LaDainian Tomlinson - Hall of Fame

[Bolt-O]

[Bolt-O]

LaDainian Tomlinson is the latest and possibly last San Diego Chargers player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The running back who led the league in scrimmage yards and touchdowns and contributed to the renewed relevance of a franchise over his nine seasons with the Chargers was voted into the Hall on Saturday in his first year of eligibility.

Tomlinson will be enshrined as the 31st running back of the modern era in a ceremony on Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio, along with the rest of the Class of 2017.

His former teammates, Antonio Gates and Philip Rivers, stand to be up for Hall consideration after they retire. But unless Gates retires or is released by the Chargers before the 2017 season, Tomlinson will be the last Hall of Famer to have spent his entire time with the Chargers while the team was in San Diego.

In his 11-year career, the last two of which were spent with the New York Jets, Tomlinson scored the second-most rushing touchdowns (145) and third-most scrimmage touchdowns in NFL history(162). He rushed for the fifth-most yards (13,684) in history. His 16,445 scrimmage yards were the fifth-most yards from scrimmage ever, fourth-most.

Tomlinson was drafted fifth overall by the Chargers in 2001 after the Chargers finished 1-15 the previous year. The Chargers had the No.1 overall pick and passed on the opportunity to quarterback Michael Vick, instead trading down and taking Tomlinson.

Tomlinson made an immediate impact, rushing for 1,236 yards and 10 touchdowns his rookie season. In 2003, he became the first player in NFL history to catch 100 passes and rush for at least 1,000 yards. In 2006, he was named NFL MVP after leading the league with 1,815 yards and scoring 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total touchdowns, which both still stand as NFL records.

With Tomlinson gaining 1,335 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns, the Chargers made the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons in 2004. The Chargers would make the playoffs five times in a span of six seasons with Tomlinson scoring at least 12 touchdowns and rushing for at least 1,110 yards every year.

He is the only player in NFL history to score at least 10 rushing touchdowns in nine straight seasons. Only Jerry Rice, with 10, had a longer streak with at least 10 scrimmage touchdowns in a season.

He is the only player to ever rush for at least 1,100 yards in each of his first eight seasons.

In those first eight seasons, Tomlinson missed just one game – and he was angry about that. It was the 2004 season finale and Marty Schottenheimer rested his stars in advance of the playoffs.

Former Chargers head coach was also one of 15 modern-era finalists considered Saturday by a panel of 48 selectors. Coryell did not make the final 10.

Tomlinson is the eighth player to make the Hall of Fame after spending the majority of his career with the Chargers. he joins Lance Alworth, Fred Dean, Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Ron MIx, Junior Seau and Kellen Winslow. Former Chargers coach Sid Gillman is also in the Hall.

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com

[6025]

Fucking A about Coryell.

[Bolt-O]

Congrats to Terrell Davis, Lincoln High School, for making the Hall of Fame. The other Terrell, didn't.

[6025]

Too bad TO is making this about himself, the early headlines are all about his tweets.

That said, TO should have probably made it.

[Bolt-O]

The full Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017 has been announced, and there are a few surprises. The biggest is that former wide receiver Terrell Owens did not make it, and the class has a pair of inductees from the running back position in both LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis.

Tomlinson highlights the class, which is fully made up of Tomlinson, Davis, defensive end Jason Taylor, quarterback Kurt Warner and kicker Morten Andersen. As a contributor, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it and senior committee nominee and former NFL safety Kenny Easley also made it.

[Fleet]

TO should have absolutely made it imo. We're talking about arguably the 2nd most productive WR of all time.

[Bolt-O]

[6025]

The full Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017 has been announced, and there are a few surprises. The biggest is that former wide receiver Terrell Owens did not make it, and the class has a pair of inductees from the running back position in both LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis.

Tomlinson highlights the class, which is fully made up of Tomlinson, Davis, defensive end Jason Taylor, quarterback Kurt Warner and kicker Morten Andersen. As a contributor, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it and senior committee nominee and former NFL safety Kenny Easley also made it.

Kenny Easley? And not Coryell?

Coryell better get in through the senior committee.

[Bolt-O]

TO should have absolutely made it imo. We're talking about arguably the 2nd most productive WR of all time.

Yes... Morten Andersen made it before TO. Yeah, Andersen is worthy, but the committee is clearly punishing TO for his off field theatrics.

