Dick Stanfel needed only seven seasons of work to become a Hall of Famer
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 gets inducted on Aug. 6. Shutdown Corner will profile the eight new Hall of Famers, looking at each of their careers and their impact on the game.
Dick Stanfel
Detroit Lions 1952-55
Washington Redskins 1956-58
Offensive guard
Greatest moment
After capturing an NFL Championship in his first year on the field with Detroit in 1952, Stanfel came back for more. In 1953, Stanfel started all 12 games of the Lions’ season, leading them to a 10-2 record and another title. Detroit averaged 151 yards rushing during that campaign, good for third best in the league, and Stanfel was key in helping Detroit edge out the Cleveland Browns 17-16 in the NFL championship game. For his efforts, Stanfel’s teammates named him team MVP of the 1953 season, an exceptional achievement for a non-skill position player. Stanfel also earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
Impact on the game
A member of the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade team, Stanfel, one of this year’s two posthumous inductees, is regarded as one of the era’s most dominant offensive linemen and was instrumental in helping push Detroit into a league powerhouse. His four years with the Lions yielded three NFL championship appearances, two titles and two first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Stanfel spent the next three seasons with the Washington Redskins and continued to cement himself as one of the game’s best, earning three more first-team All Pro and Pro Bowl honors. The franchise named him one of the 70 Greatest Redskins.
He could have had more of an impact on the field had he not retired after seven seasons to pursue a coaching career. Stanfel’s coaching career spanned 35 years, most spent coaching offensive lines, and included stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. His most impressive stint came with Chicago, where his unit topped the NFL in rushing for four straight seasons, paving the way for Walter Payton and a Super Bowl title in 1985.
“He was everything to our offensive line,” former Bears center Jay Hilgenberg told ChicagoBears.com after Stanfel died last June. “He taught us how to be a dominating offensive line. He wanted guys who could go out and dominate the line of scrimmage. That’s the way he taught it technically and I think our record speaks for itself.
Case against his bust in Canton
Stanfel’s NFL career, though prolific, was short lived. His time on the gridiron was derailed several times. After a year of junior college, Stanfel’s NFL dreams were put on hold while he served in the U.S. Army. Then, after finally entered the league at age 25, a knee injury sidelined him for what would have been his rookie season in 1951. Stanfel hung up his cleats at age 31, while still very much in his prime.
He was a finalist for Hall of Fame induction as a senior candidate in 1993 and 2012, but failed to receive enough support to be voted in.
Notable quote
“He should have been in a long time ago,” Lions Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt told the Chicago Tribune upon Stanfel’s induction. “Dick could run and he was a great blocker, a great pass protector. He could do everything. He rarely made a mistake and it was even rarer that he got beat. He was just a great football player and a great teammate.
“He had respect for his opponents, had respect for his teammates, and never complained and worked like hell. An ideal guy.”
More Hall of Fame profiles at Yahoo Sports
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