In 2006, more than 2,100 players suited up for an NFL game. Former running back for the San Diego Chargers LaDainian Tomlinson was voted as the very best among qualifying players for NFL MVP.
With the selection of the award, it immediately put Tomlinson in select company. More than 25,000 players have suited up for games in NFL history, with only 49 of them ever being voted the most valuable player in a single season.
With the NFL recognizing an MVP award since 1957, 49 MVPs in 62 seasons creates an exclusive fraternity of some of the greatest names in the game's history: Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Payton Manning.
The list goes on, and it tracks to Washington, writes Rich Gosselin of the Talk of Fame podcast.
As of 2019, eight former MVPs in the senior pool, whose candidacies have never received the courtesy of a trip to the NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement finals are as follows:
Quarterbacks Earl Morrall (1968), Roman Gabriel (1969), John Brodie (1970), Bert Jones (1976), Brian Sipe (1980) and Joe Theismann (1983), Halfback Larry Brown (1972) and kicker Mark Moseley (1982).
Theismann suited up for the Burgundy and Gold for 12 seasons and currently ranks first in Redskins history in passing completions (2044), passing attempts (3602), passing yards (25206), and ended his career as the 1983 NFL MVP along with his selection to the Redskins Ring of Fame in 1990.
With only three pure kicking specialists enshrined in Canton, the only kicker to be named NFL MVP surely denotes the deserving of a gold jacket, Gosselin opines.
Mark Moseley revolutionized the Washington kicking game for the 13 seasons he spent in the nation's capital. Moseley finished as the franchises all-time leader in field goals made (263), 98 more than second ranked Chip Lohmiller, and additionally was named a two-time Pro Bowler and first team all-pro in 1982. Moseley's career culminated with his selection into the Redskins ring of fame.
There are currently 47 running backs with busts in Canton, the most of any position.
An eighth-round selection in the 1969 draft, Larry Brown used the proverbial "chip" on his shoulder that fueled one of the most successful careers as a running back in Redskins history. Brown spent his entire eight-year career in Washington where he accumulated 5,875 yards on the ground with 35 touchdowns leading to his selection to four Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro awards.
Brown was included in the list of the "70 greatest Redskins," and is included in the prestigious Redskins Ring of Fame at FedExField. His number 43 is also unofficially retired by the team.
With legendary players retiring ever year, the NFL player pool for Hall Of Fame consideration grows after each season, but for the three members of the Canton senior class who formerly wore the burgundy and gold, the process to the final vote seems inevitable in the near future.
