Headlining this year's Pro Football Hall Of Fame class is one of the best ever to put on the star of the Dallas Cowboys: "Bullet" Bob Hayes.
The honor is long overdue. He should have been inducted long ago, but various issues kept him out. Some said he didn't have the statistics that other receivers of his era had. However, when Hayes played (the '60s and '70s), most teams in the NFL were run oriented, and passed comparatively little, so he didn't have the chance to put up gaudy statistics. Even so, he earned All-Pro honors three times, twice lead the league in receptions, and in 1970 led the league in yards-per-catch.
Hayes' contribution to the game of football can't be found in mere numbers, however. His speed changed the game forever. In addition to being a great football player, Hayes earned the title of "World's Fastest Man" by winning the 100 meter sprint and was on the winning 4x100 relay. The NFL had tried using track stars before, but Hayes was the first who could really play. Hayes' speed stretched defenses. Because of him, opponents had to develop exotic zone defenses. This, in turn, opened up the running game. After Hayes, teams fought to get their own speedsters, and today, one of the main attributes of today's superstar receivers is their speed.
There were two real reasons Hayes was denied entry into the Hall Of Fame for so long. One is the East Coast bias against the Dallas Cowboys. For most of their history, the Cowboys have beat up on their Eastern Division rivals, and have been to more Super Bowls than any other NFL team. It took an organized campaign over several years to overcome this bias. The other reason was after Hayes retired, he got into trouble with drugs. However, the Hall is supposed to honor what the player did on the field, and quite frankly, if O.J. can be in the Hall, then moral issues should be set aside. Also, Hayes turned his life around, and even completed his college degree.
Unfortunately, Hayes won't be in Canton, OH in person to accept this long overdue honor. Hayes passed away in 2002. But, better late than never for one of the best receivers the game of football has ever known.
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