Joe Klecko should have been enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame a long time ago. According to a new report, the former New York Jets defensive lineman might finally be getting his due.
Joe Klecko never put up gaudy sack numbers. He didn’t draw attention to himself for outlandish behavior, on-or-off the field. He was just a hard-nosed defender who gave the opposition fits.
Maybe that’s why he’s gone so long without being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But according to Eric Allen from the New York Jets official website, the wait might be over.
A four-time Pro Bowler (at three different positions) and two-time First Team All-Pro, Klecko was part of the New York Jets’ famed “Sack Exchange,” along with Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, and Abdul Salaam.
In 2004, he became just the third Jets player to have his number retired. In 2010, he was part of the inaugural class to be inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor.
But don’t take the Jets’ word or my word when it comes to Klecko’s Hall of Fame credentials. Allen caught up with some of Klecko’s contemporaries who have already gotten the call.
Howie Long actually mentioned Klecko in his own Hall of Fame induction speech back in 2000.
Dwight Stephenson, Miami’s Hall of Fame center, spent his entire career with Klecko in his face.
There aren’t many offensive linemen who faced more elite defenders than Anthony Munoz. If he says Klecko belongs in the Hall of Fame, he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
With any luck, this will be the last year that we have to talk about Klecko deserving a spot in Canton.