One of the neater tricks in pro football is to win the championship (hard enough), then double your pleasure by selecting a Hall of Famer in the next draft (harder still, especially if you’re picking last).
It’s happened just 10 times in NFL history, most recently in 1993-94. (The player involved was admitted to Canton last year. I’ll let you guess who.)
As you’ll see, seven of the 10 teams won another title within five years. The other three messed up — royally. One cut its future Hall of Famer (who went on to win a Super Bowl with the Jets), another traded him (after which he won five championships with the Packers) and the third failed to sign him (whereupon he won an AFL crown with the Chargers).
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a club to pull this off again. It could be another decade or two, considering the paucity of candidates.
Note: I’m not including the ’49 Eagles or the ’50 Browns. Yes, they both came away from the next draft with a Hall of Famer, but it was a coach (Bud Grant for Philadelphia and Don Shula for Cleveland).
NFL CHAMPIONS WHO SELECTED A HALL OF FAMER IN THE NEXT DRAFT
| Year | Champs | Hall of Fame Pick (Round) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Eagles | LB Chuck Bednarik (1) | Won titles in '49 and '60 |
| 1952 | Lions | LB Joe Schmidt (7) | Won title games in '53 and '57, lost in '54 |
| 1955 | Browns | DE Willie Davis (15) | DNP until '58, traded to Packers in '60 |
| 1956 | Giants | WR Don Maynard (9) | Lost title game in '58, went to AFL's Jets |
| 1959 | Colts | OT Ron Mix (1) | Signed with AFL's Chargers |
| 1962 | Packers | LB Dave Robinson (1) | Won titles in '65, '66 and '67 |
| 1980 | Raiders | DE Howie Long (2) | Won Super Bowl in '83 |
| 1982 | Redskins | CB Darrell Green (1) | Won Super Bowls in '87 and '91, lost in '83 |
| 1984 | 49ers | WR Jerry Rice (1) | Won Super Bowls in '88, '89 and '94 |
| 1993 | Cowboys | OG Larry Allen (2) | Won Super Bowl in '95 |
There were also three league champions — two from the AFL, one from the NFL — who lost the Super Bowl and added a Hall of Famer in the next draft (kind of as a consolation prize). These were:
| Year | Champs | Hall of Fame Pick (Round) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Chiefs | LB Willie Lanier (2) | Won Super Bowl in '69 |
| 1967 | Raiders | OT Art Shell (3) | Won Super Bowls in '76 and '80 |
| 1968 | Colts | LB Ted Hendricks (2) | Won Super Bowl in '70 |
Finally, here are some Super Bowl champions of more recent vintage who may eventually join this list. (Note the word “may.”)
| Year | Champs | Possible HOF-er in next draft (Round) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Packers | FS Darren Sharper (2) | Lost Super Bowl in '97 |
| 2003 | Patriots | NT Vince Wilfork (1) | Won Super Bowl in '04, lost in '07 and '11 |
| 2004 | Patriots | OG Logan Mankins (1) | Lost Super Bowls in '07 and '11 |
| 2009 | Saints | TE Jimmy Graham (3) | ????? |
Source: pro-football-reference.com
