Darren Sproles On Canton HOF Ballot

[WildcatEngineer]

Yes he would.
Not surprising really that we don’t have someone in the NFL HOF. First off, there aren’t many who make it in.
Then you’d have to consider how many K- State players had long enough NFL careers in put up HOF numbers.
Larry Brown had a nice career with the Redskins but didn’t play long enough. Lynn Dickey and Steve Grogan played long enough but weren’t deemed to be HOF players. Gary Spani was a 9 year tackling machine for the Chiefs but played for them when they sucked. So no playoffs.
Both Lockets have had good careers but not HOF worthy.
Darren Sproles is our best shot and I believe he should be in. He has the numbers just not enough exposure from the playoffs. I hope he makes it.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... career.htm
NC2 well said.

Darren has 2 major stats that are HOF worthy.
First is the career all purpose yards (see link) he is 6th. Unfortunately Brian Mitchell is #2 and Mr Mitchell is not in the HOF.
Second is the single season all purpose yards he is #1. Unfortunately not many on that list are in the HOF.

I am bias, but Darren was the first of a kind. He was more than the 3rd down back. He ran between the tackles. He was a terror on the dump down passes. He did punts. He did Kick Returns. Announcers still say "He is their Darren Sproles" to describe short RBs. But none of those players had the impact Darren did.

One other negative for Darren is his NFL Head Coaches are either dead, retired, out of the NFL, or jerks like Sean Payton. Payton is not going to advocate for Darren because he traded him when he thought he was done.

[wazucat]

Yes he would.
Not surprising really that we don’t have someone in the NFL HOF. First off, there aren’t many who make it in.
Then you’d have to consider how many K- State players had long enough NFL careers in put up HOF numbers.
Larry Brown had a nice career with the Redskins but didn’t play long enough. Lynn Dickey and Steve Grogan played long enough but weren’t deemed to be HOF players. Gary Spani was a 9 year tackling machine for the Chiefs but played for them when they sucked. So no playoffs.
Both Lockets have had good careers but not HOF worthy.
Darren Sproles is our best shot and I believe he should be in. He has the numbers just not enough exposure from the playoffs. I hope he makes it.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... career.htm
NC2 well said.

Darren has 2 major stats that are HOF worthy.
First is the career all purpose yards (see link) he is 6th. Unfortunately Brian Mitchell is #2 and Mr Mitchell is not in the HOF.
Second is the single season all purpose yards he is #1. Unfortunately not many on that list are in the HOF.

I am bias, but Darren was the first of a kind. He was more than the 3rd down back. He ran between the tackles. He was a terror on the dump down passes. He did punts. He did Kick Returns. Announcers still say "He is their Darren Sproles" to describe short RBs. But none of those players had the impact Darren did.

One other negative for Darren is his NFL Head Coaches are either dead, retired, out of the NFL, or jerks like Sean Payton. Payton is not going to advocate for Darren because he traded him when he thought he was done.

I think that the trade to Philadelphia helps Darren's chances , he is exposed to more fans and writers as "their" guy. Playing in small markets San Diego and New Orleans kinda hurts him in some ways. I think he had over 200 yards in a San Diego playoff game and was some kind of record at the time but my memory is not good enough to be sure if it still stands.

[spot2180]

Right now, Sproles is sitting in 6th in all purpose yardage being Jerry Rice, Brian Mitchell, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, and Frank Gore. There are a few HOF guys following him as well. I think he will get there.

[WildcatEngineer]

Right now, Sproles is sitting in 6th in all purpose yardage being Jerry Rice, Brian Mitchell, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, and Frank Gore. There are a few HOF guys following him as well. I think he will get there.

I hope I get to see him in a yellow jacket and see his bust.

If you have not been to Canton, I recommend it for your bucket list. Then drive up to Cleveland and see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[katlander]

Right now, Sproles is sitting in 6th in all purpose yardage being Jerry Rice, Brian Mitchell, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, and Frank Gore. There are a few HOF guys following him as well. I think he will get there.

I hope I get to see him in a yellow jacket and see his bust.

If you have not been to Canton, I recommend it for your bucket list. Then drive up to Cleveland and see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I have been to both of those and was easily more impressed with Canton. There is also an aeronautics museum nearby in Columbus, Have been to Cooperstown as well. It is cool out on the backroads in the Finger Lakes region of New York. But I was most impressed by the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Basically Detroit. It is an amazing place. If you are a history buff it should be high on your bucket list. I enjoyed it more than the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. There are various parts. The Henry Ford Museum itself, Greenfield Village—an outdoor museum of historic and reconstructed buildings, a Ford truck factory tour, an IMAX theater, and a research center. Overall, there are more than 26 million objects and documents in the complex's collection.. Greenfield Village is really cool. It is a reconstructed town circa 1930 with Model A Fords buzzing around. The is a Model A bus available to ride as you tour the sights, also a train which circles the village. There is a large foundry with an overhead shaft and drive belts which power the macinery. The is a complete recreation of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park laboratory. Ford and Edison were best friends. Orville and Wilburs original bicycle shop is there and, not surprisingly Henry Ford's small garage where he built his first prototype automobile. I had no idea a place like this existed. Amazing on a grand scale. Okay, back to sports.

[katlander]

Hey Lander, You know how when you think back to a player that you wonder if they were as good as you remember or is it your memory embellishing how good they were ? Well that clip showed me that yes indeed, Dickey was as good as I remember. And Coffman too. He had great hands. But damn, Dickey throws a nice ball.

I totally get old guy bias but Dickey was for real Threw a great ball.

Does anyone know when the voting is?

[katlander]

You must be out of the NFL for 5 full years before you are eligible. Darren retired in 2019 so this is his first year of eligibility.
I think that is a good sign but no guarantee. Looks like we will have to wait until a few days prior to the 2025 Super Bowl to see if he gets in.

The Legends score is calculated based on honors received while playing.

1 point per Pro Bowl Selection
5 points per 1st Team All-Pro Selection
3 points per 2nd Team All-Pro Selection1.
This score provides insight into a player’s impact and recognition during their career. For instance, players like Maurkice Pouncey and Drew Brees are favorites for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to their impressive Legends Scores. If you’re curious about other players’ rankings, you can explore the all-time best players for each team and the all-time best players at each position2.

The site below lists the 2025 nominees in order of their Legends score. He is not one of the highest rated nominees but is one of the most unique.

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=5c0172ec ... yNS8&ntb=1

[catalyst]

Even being on the ballot is a *huge* honor - well-deserved!

[KSUbetcha]

I think Darren Sproles will likely get in the HOF. But not on the first ballot his first year. There's quite a few HOF'ers & future HOF'ers like Drew Brees & Philip Rivers and others that can attest to what Sproles did in his Career. He'll get in eventually I believe.

[WildcatEngineer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNHgkEePtU

Go to the 30:00 minute mark Jason kelce mentions Darren, but he takes a foot off his height.

This is another reason why Darren is worthy of the HOF. He stood out because he did so much with such a small body structure.