The 10 Greatest NFL Players From the State of Kansas
By Erik Lambert
#6: John Hadl
It remains a surprise that John Hadl isn’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to this day. The guy had about as good a career as one can have. He was a pioneer in the old AFL. He was throwing for over 3,000 yards in a season back when it was definitely not the norm. His San Diego Chargers offenses of the 1960s were almost unstoppable and helped bring the passing game into the mainstream. The guy has a championship too, claiming it in 1963.
He was a six-time AFL All-Star and threw for over 33,000 yards. If there’s one thing that has held him back it must be the 268 interceptions he threw over that same span. Not a great number to boast, yes but at the same time Joe Namath had more interceptions than touchdowns and fewer yards in his career. So why does he get into Canton and not Hadl? The only reason can be he won Super Bowl III after guaranteeing it. That’s it. He was not a better player than Hadl.