New Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel played in the last of his 12 Pro Bowls as a Buccaneer following the 2000 season
Lee Roy Selmon remains the only player who identifies mainly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to gain admission into the Pro Football Hall of Fame…so far.
However, the Buccaneers' wing in Canton is getting a little more crowded, at least if one considers the other Hall of Famers who suited up for Tampa Bay in some capacity.
On Saturday, the Hall's 2009 class was announced, and it was an intriguing list of six names, from Bullet Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys to former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback hunter Derrick Thomas. Of most interest to Buccaneers fans was guard Randall McDaniel, the 12-time Pro Bowler who played his last two seasons (2000-01) on Tampa Bay's line.
McDaniel joins Selmon and quarterback Steve Young as the three players now enshrined in the Hall who saw regular-season action for the Buccaneers. Tackle Anthony Munoz, another Hall of Famer, signed with the Buccaneers in the preseason of 1993 but was injured during the preseason and never returned to the field.
The Hall does not make its enshrinees "choose" the team they will represent when they are voted in; their busts don't have team caps or anything of the sort. Thus, each team that a newly-enshrined player suited up for is considered to have another Hall of Famer when that player is selected. The Hall lists Selmon, McDaniel and Young as Tampa Bay's three enshrinees, with Selmon listed in capital letters to designate that he made the majority of his primary contribution to the game as a Buccaneer.
McDaniel was named All-Pro nine straight seasons during his 14-year career, and he made it to the Pro Bowl a record 12 consecutive years. The last of those all-star games came in his first season as a Buccaneer, in 2000.
In Tampa, McDaniel was part of a pair of playoff teams, starting all 32 games during those two years at left guard. That ran his career total to 222 games played, of which he started all but two. McDaniel also played in and started 15 postseason games during his career.
The former Arizona State standout entered the NFL in 1988 as a first-round pick of the Vikings. The 19th overall selection, he was an all-rookie selection in his first year and a Pro Bowler by his second season. In his prime, he helped anchor a Minnesota line that was one of the best of its era, in the process paving the way for six 1,000-yard rushers, including the Buccaneers' Warrick Dunn in 2000. McDaniel was a key member of the memorable 1998 Vikings team that scored a then-record 556 points en route to a 15-1 regular-season record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.
McDaniel's Hall of Fame class also includes Hayes, Thomas, former Buffalo defensive end Bruce Smith, Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson and star defensive back Rod Woodson. They were selected from a list of 17 finalists that had been determined earlier by the committee. The 2009 class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network.
