2012 Hall Of Fame: Cris Carter Denied

Cris Carter fell short of election to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame today. If he does get in one day though, the Eagles will have the distinction of having drafted, them cut him.

Of course, no one will ever identify Chris Carter as an Eagle. He was drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 1987 supplemental draft, but lasted only three seasons before he was cut by Buddy Ryan, who famously said "All he does is catch touchdowns."

Carter certainly was showing signs of improvement in his three years here. After a rookie season where he basically never saw the field, he caught 39 passes for 761 yards and six TDs in his second year. In year three he caught 45 passes for 605 yards and a team leading 11 TDs. He might not have looked like a "#1 WR," but he had certainly developed into a dangerous red zone threat.

In a surprise, he was cut in the preseason of the following year. Carter admitted that during his time with the Eagles he was into drugs and drinking and that Buddy Ryan had warned him many times to stop and dedicate himself to football. But like a lot of dumb young kids, Carter didn't listen and Buddy wasn't going to put up with it. Carter would later say that getting cut by Buddy ended up being a pivotal moment in his life and was the impetus for him getting clean and becoming the player he did.

And what a player he became. In 11 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings he was named to 8 Pro Bowls, named First Team All-Pro twice, made the NFL's 1990s All Decade Team and even won the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award. In his 16 year NFL career he caught 1,101 passes for 13,899 yards and caught 130 TDs. I think he'll get in eventually.

This year's class includes Curtis Martin, Jack Butler, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy and Willie Roaf. Interestingly enough, Bill Parcells was denied.