Bills Lead New Hall Class

Sunshine broke through a dreary Buffalo winter Saturday as Bills owner Ralph Wilson and record-setting defensive end Bruce Smith topped the list of six new entrants into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A 44-member panel also selected versatile defensive back Rod Woodson, game-changing linebacker Derrick Thomas, 12-time Pro Bowl guard Randall McDaniel and Senior nominee Bob Hayes for induction into the Canton, Ohio, shrine of excellence Aug. 8.

For the third consecutive year, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue failed to gather enough support.

Wilson, who turned 90 in the fall, has owned the Bills since the franchise was formed in 1959. Buffalo won two championships in the American Football League and also advanced to four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

Despite owning a small-market club, Wilson never moved the Bills out of their original home and he helped prop up struggling AFL franchises until the leagues merged in 1970.

"What a shock," Wilson said. "It's such an honor."

Smith is the league's all-time sack leader with 200 and his dominance up front was instrumental as the Bills won four AFC titles in a row, beginning in 1990.

"This is a special class," he said. "I am overjoyed."

Woodson intercepted 71 passes in 17 seasons, excelling at both cornerback and safety. He returned 12 of those picks for scores while playing for the Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and Raiders.

Thomas, who died nine years ago at the age of 33 due to complications from an automobile accident, forced 45 fumbles and registered 126.5 sacks in 11 seasons with the Chiefs.

McDaniel missed only two games in a 14-year career with the Vikings and Buccaneers, earning 12 Pro Bowl berths and powering one of the top offenses of the 1990s in Minnesota.

Hayes averaged 20 yards per reception and caught 71 touchdowns in 10 years with the Cowboys, stretching defenses with his incomparable speed. Hayes was a running back at Florida A&M and the Jacksonville native died of kidney failure in 2002.

An Inside Look At The Vote, Page 6