A Hall of Fame Comparison – ART POWELL

Art Powell was depicted by the press as being surly but I say he was a man of strong conviction. The circumstances of him coming to the AFL tell the story of how the Eagles released him because he made a stand against the black athletes on the team were not permitted to stay in the hotel the Eagles were staying at in the south for an exhibition game. He thought he had the support of the others on his team but it turned out that they folded, while he did not. Of course the press and Eagles painted the picture of Powell being a problem because of his stand for what was right. I applaud him for that. Much like Tommie Smith and John Carlos, standing up for what is right sometimes paints you into a picture that looks bad to the public while it is happening – but as time moves forward we realize that what they did was courageous and the right thing to do. Perhaps Powell did have a somewhat moody side, but a walk in his shoes may explain why. Powell was a big play receiver, unlike Berry who was more of a possession man, like the difference between Don Maynard and George Sauer. McDonald was a more emotional type who always seemed to be running for his life. Powell, and later Homer Jones and Otis Taylor was a power receiver who never looked fast because of his size, did not have flashy moves but always came down with the ball and most times knocked over tacklers who tried to stop him. I’m not sure he is a HOF’er, but he was a strong character who should be remembered as one of the best.

Art may have been a bit surly, but he sure as hell was one great wide receiver….Defineitely one of those Afl players “left out in the cold”, as has been Johnny robinson, Jerry Mays, Fred Arbanas, Ed Budde, Abner Haynes, by the the NFL old time “elite”….those guys could play!

In the 1960s the party line among NFL types (the league itself as well sports scribes) was that the difference between the NFL & AFL was the talent level/ quality of play defensive backs. Hence, the gaudy stats ran up by the AFL’s receivers (like Art Powell among others) were to be taken with a grain of salt, according the NFL.

That ‘good’ DBs don’t grow on trees was perhaps affirmed not only by the stats put up by AFL WRs, but by the scarcity of good DBs in general, terms stocking teams. Too, the fact the wide-open AFL threw the ball more than the ground & pound NFL tended to skew opinions, naturally.

While there was some merit the NFL’s argument at one time (the NFL had more players & also more good players numbers wise), by the middle of the 1960s the deficit was no longer as pronounced (and yes as a Chiefs fan, I haven’t forgotten about Superbowl 1 and Willie Mitchell’s & Fred Williamson’s tribulations : )

The AFL already had some fine DBs: Johnny Robinson (no one better in the NFL, apologies HOFr Larry Wilson) was joined by ex-NFL’r Johnny Sample. DEN and later Raiders HOF’r Willie Brown was already starring & Bernie Parrish (just two years removed All Star & World Champion stature NFL in CLEV), came over to play for AFL HOU. But the pool ‘was’ scarce: my KC Chiefs of 1966 even coaxed former NFL star Jimmy Hill out of retirement for 3 games due to a run of injury to Hank Stram’s DBs; Hill was already 38 years old at the time.

My point is that deserving players – HOF types – are not a product of their league much as of their own skill, effort & teamwork. My guess is had Art Powell played in the NFL during his heydey, even with lesser stats he’d have made an name for himself.

I can’t speak as a former player as to what Hall of Fame enshrinement means, but as an fan I can say this: the only Hall of Fame that really matters to me is not the one in Canton, but rather the one resides in my heart & memory, still. Indeed, long live the AFL.

Thanks for this HOF comparison for Art Powell. There are so many factors that come into play when determining a Hall of Fame player. As other posts have stated, the talent level in the early years of the AFL was not on par with the NFL in its early days although by 1963 there seems to be some debate about how the Chargers would have fared against the Bears in a championship game. In addition to the level of competition,other considerations include the statistics of the player in question and was that player considered to be one of the top players at his position, was that player’s team a championship caliber team, did the player have a lengthy career, and other intangibles that might not show up on the stat sheet such as first hand accounts of the player’s ability.

If you look at Art Powell’s Hall of Fame credentials, his statistics compare favorably with other Hall of Famers from that era, he played under difficult circumstances with the cash strapped Titans but helped turn around an ailing Raiders franchise, he had six years of prime production, and we have the recollection of those who saw him play who have stated that he was one of the top receivers of the era.

An important factor for me is that Powell seems to be a man who, as the old saying goes, did not suffer fools lightly! He appeared to have little tolerance for unequal treatment and responded with pride and dignity when he was forced to confront racism and prejudice. With the Eagles, the Titans, and Raiders, he exhibited his leadership by refusing to be treated like a second class citizen and, as a result of this, he was labeled a troublemaker, a tag that has ruined more than one professional sports career. I read a recent interview with him where he talked about the 1965 player boycott of the AFL all-star game in New Orleans. Having been in similar situations before where he took a stand and was not backed up by his teammates, Powell was very reluctant to get involved in another action. In the end, he was not one of the organizers of the boycott but, because of his reputation, he was identified as one of the leaders by some in the media which add further to his “malcontent” status. One final note on this issue: Powell was not the only fine player of his era who confronted these situations: Abner Haynes, Cookie Gilchrist, Earl Faison and many others have recalled similar stories.

Overall, my feeling is that Art Powell was one of the great pioneering players of the old AFL who should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame for his play and his efforts to be treated equally both on and off the field.

Because of these signings referenced above and see below, the NFL instituted so-called babysitters in 1964. They stayed with top draft picks in order to prevent them from signing with the AFL. It did work as the 1964 NFL signed picks were far better than the AFL signed. However, by this point the AFL had signed a large contract with NBC. This meant that a merger would have to happen , or a circular firing squad would commence. The rest is history!

TOP AFL Players of 1963

Willie Brown
Bobby Bell
Buck Buchanan
Ed Budde
Daryle Lamonica
Walt Sweeney
George Saimes
Winston Hill
Jim Dunaway
Dave Hill
Hewritt Dixon
Bill Baird