a message to other AFL wide receivers waiting on Canton.
DO
NOT
APPLY.
Harsh? No question. But its the reality when youre talking AFL wide receivers like Lionel Taylor, Charley Hennigan and Otis Taylor. All are Hall-of-Fame worthy and deserve a shot at Canton. But they probably wont get it. Not after what happened this week with Powells failed candidacy. That's because Art Powell was more than a star receiver. He's what AFL historian Todd Tobias once called a touchdown machine, and the last time I heard a Hall-of-Fame candidate described like that was when Cris Carter was enshrined in 2013. Art Powell scored 81 times, and if thats sounds like a lot, youre warm. Its more than all AFL receivers except Hall-of-Famer Don Maynard. It's also more than Andre Johnson (70), one of five modern-era inductees this year, and Torry Holt (74), a Top-10 Hall finalist the past two years. Plus, it's only one less than Reggie Wayne, a Hall-of-Fame finalist the past five years. Yet Art Powell was never a finalist modern-era or senior until now, and when you look at his resume, its fair to ask why. He was a six-time all-AFL pick. Twice he led the league in receiving yards. Twice he led it in touchdown catches. And hes a member of the All-Time All-AFL team. He had the size, speed and strength to dominate opponents, and his numbers serve as proof: In 105 games (including 1959 when he was a defensive back with Philadelphia), he had 479 receptions for 8,046 yards and 81 TDs, a total that works out to an average
average
of 1,302 yards and 13 touchdowns a year in todays 17-game schedule. In short, Art Powell was a dominant wide receiver. Yet he was the first senior candidate denied by the board (the Centennial Class of 2020 was decided by a separare panel) since 2012 when it held back Dick Stanfel, whom it inducted four years later. When Tobias first heard the news, he was as dumbfounded as he was last August when Art Powell was named one of three senior finalists for the Class of 2024. His explanation then was that he thought voters had given up on former AFL stars. His explanation now is that he believes he was right. Hes not alone. So does Hall-of-Fame voter Rick Gosselin, a selector for the past 28 years and one of 12 members of its seniors committee. The committees gotten so young, he said on the latest Eye Test for Two podcast (https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/eyetestfortwo?selected=BRCM8031175340), that weve become a stats generated committee. And those receivers from the AFL arent going to have the stats of Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt and Andre Johnson. Yet, thats how this committee is judging them, and thats wrong. I think the AFLs been slighted tremendously in this process. There are a lot of AFL players that should be in the Hall of Fame that, based on Art Powell, may never get there. I think Lionel Taylor belongs. I think Charley Hennigan belongs. But if you turn down Art Powell, I dont think well ever bring those two guys out. Hes probably right. Like Powell, neither has been a Hall finalist. Yet Taylor led the AFL in receptions five of its first six years. He was also the first pro receiver to have 100 more catches in one season, doing it in 14 games (1961), and had four consecutive years where he produced 1,000 or more yards in receptions. In fact, his average of 84.7 catches from 1960-65 was then the highest six-season average in pro football history. Like Powell, Hennigan was an All-AFL member with a gaudy resume. In 1961, he set a league record with 1,746 yards receiving, including 822 in October -- still the platinum bar for a single calendar month. He was also the second pro receiver to catch 100 passes in one year (1964) and twice gain over 1,500 yards receiving in a single season (1961 and 1964). Plus, he holds the AFL record for most games with 200 or more yards receiving (3), most 100-yard games in one season (11) and most yards receiving in one contest.
That would be 271 in an Oct. 13, 1961 game vs. the Boston Patriots. Then theres Otis Taylor, a two-time AFL champion, Super Bowl champion, two-time first-team NFL All Pro, two-time all-AFL pick, AFL co-leader in receiving touchdowns (1967), NFL leader in single-season receiving yards (1971), AFL championship game MVP and recipient of the game-clinching touchdown pass in Super Bowl IV that pushed Kansas City to a 23-7 upset of Minnesota. Hes not only not in Canton; like Hennigan and Lionel Taylor, hes on nobodys radar. And may never be. Not after what happened with Art Powell. Look, Ive heard some AFL critics contend that when the league first began in 1960, the caliber of play did not measure up to the NFL
and that's accurate. But it didnt take long for it to closwe the gap, and Id offer the 1963 San Diego Chargers as an example. Lance Alworth was on that team, and hes in the Pro Football Hall. Oakland cornerback Willie Brown had to defend him, and hes in the Hall, too. So is Maynard, who began his pro career with the New York Titans in 1960 and is an All-Time All-AFL choice. Art Powell won't join them, and thats hard to fathom when you consider his accomplishments. All I know is that this may be ... and probably is ... the last we hear of Art Powell and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What I also know is that this may be ... and probably is ... the last we hear of other AFL wide receivers waiting on Canton, too. Art Powell becoming a finalist, but then failing to receive the votes for induction, said Tobias, does not bode well for all the other AFLers who, I believe, are deserving of a spot in Canton. I have to question the knowledge of the voters. That group is getting younger, and while they undoubtedly know contemporary football well, Im not sure they fully understand the differences in football across the generations. You simply cannot compare statistics from decades ago with modern players. Furthermore, blanket assumptions, such as the AFL not being a quality league in the early years, cannot be applied. A full understanding of each candidate is absolutely critical prior to casting a vote, especially when the senior list is so long and might not get another chance. And especially when it has enormous repercussions
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