Ed Sabol Elected to NFL Hall of Fame

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 06:33:00 PM EST
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Update: Congratulations, Ed Sabol! The Hall of Fame Class of 2011: Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Ed Sabol, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter, Deion Sanders and Shannon Sharp. Video telling NFL Films story with Steve Sabol (already wearing his red socks) accepting award for his father here.

Update: Live: Ed Sabol makes the final 10. Other 9 are Dawson, Dent, Faulk, Kennedy, Martin, Reed, Roaf, Sanders and Sharpe. Now waiting for them to get down to 5.

Bump and Update 2/5/10: 4:30 pm MT: The meeting lasted 7 hours and 27 minutes. Announcements in 30 minutes. You can watch Steve Sabol discuss his dad's potential induction here. They will all be wearing red socks at the Superbowl in honor of his dad, including the Commissioner. (His dad wears red socks when watching the Superbowl every year. Steve said 130 people will tomorrow.)[More...]

The longest Hall of Fame debate was Ed Sabol. (37 minutes.) Second longest: Deion Sanders.Willie Roaf's debate took 11 minutes. Shannon Sharpe took 12 minutes.

There are nine votes. The two senior nominees are voted on separately after their presentations. The remaining modern era candidates then are discussed. Following the last one, the 15 are pared down to 10, and then to five. Once down to five, there is a separate vote on each, in which the candidate must receive 80 percent of the total vote -- or 36 yes votes from the 44 selectors -- to gain induction.

Original Post 2/4/10

Ed Sabol For the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tomorrow, the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will meet in North Texas and elect the Hall of Fame Class of 2011. Results will be announced at 7 p.m. ET during an NFL Network special. There are 5 spots for 15 nominees.

Ed Sabol, the founder of NFL films, is one of the finalists. Here's one view of why he should receive the award. Here's another and another and another. As CNN says, "Through Ed Sabol's lens, the NFL and its players became mythic."

"Big Ed", as he's known, is now 94 and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. CNN says he's playing down the idea of being elected to the Hall of Fame and "fully satisfied with a career of bringing the drama of Sunday's gladiators to America's TV screens." I don't think so.

Ed's daughter, Blair Sabol, the irreverent fashion writer once known as the Abbie Hoffman of Seventh Avenue , (and my principal reason for reading the Village Voice back in those days) is Ed's daughter and my friend. Blair tells me the Hall of Fame award is a huge deal and would mean the world to Ed. They are keeping their fingers crossed for tomorrow.

So if any of the 44 people who vote tomorrow are on the fence and wondering if it would mean a lot to Ed, please know that it does.

NFL Films revolutionized televised sports. And without it, there would be no visually recorded history of what happened at games through the years, no way to look back and re-watch the great moments. As one writer said, "You can't tell the history of the NFL without including Ed Sabol and NFL Films."

Via USA Today:

NFL Films contains more than 100 million feet of footage, including 9,000-plus games. It has won nearly 100 Emmy Awards....Unlike baseball, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not have a special category for non-players who made significant contributions to the sport.

...."Take all of the other candidates, stack their accomplishments, and they haven't had the impact on the game that Ed Sabol has," said Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News, a Hall selector campaigning for Sabol. "It wouldn't be the incredible monolith it is without NFL Films."

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Big Ed too.

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Ed Sabol Elected to NFL Hall of Fame | 20 comments (20 topical)

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Ha. Jeralyn is invading BTD's domain! (none / 0) (#1)
by oculus on Fri Feb 04, 2011 at 10:37:32 PM EST

Yeah... (none / 0) (#2)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Fri Feb 04, 2011 at 10:44:26 PM EST

...he's done so much with SportsLeft.

I'll be rooting for Big Ed and the Mouth from the South--Shannon Sharpe--to be selected to the Hall. It is a crime that there aren't more Broncos in there.


Shannon... (none / 0) (#8)
by kdog on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 08:03:19 AM EST

took the revolutionization of the tight end position ball from Kellen and Ozzie and ran with with it...he should get in.

It's a deep class...someone is getting the shaft in the numbers game this year, and you can make a strong case for all the nominees. Personally I think Neon Deion can wait...great cover corner and returner, if not the best, but tackling is traditionally expected of all defensive players, Deion was known to shy away from tackling.


Every player no matter (none / 0) (#11)
by brodie on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 09:08:49 AM EST

how great has at least one flaw, and with DS as you note it was tackling (well, also showboating too much and too long before entering the end zone).

