The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, will be making room for nine more members during the weekend of Aug. 5. Who is representing the newest Hall of Fame class? Here’s who will be welcomed into the legendary venue and who will get their Hall of Fame busts.
9 Members Going Into the 2023 Hall of Fame Class
Ronde Barber
Ronde Barber played 16 seasons and created a litany of accomplishments — from Pro Bowls to shattering one NFL record for cornerbacks to helping spearhead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first Super Bowl title run.
The cornerback earned five Pro Bowl nods during his career. He went on to start in 215 straight games (224 if you include playoffs), which became a league record for the CB position. But Barber’s likely best known for disguising his blitz, then dropping back into coverage for the 92-yard interception return to seal the 27-10 romp of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2002 NFC Championship.
Barber went on to snatch 47 interceptions in his career and produced 28 sacks — becoming the only NFL player to produce more than 45 and 25, respectively, in those two categories. He played his entire career in Tampa and will become the franchise’s fourth member of their first Super Bowl team to get inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Darrelle Revis
Barber has company in representing the Hall of Fame class for cornerbacks.
“Revis Island” helped change the narrative of shutdown corner in the league with seven Pro Bowl appearances, 29 interceptions, and becoming masterful in taking on the league’s best receiving options.
Darrelle Revis is another Super Bowl winner, having won with the New England Patriots. He’s one of two New York Jets players going into the Hall.
Don Coryell
One of the architects of the famed “Air Coryell” offenses, the longtime coach finally earns his Hall of Fame entrance.
Don Coryell created an innovative system ahead of its time — which scrapped a then-popular run-heavy scheme and replaced it with one back, vertical routes from the wide receivers, and sometimes two tight ends.
Hall of Famers from the San Diego Chargers, Charlie Joiner and Kellen Winslow, were two who did damage in Coryell’s offenses. His system also produced another future Hall of Famer named Dan Fouts.
Coryell additionally holds this distinction: He became the first coach to win more than 100 games at the college level (127) and professional (114).
Chuck Howley
Chuck Howley helps epitomize grit and perseverance for this 2023 class. Howley first played 15 games with the Chicago Bears from 1958-59 before a devastating knee injury cost him all of 1960. He gave the game another try during the alumni game at his alma mater West Virginia in 1961. If it weren’t for that try, he’d likely not get the knock on his door.
From there, the longtime Dallas Cowboys linebacker produced 15 seasons of durability and dominance. He went on to play in five Pro Bowls, snatched 25 interceptions, and earned MVP honors in Super Bowl V.
Joe Thomas
The Cleveland Browns’ lone HOF representative didn’t take long to become a fixture on their offensive line.
After going No. 3 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Thomas was a Pro Bowler in every season except his final season of 2017. He additionally earned All-Decade honors for his play during the 2010 decade.
It’s also believed he owns the NFL record of most consecutive snaps played at 10,363.
Joe Klecko
Joe Klecko is the other Jet entering the HOF class. Klecko is best known by “Gang Green” for being one of the founding fathers of the famed “New York Sack Exchange” that terrorized NFL quarterbacks in the early 1980s. His best season was 1981, which saw him deliver 20.5 sacks.
Klecko is in the franchise record books with 140 games played across the defensive line. He’s also considered one of the most versatile defensive linemen in league history, having played end, tackle, and nose tackle. Klecko played in four Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro.
Ken Riley
The late Ken Riley made the bold decision to switch from quarterback to defense. In the end, the Cincinnati Bengals’ legend went on to play 15 NFL seasons and snatched 65 career interceptions. That total ties him for fifth with Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.
Riley has one first-team All-Pro season and was a cornerstone defender for the Bengals’ first AFC title-winning team in 1980. Riley joins Klecko and Howley as senior committee selections.
DeMarcus Ware
DeMarcus Ware went from mid-major/small-school prospect to one of the league’s most feared pass rushers. With his edge speed and tenacity, Ware became a nine-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro and collected 138.5 career sacks along the way.
And while he ended his career and won his only Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos, Ware still holds the Cowboys’ record of career sacks with 117.
Zach Thomas
Zach Thomas helps illustrate another perfect underdog to Hall of Famer story. Once deemed too small to play the position at 5’11”, Thomas instead rewrote that narrative and became a seven-time Pro Bowler with five All-Pro nods across 13 NFL seasons.
Thomas additionally was a fifth-round find for Miami and ended up leading the team in tackles for 10 seasons.
