Joe Klecko.. & the Hall of Fame ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

When the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday trimmed its list of 25 semifinalists to 15 finalists for the Class of 2016, some of you asked, via Twitter, about Joe Klecko. 

Klecko, of course, is the ex-Jets star defensive lineman who played in the NFL from 1977-88 and spent all but that final season with the Jets.Klecko, 62, was a two-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler. He wound up with 24 career sacks, but all of those were officially concentrated between 1982 and 1987, because the NFL didn't recognize the sack statistic until 1982.One of Klecko's All-Pro years was 1981, when he led the NFL with 20 ½ sacks and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Year. Oh, and he made the Pro Bowl at three different positions — defensive tackle, nose tackle, and defensive end. He was a very good player, one of the Jets' best ever. 

But why didn't you hear about Klecko on Thursday night ?

Well, his eligibility as a modern-era Hall of Fame candidate has expired. Klecko first became a modern-era candidate in 1994. He became a senior candidate beginning with the Class of 2015. Never once, during his time as a modern-era candidate, did he reach the finalist stage.The Hall of Fame's Senior Committee passed over Klecko as a nominee again in August, for the second straight year. So Klecko will have to wait until at least the Class of 2017 to get his shot.The Senior Committee's nominees for the Class of 2016 are late Raiders quarterback Kenny Stabler and Lions and Washington guard Dick Stanfel. They need 80 percent approval from the Hall's voters to get in. 

Last summer, Klecko took the high road while talking about the Hall of Fame during an interview with NJ Advance Media's Dom Cosentino."I give it no validity one way or the other," Klecko said then. "The guys in the Hall of Fame that I played against know what I did. And that committee is the guys that'll put me on the ballot."

As you consider Klecko's chances going forward, take note of this item from the Daily News' Gary Myers, written about Klecko before the 2014 season : 

Now that he's a senior candidate, he's on a long list of deserving candidates, but a major rule change just made it tougher. Each year, the senior committee has been nominating two candidates. The 46 voters vote yes or no and 80% approval is needed. Starting with the class of 2015, however, the contributors to the game (owners, coaches, GMs, scouts, etc.) now have their own category instead of being grouped with the modern era candidates. In [the class of] 2015, two contributors, and only one senior — which was announced last week as Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff — will be nominated. The following year, it's two seniors and one contributor and they rotate until 2019. So, in the next five years, there will be three fewer senior candidates nominated. And with so many qualified candidates much older than Klecko, who will be 61 in October, it's not going to be easy for him to get to Canton in the next few years.

So that means, for the Class of 2017, just one senior candidate will be nominated — as was the case for the Class of 2015.There are no guarantees that either Stabler or Stanfel will get into the Hall of Fame this year. But it'll be a tougher road for any senior candidate next year. Which could mean even more waiting for Klecko. 

>    http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/01/whats_the_deal_with_ex-jets_star_joe_klecko_and_th.html#incart_river_index

 

[Jet Nut]

They've fu(ked him over long enough for a perjury conviction.  There are so many less deserving HOF players and so many despicable people in the hall.  Let him in already!

[Rexorcism]

Typical Jet disrespect

[southparkcpa]

They've fu(ked him over long enough for a perjury conviction.  There are so many less deserving HOF players and so many despicable people in the hall.  Let him in already!

Joe Dellamalieure... HOF offensive lineman from Bills electric company lives here in Charlotte in my neighborhood .

He said Klecko wa as food as any D lineman he faced including Joe Green. He stated it emphatically.