Not that bigga deal though, since during most of his prime time, for years, he made up for any flaws with his very well respected ability to cover receivers, anticipate where the ball would be, then pick it and frequently return it to the end zone. For years he was considered the best at his position, and so good that teams wouldn't bother even throwing the ball in his direction.

And as an added bonus, he was a major threat returning punts, again forcing the other team to kick away from him often for lousy yardage.

Deion Sanders in the HoF -- a no brainer in my book.


Does Charles Woodson actually tackle? (none / 0) (#12)
by oculus on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 10:04:12 AM EST

Don't forget Deion's MLB career.


: If we're counting baseball time (none / 0) (#15)
by CoralGables on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 01:29:25 PM EST

Bo would be miles ahead of neon.

Sharpe should get in... (none / 0) (#14)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 12:54:42 PM EST

...on his entertainment value alone! Although I can't stand him as a broadcaster, he was a hoot in the locker room. A better blocker than most people realize too.

Agree on Neon Deion. Too much flash, not enough substance.


: Curtis gets the arse-out... (none / 0) (#20)
by kdog on Sun Feb 06, 2011 at 06:32:17 AM EST

in the numbers game....highway robbery:(
I'm sure he'll get in next year...err he better get in next year. Deion deserves it, but not at the expense of Curtis Martin, and not first ballot...he was more than just a lousy tackler, the guy would literally run away from tackles. That's first ballot HOF?

Iowa sucks! (none / 0) (#9)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 08:09:51 AM EST

: That's all you got? (none / 0) (#13)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 12:25:56 PM EST

Florida blows!
/playground'd

Absolutely (none / 0) (#3)
by cal1942 on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 12:13:41 AM EST

made the "nfl mythic"

Perfect description Jeralyn

: Oops! (none / 0) (#4)
by cal1942 on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 12:16:18 AM EST

What CNN said.
But, great post Jeralyn.

many thanks (none / 0) (#5)
by jharp on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 12:26:34 AM EST

I really enjoyed watching his work. A lot.

Many many thanks Ed. I hope you get in. I think you deserve it.

Every area of endeavor should (none / 0) (#6)
by ruffian on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 06:22:01 AM EST

have an Ed Sabol. Good luck to him.

Could he be induced out of retirement to be WH communications director?

Ed Sabol... (none / 0) (#7)
by kdog on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 07:49:24 AM EST

should definitely get in...had as much of an impact in making pro football America's favorite sport as any of the great players.

John Facenda should get in one day too...the voice of NFL Films. Like Ed himself said..."he could make a laundry list sound like the Constitution of the United States."

As for the players, my main man Curtis Martin better get in...10 straight 1000 yard seasons, 4th all time leading rusher..whatever he lacked in flash and style he more than made up for with his working class work ethic, perserverance, grace, and humility...playing through injuries that would land most other backs on IR. Guy played on one knee for a whole season and got a thousand! Oldest player ever to lead the league in rushing. He may be last of the old-school everydown do-it-all running backs we ever see...run, catch, block, lead...Curtis did it all.

I"m all for Ed Sabol (none / 0) (#10)
by brodie on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 08:51:19 AM EST

getting in -- no one in any major sport captured the grit, fury and skill of the game like he and his crew did for so long. Often the highlights he did with Facenda as the voice over made for far more concentrated gridiron excitement than the games they filmed.

My only complaint is that with a game with so many position players and thus so many potentially eligible, and given the brutality and short-career span of the sport, the players should have earned the right to be given their full due with a selection process solely for themselves. There should be a separate category for non-players, coaches, announcers, etc, say max 2 a year with sufficient % of the votes.

My picks: 1) Marshall Faulk. 2) Deion Sanders. 3) Chris Carter. 4) Shannon Sharpe. 5) Ed Sabol.

cool story (none / 0) (#16)
by jharp on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 06:53:25 PM EST

Cool story. Thanks for posting.

Kind of shocked that Cris Carter didn't (none / 0) (#17)
by Anne on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 07:02:00 PM EST

make it, but happy for Sabol and Shannon Sharpe; Sharpe was a big part of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl run.

Now...if the Packers can just send the Steelers packing tomorrow, it will have been a good football weekend.

:-)

Abdolutely deserved. (none / 0) (#18)
by jeffinalabama on Sat Feb 05, 2011 at 07:06:54 PM EST

He and Jon Fazenda (sp?) made NFL.

: Why have neither of these names (none / 0) (#19)
by oculus on Sun Feb 06, 2011 at 12:01:07 AM EST

ever entered my awareness prior to J's post?