Out of the eight members being elected into the Hall of Fame class of 2016, seven are former players, two of which are quarterbacks. One of those quarterbacks is Brett Favre, who as a teenager from Mississippi, went to watch another quarterback of the 2016 Class, Ken “The Snake” Stabler. Favre traveled an hour-or-so from his home in Mississippi all the way to the Superdome in New Orleans to watch Stabler play in his last home game in 1984. And for Favre, it was a thrill to watch a guy who could electrify a stadium the way Favre would hope to in his future.
“All of a sudden, the crowd goes crazy, and its because Ken Stabler poked his head out of the locker room. He had hair like mine. His was just a lot longer, kind of aged and gray,” recounted Favre. “And I thought: Man, that’s cool. …It’s got to be cool to be ‘The Snake’. And than they lost. My dad was throwing popcorn and beer. …I thought: Maybe it’s not so good to be ‘The Snake’.
Brett Favre and the late Ken Stabler were both electrifying as quarterbacks, and both of them led their teams to Super Bowl victories. On Saturday, they both earned their entrance into the Football Hall of Fame together.
Also voted in for the Class of 2016 a day before the Super Bowl were modern-day players, such as linebacker Kevin Greene (Rams, Steelers, 49ers, & Panthers), wide receiver Marvin Harrison (Colts), and offensive tackle Orlando Pace (Rams, Bears). Head coach Tony Dungy (Bucs, Colts), San Francisco 49ers owner and contributor Ed DeBartolo, and senior selection Dick Stanfeld were also selected.
Brett Favre, as expected, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, certainly a reward for a long and distinguished career, spent almost entirely with the Green Bay Packers. Favre set an NFL record when he won three straight NFL MVP awards from 1995-1997. He would win his only championship in 1997 at Super Bowl XXXI in which the Packers beat a New England Patriots team coached by Bill Parcells.
“As a kid, all I ever dreamed of was to play pro football, to be Roger Staubach or to be Archie Manning. That’s what I dreamed of. I hated Terry Bradshaw, which I told him, ” Favre said with a smile.
Ken Stabler, who was a left-hander, earned his nickname for his ability to escape the pass-rush. He goes into the Hall as a senior selection about six months after dying of colon cancer at the age of 69.
Stabler, the 1974 NFL MVP, was represented at Saturday’s announcement by two of his grandsons, 17-year-old twins Justin and Jack Moyes. Each brother wore one of Grandpa’s bling-filled rings: Justin’s was from the 1977 Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders; Jack’s was from a college National Championship won while Stabler was a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Anthony Kevin ” Tony” Dungy is a former professional player and coach in the NFL. Dungy is most frequently remembered for his work as a coach. He was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002-2008. Dungy led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Edward John DeBartolo Jr., is best known for owning the San Francisco 49ers for 23-years. His 49ers teams won five Super Bowl championships in 14 years, and his five overall titles are a record for any NFL owner. DeBartolo’s 49ers dynasty is considered to be one of the greatest in NFL history and featured hall of fame coach Bill Walsh, quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Rice, and wide reciever Jerry Rice, amongst many others.
Richard Anthony “Dick” Stanfel (July 20, 1927 – June 22, 2015) was an offensive guard who played for the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins. Stanfeld was nominated for enshrinement in 1993 and in 2012, but lacked the necessary votes in each of those years. Stanfeld passed away in June of 2015.
