Each year for the Hall of Fame ceremony, it is always the same question or comment – I thought he was already in or why did it take so long?  Each retired player must wait five years to be on the voter’s ballot and only six players can be enshrined each year, so everyone can not be elected at one time.  There are border-line players and players that will get into the HOF, eventually.  But there are some players that are shoe-ins, no brainers, to get into the HOF right away like former wide receiver of the Washington Redskins, James Art Monk.

            
   It takes patience for Hall of Fame bound football players to get inducted, but some should not have to wait years after they’re eligible because many were, at the time, dominant at their position. This was the case for Monk who waited patiently for 8 years after he was eligible to get inducted.  If the four-time NFL’s fastest man winner and former cornerback of the Washington Redskins Darrell Green waited that long, all hell would have broke loose in D.C.  Green was the 64^th first ballot HOF and was enshrined this past weekend.  Since it took the other inductees light years to get in the HOF, Fred Dean 8, Andre Tippett 10, Gary Zimmerman 6, and Emmitt Thomas 25, it only fitting to name the 2008 class, “the about time class”.

         
     For Monk to accomplish so much, why did he have a stomach ache around this time of the year?  Maybe, Monk did not perform well.  Let’s see!  Monk retired as the NFL’s leader with 940 receptions, but thanks to some guy named Jerry Rice, the record is broken and currently sit 7^th all-time.  Monk was the first wide receiver in NFL’s history to catch more than 100 passes in a season and set a record in 1984 with 106 receptions.  Monk is also a member of the 80’s all-decade team, regarded as the NFL’s first “big” receiver, standing 6-3 and won 3 pieces of jewelry.

            
  Monk achieved more after Thomas joined the Redskins’ coaching staff.  Thomas was one of the first black coaches in the early 80’s, taking his first coaching job with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981.  After Monk set the league records for receptions, Thomas helped Monk reach two Pro Bowls, in 1986 and 1987 and caught at least 70 passes in four of the next six season, which was unheard of during that point.

           
   It was a burgundy and gold weekend in Canton, Ohio with two Redskin greats being ushered into the Hall of Fame. Over 15,000 Skins’ fans donned Redskins’ attire and witnessed a Redskins victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the first preseason game of the year, 30-16.  Congratulations to this year’s deserving inductees and thank you for your blood, sweat and tears over the years..  Not every human being can do what these HOF players had done in their profession.  This was Monk’s weekend no matter how it was shaped.  Fans wanted and waited to see this past weekend for Monk to get his gold jacket and it showed as the fans and HOF committee giving him a 4:04 minute standing ovation.  Hopefully, other spectacular players, such as Monk, do not have to wait that long to be inducted (hold on Jim Marshall) and if some are still, let’s get them in before they die.

Written By: Barry Barnes