Meet the 5 Greatest NFL Players Born on the 4th of July

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - FEBRUARY 06: Floyd Little speaks on stage after he was announced as one of the newest enshrinees into the Hall of Fame during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Press Conference held at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center as part of media week for Super Bowl XLIV on February 6, 2010 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

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#2: Erich Barnes

How is this guy not in the Hall of Fame? Erich Barnes was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for an entire decade in the 1960s. He collected 46 career interceptions and scored eight defensive touchdowns. With his help the teams he played for made the playoffs seven times and reached three NFL championship games. So how? How in the world did this six-time Pro Bowler not get more love from the voters in Canton? The answer may lay in his horrible timing.

That is to say he had the habit of being traded right before or after his teams had won championships. He had a good run in Chicago with the Bears before they dealt him to the Giants in 1961. Two years later they would beat him and New York in the 1963 title game. Two years after that he was dealt to the Cleveland Browns, a team that had just won the championship a season earlier. That absence of a ring is likely a key reason he’s forgotten.

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