[Bolt-O]

Tagliabue was considered as a contributor, but didn't get in... probably won't ever now.

[Bolt-O]

'Best pure running back' LaDainian Tomlinson enters Hall of Fame

Eric D. Williams
ESPN Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO -- As a kid who wanted to emulate Hall of Famer Walter Payton, running back LaDainian Tomlinson never imagined being a part of the conversation over the best runners in NFL history.

But on Saturday, Tomlinson joined the likes of Payton, Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith when he was selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tomlinson became the 75th player selected for induction on the first ballot, voted in by attaining 80 percent approval from the 48-person selection committee.

"I never, as a kid, dreamed about going to the Hall of Fame," Tomlinson said. "It just wasn’t something that a kid dreamed about. I dreamed about making it to the National Football League and playing in Super Bowls and winning championships as a kid. That’s what I dreamed about."



Tomlinson’s selection was a no-brainer.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2001 draft after the Chargers finished 1-15 in the previous season, Tomlinson helped change the culture around the Chargers. San Diego made the playoffs five of the nine seasons Tomlinson was the team’s lead running back, including winning five AFC West titles.

Tomlinson’s nine seasons (2001-09) in San Diego included eight consecutive 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and five Pro Bowls.

“He was a game-changer obviously,” said Nick Hardwick, center for the Chargers from 2004 to 2014. “He was an unbelievable talent but had an incredible football IQ. And he had the ability to break a game open at a moment’s notice.

“As an offensive lineman -- and you could probably include tight ends and fullbacks in that equation -- you were really inspired to get your block and stay on your block because you knew that his ability to break off a long run and finish off a game at moment’s notice was right there in the power that LaDainian Tomlinson held in his feet.”

Nicknamed "LT," Tomlinson finished his career as the Chargers’ all-time leading rusher and ranked No. 5 all time in league history with 13,684 rushing yards.

He also owns the single-season touchdown record (31), which he set during the 2006 season.

"LaDainian was the best pure running back I’ve ever been around. And I was around Marcus Allen and Christian Okoye, guys like that," Marty Schottenheimer told the team’s website. Schottenheimer was the Chargers coach from 2002 to 2006, building his offense around Tomlinson. "It was really a treat to be involved with him. I told him from the start that he had it all and we were going to ride him."

Known for his physical, relentless running style, Tomlinson also was a tremendous pass-catcher. He finished his career with 624 catches for 4,772 yards and 17 touchdown receptions.

Only Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk has more catches among the top-10 career rushing leaders.

"It was almost impossible to defend him," Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis said. "Because he had hands like a receiver, he had feet like a ballet dancer and had a heart like a lion -- any time that you have all of those things, you just never know what you are going to get.

“What made him the hardest thing to deal with was that he always kept a calm demeanor. You never could rattle him. He always stayed true to himself."

Tomlinson's No. 21 jersey was retired by the Chargers in 2015.

The only blemish on Tomlinson’s record -- if you can call it that -- is that he never played for a Super Bowl title. Teams Tomlinson played for finished 5-5 in the postseason.

"The one [negative] thing that I think is totally honest and true about my career is I never won a championship," Tomlinson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "That’s totally fair for people to judge me on that. But I know eventually, with my numbers, I’m a Hall of Famer."

Former Chargers teammate Drew Brees said he will be on hand in Canton to watch Tomlinson be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"He's a special guy, a special player," Brees told The Mighty 1090 AM radio. Brees served as the Chargers' starting quarterback from 2002 to 2005. "He made everyone around him better. He was a phenomenal leader. When LT spoke, everybody listened. And he backed it up with his actions, more so than anything he could ever say."
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Highlights

LaDainian Tomlinson

Running back
5-foot-10, 221 pounds
TCU
2001-09, San Diego Chargers; 2010-11, New York Jets

• Played 170 games over 11 seasons
• Rushed for 13,684 yards (ranks fifth all-time) with 145 rushing TDs in career
• Rushed for 1,000 yards in each of first eight NFL seasons
• Had 624 career catches for 4,772 yards and 17 TD receptions
• Eclipsed 1,600-yard mark in back-to-back seasons, 2002-03
• Captured back-to-back rushing titles, 2006-07
• 2006 NFL MVP
• All-Pro, 2004-07
• Named Chargers Most Valuable Player five times
• Voted to five Pro Bowls over six-season span
• Named to NFL's All-Decade Team of 2000s