MR. FOOTBALL

ALEX KARRAS STILL

Belongs in Pro Football Hall of Fame

Life—April 26, 1963

'Hornung and Karras fired'

"Their suspension was the finale to

three months of rumor and speculation

that began when George Halas, owner

of the Chicago Bears, announced that

pro players were being investigated

for their shady associations. his

statement propelled the

scandal-conscious NFL into a paroxysm

of soul searching that eventually

involved eight clubs and 52

interviews.

"Nothing criminal was brought to

light.Neither Hornung or Karras was

guilty of fixing, dumping, betting

against his own team, or of ever

giving less than his best on the

field. But according to League

Commissioner Pete Rozelle, they had

committed a cardinal sin by

habitually betting on games in the

league—Karras up to $100 bets;

Hornung  up to $500.

"Quantity and frequency of dollars

bet were large factors in the

decision. Five Lions got off with

$2000 fines because they had made but

one $50 bet apiece. Other players

were reprimanded for dabbling in $1

football pools."

Karras was a owner of the bar (Lindell's AC—like a hall of fame, see http://d-townballer.blogspot.com/2007/01/not-really-problems-opportunities.html ) in

Detroit that was rumored to have

organized crime ties in addition to

reports of on-site gambling. The NFL

threatened to suspend Karras if he

didn't give up his ownership. At

first, he threatened retirement

before severing his ties, but he

ultimately cut himself loose and

admitted to gambling on NFL games.


In 1963, he was forced to sit out the

entire 14  game season, deemed by

ESPN the #2 most shocking football

moment:

"2. Karras and Hornung suspended for

gambling (April 17, 1963)

Paul Hornung, the Green Bay Packers

running back who had scored an NFL

record 176 points in 1960 and been

named MVP in 1961, and Alex Karras,

the Detroit Lions All-Pro defensive

tackle, were suspended by Pete

Rozelle for betting on NFL games and

associating with gamblers. Hornung,

said Rozelle, had bet up to $500 on

NFL games, and Karras, he said, had

placed at least a half dozen $50-$100

bets.

"Both players sat out for a full

season, before being reinstated. Five

other Detroit players were fined for

betting on the 1962 championship

game.

Hornung apologized. "I made a

terrible mistake," he said. "I am

truly sorry." Still, he was later

inducted to the Pro Football Hall of

Fame."

—http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/foot

ball/shocking/moments.html


Nailed for practically identical

gambling allegations, Hornung was

admitted to the Hall of Fame in

1986—25 years ago. Karras has been

denied this honor, the football glory

HOF election signifies.

Teammates DICK LeBEAU, DICK (NIGHT

TRAIN) LANE, LEM BARNEY, YALE LARY

and JOE SCHMIDT all members of the

HOF; played on a superlative

defensive unit fielded by the Lions

during Mr. Karras' career: 1958-1970,

during which he was bestowed the

following honors:

All-Pro Teams
Year     Team     Level     Voters
1960    1st Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1960    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1960    1st Team    All-NFL    UPI
1961    1st Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1961    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1961    1st Team    All-NFL   

Sporting News
1961    1st Team    All-NFL    UPI
1962    1st Team    All-Conf.   

Sporting News
1962    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1962    1st Team    All-NFL   

Newspaper Ent. Assoc.
1962    1st Team    All-NFL    UPI
1964    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1964    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Newspaper Ent. Assoc.
1964    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1964    2nd Team    All-NFL    UPI
1965    1st Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1965    1st Team    All-NFL   

Newspaper Ent. Assoc.
1965    1st Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1965    1st Team    All-NFL    UPI
1966    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1966    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1966    2nd Team    All-NFL    UPI
1967    1st Team    All-Conf.   

Sporting News
1967    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Associated Press
1967    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Newspaper Ent. Assoc.
1967    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1967    2nd Team    All-NFL    UPI
1968    1st Team    All-Conf.   

Sporting News
1968    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Newspaper Ent. Assoc.
1968    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1969    2nd Team    All-NFL   

Newspaper Ent. Assoc.
1969    2nd Team    All-NFL    NY

Daily News
1969    2nd Team    All-NFL    UPI

Except for the season-long suspension

imposed by Commissioner Pete Rozelle,

Karras missed one (1) game, in

1970—his final season.

Mr. Karras was a member of a

legendary Fearsome Foursome at left

Defensive Tackle, (LDT), along with

Roger Brown (RDT-1960-1966), Darris

McCord (LDE-1955-1967), and Sam

Williams (RDE-1960-1965); before

sacks were counted as a statistic.

The suspension 49 years ago created a

prejudice against an Alex Karras HOF

vote. Lack of an apology and public

remorse has kept him from his

rightfully earned place in Canton.

Alex Karras remains one of the most

stellar role models to have played

pro ball. He is a published author

and famous actor of screen and

television.

Sheryl