OJ didn't get removed from the HOF either. If there was ever a case for someone to be removed this is it.
Yeah Gastineau aggravated media though, obviously before my time but I think he was kind of a pain in the ass. They go a long way in helping your cause
Klecko would have been in on the first few ballots if he hadn't missed a lot of time to injury. He's one of the few players in NFL history that were rediscovered after they were already known to be great. Part of the Sack Exchange and a record-breaking sacker at DE in 80 and 81 and then rediscovered as a tremendous All-Pro interior lineman when he returned from his first serious injury in '82. Twice voted AP inside as a LDT and as a NT with predictably a serious injury shortened season in between. Of all the Jets I have seen play he was the most impactful when he was on the field. The only individual season that I have seen another player have that matched his impact was Revis in 2009 and Revis was 1-on-1 unlike Klecko who was most often doubled.
Great news for Klecko! I was worried he would never get in after the last few ballots. Hopefully this is the year. He deserves it.
Read these quotes from other players who played against him. When his peers are saying it that carries more meaning then some media nerd from the HOF committee who never played the game. Joe Klecko: An All-Time Great Who 'Hands Down Needs to Be in the Hall of Fame' (newyorkjets.com)
I had the good fortune to watch Klecko play at Shea many times... He's my favorite Jet after Namath... and I can't think of a #3...
It's a crime he isn't in the Hall of Fame. I wasn't even a Jets fan when he was in his prime but I sure as hell knew who he was and how good he was. It's embarrassing that he hasn't been voted in yet.
They briefly mention it in the video above... but Klecko was the heart & soul of those Jet teams. If we had better qb play in '81 & '82... who knows. NFL Defensive Player of the Year (NEA, PFWA) (1981) 2× First-team All-Pro (1981, 1985) Second-team All-Pro (1983) 4× Pro Bowl (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) NFL sacks leader (1981) George Halas Award (1982) New York Jets No. 73 retired New York Jets Ring of Honor
Man, I don't want to get my hopes up again but I'm really hoping this is the year. Love Klecko and he should have been in a long time ago.
coolest football sound ever...ez seats... Maybe 15 rows in....73 blocks punt on goal line... the thud
My enduring memory of Klecko comes from late in his career in '86. The Jets are playing the Fins and Miami's game plan to protect Marino is to double Klecko on virtually every play. It's the C and either the RG or the LG on almost every play. The C is Dwight Stephenson, a hall of famer who is having an All-Pro season. The LG is Roy Foster, a good young guard having his second consecutive Pro Bowl season that year. O'Brien and Marino are both on fire having their way against the opposing secondaries. They're both under a lot of pressure and Marino's quick release is saving him time and again because the interior pocket is collapsing with regularity. This with an All-Pro C and 2 very good guards. Klecko winds up with 1.5 sacks on the day against that consistent double-team but the play that probably wins the game for the Jets happens late in the third quarter. Klecko, once again pushing the pile towards Marino knocks Foster backwards at the snap and Foster steps on Marino's foot. Marino throws the ball away but he's not the same after that play, noticeably limping for the rest of the game. That wasn't one of Klecko's sacks. That was Klecko turning a good guard into a a weapon against the QB while simultaneously dealing with a great C. That play was Klecko's career in a nutshell. He was like an unholy force of nature and the opponent's had to reckon with him on every play or face the consequences.
about damn time, was fortunate enough to watch him play his whole career. my favorite jet of all time..........