Hall of Fame Candidates Have a Distinct Ohio Flavor

Ohio natives Len Dawson, Larry Csonka, Bob Brown and Alan Page, plus former Cleveland Browns head coach Blanton Collier and wide receiver Tommy McDonald, give the 1987 candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame a distinct Buckeye flavor.

A seventh individual being considered for enshrinement also has an ironic Ohio connection--center Jim Langer played 10 standout seasons with Miami in the 1970s after being waived by Cleveland.

The list of 16 candidates, which was determined by a 30-member board of selectors, also includes wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Don Maynard, owner and former coach Al Davis, defensive tackle “Mean Joe” Greene, quarterback Bob Griese, fullback John Henry Johnson and guards Jerry Kramer, Larry Little and Gene Upshaw.

The candidates will be trimmed to seven on Jan. 24 in Anaheim, with the 1987 class to be announced on Jan. 27.

Dawson and Maynard were automatically included because they were finalists last year. Johnson was the candidate determined by the Old-Timers committee--which concerns itself with those who primarily played before 1962--and automatically becomes one of the finalists as well.

Csonka, 40, a native of Stow, Ohio, played 11 seasons as a fullback in the NFL with Miami and the New York Giants (1968-74, 1976-79), and ran for more than 8,000 yards and 64 touchdowns.

Dawson, 51, of Alliance, Ohio, played 19 seasons (1957-75), primarily with Kansas City. He completed 2,136 of 3,741 passes for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns. The Purdue graduate was the MVP of Super Bowl IV.

Brown, 45, of Cleveland, was an offensive tackle (1964-73) for Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Oakland. He was selected to six Pro Bowls after a standout collegiate career at Nebraska.

Page, a defensive tackle out of Notre Dame, spent the majority of his 16-year career (1967-1981) with Minnesota. The 41-year-old Canton native played in nine straight Pro Bowls (1968-76) and totaled 21 1/2 sacks in 1976.

Collier guided the Cleveland Browns from 1963-70 (76-34-0 record) to highlight a 42-year coaching career. The native of Millersburg, Ky., died on March 22, 1983, at the age of 76.

McDonald, 52, of Roy, N.M., ended his 12-year career with Cleveland in 1968.