The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013 was announced on Saturday with Bill Parcells, Warren Sapp, Cris Carter, Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden receiving the honors.
Defensive tackle Curley Culp, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Oilers as well as linebacker Dave Robinson, who played for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins, make up the two senior inductees also elected to the 2013 class.
Marking the only coach to make it in this year’s induction, Parcells spent 19 years as a head coach for the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys. He led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories and led the Pats to the playoffs after missing the cut for seven straight seasons. Parcells ranks seventh among Hall of Fame coaches with 183 regular-season and postseason wins. He is also the only head coach to take four different teams to the playoffs.
“Congratulations to Coach Parcells on his election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft wrote in a statement. “It is well deserved. As a Patriots fan, I will always appreciate the credibility he brought to our franchise as a two-time Super Bowl champion. We had never had a head coach with those credentials. I am very happy for Bill and look forward to his enshrinement ceremonies.”
After 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, Sapp makes it into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The defensive tackle was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, is currently the Bucs’ all-time sack leader with 96.5 in his career and was a huge part of the Super Bowl XXXVII championship team.
After not receiving enough votes the past five years, receiver Cris Carter finally reached the threshold for induction this year. Carter spent the majority of his 16 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings but also played for Philadelphia and Miami. Carter ranks fourth in NFL history in receptions (1,110) and receiving touchdowns (130).
Ogden, an offensive tackle, played all 12 of his seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. The 11-time Pro Bowler was the first played ever drafted by Baltimore in the 1996 draft and becomes the first Ravens player to be selected to the Hall of Fame. Ogden also helped the Ravens capture the Super Bowl XXXV.
Allen played 12 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and two with the 49ers. He was voted to 11 Pro Bowls and helped lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory over the Steelers in 1996. In his career, Allen played every offensive line position except center.
To be inducted, finalists must receive 80 percent of the vote and modern-era players and coaches must be retired for five consecutive seasons. Allen, Ogden and Sapp were all elected in their first year of eligibility while Parcells was in his second.
