The Pro Football Hall of Fame released their list of 15 finalists Thursday and one name was excluded that deserved a place on it.
Hines Ward.
Ward faced serious competition from other All-Pro receivers such as Reggie Wayne, Tory Holt and Andre Johnson, but the Steelers’ often overlooked and underappreciated receiver rightfully deserved his place among the 15 finalists.
The Steelers selected the Georgia Bulldog utility player with the last pick of the third round in the 1998 NFL Draft. Including the 13 wide receivers taken before Ward that year, only two of those 14 receivers truly stood out.
One was future Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Moss was selected with the 21st pick in the first round by the Vikings and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
The other was Hines Ward.
Ward’s draft class had flashy college names like Kevin Dyson, Jacquez Green and Joe Jurevicius, but their careers paled in comparison to his.
In his rookie season, Ward didn’t establish himself as an instant sensation. Far from it as he tallied 15 receptions for 246 yards.
But in his second year, he established his presence and eventually developed into a force for the Steelers over the next 13 years with the team.
Ward retired with 1,000 receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 TDs. He was also a 4x Pro Bowler and 2x Super Bowl Champion, taking home the Super Bowl XL MVP in 2006. In that game, he caught 5 passes for 123 yards and 1 TD that become the game-sealing 43-yard score.
His Hall of Fame competition fielded comparable numbers.
In 14 years, Reggie Wayne had 1,070 receptions for 14,345 yards and 82 TDs. He was a 6x Pro Bowler, 1x All-Pro and won a Super Bowl.
Andre Johnson, who also played for 14 years, garnered 1,062 receptions for 14,185 yards and 70 TDs. He was a 7x Pro Bowler and a 2x All-Pro.
Torry Holt played for 11 years and had 920 receptions for 13,382 yards and 74 TDs. He was a 7x Pro Bowler, 1x All-Pro and won a Super Bowl.
What Ward lacked in yardage he made up for in TDs, two Super Bowl wins and a Super Bowl MVP. Those are accolades Wayne, Johnson, Holt, and probably every other player would gladly sacrifice yardage for.
He also perfected one aspect of the game that receivers are asked to do at an early age but few truly master.
He blocked, hard and willingly.
Standing 6 feet tall and a shade over 200 pounds, Hines Ward was not an intimidating figure. But his physical stature cleverly masked the fullback, tight end and linebacker mentality living inside of a receiver’s body.
Hines was fearless. He would go over the middle, make the catch, get belted, and pop up with the completion and a smile on his face.
In the open field, he would gladly block any defender, no matter their size.
The highlight reels of Wards’ pancakes and the big hits he laughingly endured are well known, and it made opposing players hate him even more.
Ward was even voted the #1 Dirtiest Player in the League in a 2009 Sports Illustrated Poll. Remember, he was a receiver, not a defensive player.
That’s the intangible element Ward brought to every game each season, a quality the aforementioned competitors didn’t have, at least not at his level.
The mark of a Pro Football Hall of Famer is that he stood apart from his competition and generated individual statistical success over an extended period of time.
Ward did that and, most importantly, showed up in the biggest games, including two Super Bowl victories in three appearances.
Hines Ward has made the semifinal list every time since 2016, and he deserved to advance to the list of finalists this year.
Hopefully next year the voters won’t make the same mistake that they continue to make.
The same mistake that every other team made when they overlooked the second-best receiver in the 1998 NFL Draft.
