Munoz, Singletary Make Hall of Fame in First Year of Eligibility

Former USC All-American Anthony Munoz and four others were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, but former Ram Coach George Allen was voted down along with two other candidates from the old NFL days in Los Angeles.

“I’m overwhelmed,” a tearful Munoz, veteran of 13 seasons as a Cincinnati Bengal lineman, said after he and former Chicago Bear linebacker Mike Singletary were elected to the Hall in their first year of eligibility.

Also elected were three other former players, safety Paul Krause of Minnesota, center Dwight Stephenson of Miami and wide receiver Tommy McDonald of Philadelphia, all of whom, in other years, had been voted down.

Early Saturday morning when the election committee reduced the original 15 finalists to 11, Allen was still on the list along with two former Ram players, guard Tom Mack and defensive end Jack Youngblood.

But all three were expelled in the next shakedown from 11 candidates to six. And then eliminated in the final voting were Pittsburgh Steeler President Dan Rooney and former Cleveland Brown tight end Ozzie Newsome.

Asked about his West Coast years, Munoz said: “At USC, I realized that what I had was a gift.”

As a Bengal, Munoz was an all-pro in 11 of his 13 seasons and NFL offensive lineman of the year three times.

On both Baylor and Bear teams, Singletary was known, first, as the best linebacker of his time and, second, as a tackler who hit ballcarriers so hard that he kept breaking helmets.

Asked how many helmets he cracked, Singletary said, “Nine in college and five with the Bears.”

A moment later, he said: “That’s all I can remember. That’s not a good sign, is it?”