Russ Grimm Not Elected to Hall of Fame

This is colloquially known as a quote shit bummer unquote

Russ Grimm was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. Part of the 2009 qualifying class of seventeen, fifteen modern eligibles and two seniors candidates, Russ made it through the first cut down from fifteen modern players to ten and did not survive the second cut down to the final five modern players.

In an eleven year playing career, all with the Washington Redskins, Russ played both guard spots and center though he was at his best playing left guard. Russ was a college All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh as well as a reserve punter. Selected in the third round by the Redskins in the 1981 draft, Russ earned a starting spot as a rookie. A founding member of the Hogs, Russ helped the Redskins to four Super Bowl appearances, three of which were victories. Russ went to the Pro Bowl four times and blocked John Riggins, George Rogers and Earnest Byner twice each to 1000 yards. Russ was named to the NFL All-Decade Team of the 1980s and is one of the 70 Greatest Redskins, has been a semi- or finalist for the Hall of Fame six straight years starting in 2004. He apparently drank a lot of beer back in the day.

After his playing days were over he went right to work as a coach, by this point having coached for six years longer than he played.

But that is not really the point now. Russ should be in the Hall of Fame.


On another note, Ravens and Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe made the first cut but not the second. Once not long ago Shannon used to annoy the shit out of me but then I developed a taste for Shannon on Sirius NFL Radio, I think he is a smart football mind with a unique delivery and a sense of comedy. It was his proximity to Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason that caused the false positive on the annoying meter.



Russ Grimm in his playing days: Rick Steward / Getty Images from here via here.