TAMPA -- Bobby Hayes, ''The World's Fastest Human'' who never could run into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, made it at a gallop Saturday.

Hayes, who died in 2002, often had been rejected by Hall voters since becoming eligible in 1980. He was elected to this pantheon on the eve of the 43rd Super Bowl along with former South Miami High star Derrick Thomas, Buffalo's Bruce Smith, Pittsburgh's Rod Woodson, Minnesota's Randall McDaniel and Bills owner Ralph Wilson.

However, ex-Dolphin Bob Kuechenberg was turned down again. He was eliminated during the reduction to seven candidates. So, too, was former commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

What changed Hall electors' minds about Hayes remained a mystery. The one-time Florida A&M ace often had advanced to the finals since he became eligible, five years after he retired in 1975.

Hayes caught 365 passes for 7,295 passes in 10 seasons with the Cowboys, and although his stats fell short of staggering, he was credited with changing the game with his speed -- he won the 1964 Olympic 100-meter gold medal in a then-world-record 10.05 seconds. That forced teams to double-cover him or develop zone schemes to keep up.

''Bobby had several speeds, all of them fast,'' said Larry Wilson, the St. Louis Cardinals' Hall of Fame safety. ``Defensive backs had to figure out which one he was going to use.''

Thomas' election was a welcome surprise, for his death in a 2000 automobile crash ended an 11-year career that looked as if it still had some time to go. He was only 33 at the time, and his popularity with the Kansas City Chiefs was huge.

Smith, 44, is the erstwhile Buffalo Bills defensive end who tormented the Dolphins with his relentless pass rushing from 1985 through '99. He still holds the Bills' career sack record with 171.

He didn't look so tough after Saturday's honor, but at 6-4 and 260 he still cuts a fine figure of a man. Tears ran down his face even though the announcement was anything but a surprise.

''I cried not because I am any less a man,'' he said, ``but because I am man enough to cry. I just wish my mom and dad could be here to see this.''

Kuechenberg did not attend the announcement ceremony but remained optimistic from Miami.

''I'll just hang in there,'' he said, and he had surely done that during his tenure with the Dolphins from 1970 to '84.

Kooch never has received quite the glory he earned because he played alongside Hall of Famers Jim Langer at center and Larry Little at the other guard. Back in Miami, coach Don Shula expressed regret at Kuechenberg's near miss. ''He was great,'' Shula said. ``Nobody played any harder than Kooch.''

There haven't been many Hall elections tougher than this one, either. Contenders included ex-Miami Hurricane and Seattle standout Cortez Kennedy, Cris Carter, Dermontti Dawson, Richard Dent, Russ Grimm, Claude Humphrey, John Randle, Andre Reed, Shannon Sharpe and Tagliabue.

Most of them will take their places eventually in the Hall. None of them will face many lineups as tough as Saturday's.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@