Jimmy Raye and Awards of Excellence at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

PHOTO: Dan Fouts with Jimmy Raye. Pro Football Hall of Fame/Rachel Gutting. Visit my website homepage, TomShanahan.Report By TOM SHANAHAN Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts served as the Master of Ceremonies for the NFL's inaugural "Awards of Excellence" presented June 30 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum in Canton, Ohio. He was a fitting choice for more than his gold jacket. "When I was a kid, I was a ball boy for the San…

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Air Coryell legend Doug Wilkerson’s path to NFL was supposed to ride Duffy’s Underground Railroad

PHOTO: Doug Wilkerson is a member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame from his career at N.C. Central, but he planned to ride Duffy Daugherty's Michigan State Underground Railroad. That was until a schoolyard bet gone bad. By TOM SHANAHAN Doug Wilkerson’s death Monday at age 73 generated stories reflecting reverently on his career at three levels of football, professional, college and high school. And he deserved all the words of praise. He was as a…

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Air Coryell’s influence on Cardinals and Chargers Pro Bowlers

Photo: Don Coryell turned Jim Hart into a four-time Pro Bowler. By TOM SHANAHAN Before Fred Dryer played the TV detective "Hunter," he was a 12-year NFL veteran and All-American defensive end for Don Coryell at San Diego State. “Hunter” had a detective hunch about Coryell’s Pro Bowl influence on his Chargers and Cardinals players. Dryer believed comparing a star's Pro Bowl trips before and after they played for Coryell would be quite revealing. His theory was based on…

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