Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 29, 1995 TAG: 9501310123
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: MIAMI LENGTH: Medium
\ All things considered, Steve Largent had a good week.
The former NFL wide receiver, now a freshman congressman, won another election Saturday when he was chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
``It's unbelievable what's happened to me,'' said Largent, a representative from Oklahoma. ``In the same week I can vote on an amendment to the Constitution and get elected to the Hall of Fame.''
Also picked by a 33-man panel of pro football writers were defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, the first Tampa Bay player to make it to Canton, Ohio; tight end Kellen Winslow of the San Diego Chargers; longtime NFL executive Jim Finks; and seniors choice Henry Jordan.
Each received at least 80 percent of the votes from the panel. Two other finalists, offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf and center Dwight Stephenson, did not receive the necessary votes.
Largent, a small possession receiver at Tulsa, was a fourth-round draft choice by Houston, the 117th player selected in 1976. After four preseason games, he was traded to Seattle for an eighth-round pick, hardly a ringing endorsement of his skills.
With the Seahawks, though, he became a star. He played 200 games in 14 seasons and held six major receiving records when he retired in 1989. They included 819 receptions, 13,089 yards receiving and 100 touchdown catches. He also caught passes in 177 consecutive games, a record broken this season by Art Monk of the New York Jets.
Selmon won the Outland and Lombardi trophies as the nation's top lineman at Oklahoma and was the first draft choice of the expansion Bucs in 1976. He was a star on a team that lost its first 26 games, but was the centerpiece when the club won two NFC Central Division championships.
He was an All-NFC choice five times and was selected for six consecutive Pro Bowls. In the 1982 game, he had four sacks to share MVP honors. Selmon was chosen the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. In nine seasons, he played 121 games and had 78 1/2 sacks.
Winslow becomes the fourth tight end in the Hall of Fame, following John Mackey, Mike Ditka and Jackie Smith. He played nine seasons for the San Diego Chargers, catching 541 passes for 6,741 yards and 45 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls.
He is best remembered for a remarkable performance in a 41-38 overtime playoff victory over Miami in 1981 when he caught 13 passes for 166 yards and blocked a field-goal attempt with four seconds remaining, forcing the game into overtime. He collapsed from exhaustion after the game and had to be helped from the field.
Jordan, who died in 1977 at the age of 42, was a seniors candidate in 1989 but failed to receive the required votes for election. He is the first seniors candidate to be re-submitted as a finalist. He is the fifth player elected to Canton from the outstanding Green Bay defensive unit that helped the Packers win five championships, including the first two Super Bowls.
Finks built NFL teams in Chicago, Minnesota and New Orleans and nearly was selected to succeed Pete Rozelle as NFL commissioner in 1989. He died in May at 66.
by CNB