Centennial Hall of Fame class finalists revealed and no Bob Kuechenberg

The NFL media never cared a whole lot for Bob Kuechenberg and even now, decades later, he still isn’t getting Hall of Fame respect.

This year the NFL is celebrating its 100th season and the Pro Football Hall of Fame is making it a special induction this year. 10 senior eligible players, two coaches, and three contributors will have their names added to this year’s normal class. And like every year, Bob Kuechenberg will not be a finalist.

Kuechenberg passed away this past year and is probably one of the most deserving players not to be in the Hall of Fame. He played for 14 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Made the Pro Bowl six times including both of his last two seasons. He appeared in 19 playoff games and won two Super Bowls and was part of the 1972 perfect team.

In those 14 seasons, Kooch played in 176 of a possible 196 games, starting almost all of them. He was physical and abusive and his longevity was impressive. Kooch should be in the Hall of Fame without question but after his playing days were over, he became outspoken especially towards the media. The same media who would hold his future HOF chances in their hands.

He never backed down but the media did not either. This year would have been the perfect year to get him into the Hall of Fame. With the extra spots available, they could have slid him without many noticing but instead, they are progressing with a  bunch of players who are more names than deserving representatives.

The Dolphins do have a couple of names on the finalist list. Head coach Jimmy Johnson is on the list but it would be surprising if he made it this year and he most assuredly would not go into the Hall as a Dolphins coach.

George Young who worked with the team from 1975-1978 is also on the list as a contributor but his work in the NFL spanned many teams.

At least Zach Thomas hasn’t been eliminated yet. Of course, the media will take care of that shortly before the Super Bowl.