The six men officially entering the Hall of Fame on Saturday have one thing in common, apart from the fact that they played football at a sufficiently high level to, you know, make it to the Hall of Fame.
Jack Butler, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin, and Willie Roaf have no Super Bowl rings among them.
It’s the first time in 30 years that the new class of immortals lacks the one (other) thing that can’t be taken away.
In 1982, the four-man group of Doug Atkins, George Musso, Sam Huff, and Merlin Olsen entered Canton without a Super Bowl win among them. Every year since then, at least one member had at least one ring.
Of this year’s group, only Dawson and Martin played in a Super Bowl; Dawson’s Steelers in Super Bowl XXX (who lost to the Cowboys) and Martin’s Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI (who lost to the Packers).
The six-member class will get their mustard-colored jackets on Saturday night.