There is a feeling among AFL fans that the American Football League players are consistently overlooked for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  In truth there are many players, the bulk of whose careers were spent in the AFL, that deserve serious consideration, if not outright induction.  In an effort to spark some discussion regarding their hall of fame worthiness, I will occasionally compare AFL players to their NFL (and Hall of Fame) counterparts. The short biographies on the NFL players have been taken directly from the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.

Today’s comparison is between Jerry Mays of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs and two HoF defensive ends, Doug Atkins and Willie Davis.

autographed 1964 topps jerry mays

#104 – Jerry Mays

Gerald Avery “Jerry” MaysDallas Texans 5th round draft choice in 1961…AFL All-Star at both defensive tackle and end positions…  Six-time AFL All-Star, one NFL Pro Bowl…  Twice First Team All-Pro…  Three-time AFL champion, played in two Super Bowls, Super Bowl IV champion…  AFL All-Time First Team Member…  Did not miss a game in 10-season career…

Douglas Leon “Doug” AtkinsAll-America tackle at Tennessee … Browns No. 1 draft pick, 1953  …  Ring-leader of powerful Bears defensive units for 12 years  …  Exceptionally strong, agile, earned legendary acclaim as devastating pass rusher  …  Often leap-frogged blockers to get at passer  …  Scrimmage-line regular for then-record 17 years, 205 games  …  All-NFL four years  …  Played in eight Pro Bowls  …

William Delford “Willie” Davis15th-round draft pick, 1956. . . Played Army football prior to joining 1958 Browns. . .Career turning point came with 1960 trade to Green Bay, where he became a defensive standout. . . Had speed, agility, size. . . Great team leader, dedicated, intelligent. . . All-NFL five seasons. . . In five Pro Bowls, six NFL title games, two Super Bowls. . . Didn’t miss a game in 12-year, 162-game career. . .

The more that I study them, the more I find myself in awe of the Kansas City Chiefs defenses of the late 1960s.  Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Willie Lanier, and Emmitt Thomas have already been enshrined, and Curley Culp will join them this summer.  Johnny Robinson is a slam-dunk hall of fame member to everyone except the voting body, and then there is this guy, Jerry Mays, who made nearly every AFL All-Star team that it was possible to make, and ended up as a First-Team All-AFL member.  Mays was a dominant lineman at both the tackle and end positions, and his overall record clearly shows him to be deserving of HoF consideration (at a minimum).  I am starting to believe that the Chiefs of the late 1960s had so much talent that the HoF may never recognize another of their players.  In addition to the defensive members listed above, Len Dawson and Jan Stenerud are also HoF members, as are owner Lamar Hunt and coach Hank Stram.  That makes nine Chiefs of the late 1960s currently residing in Canton.  Pretty admirable.  The only thing is that the Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 1970s currently have an even dozen of their members with HoF busts, so the precedent is there to still bring in Robinson and Mays.  Thoughts?