Jets Pro Bowler Joe Klecko is one of three Senior alumni who will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this Saturday as a member of the 2023 Class.
Klecko, Chuck Howley and the late Ken Riley had to wait a long time to be honored in Canton. That delay will end during the Hall of Fame ceremonies which begins at 12 noon (ET) in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. ESPN and NFL Network will televise the daytime event.
Klecko’s final season in the League was 1988 so he had to wait more than three decades to receive the Hall of Fame honor he richly deserves. He holds the unique distinction of having earned a Pro Bowl selection at three different defensive line positions during his career…defensive tackle, defensive end and nose tackle.
Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure is more than qualified to appreciate Klecko’s Pro Bowl trifecta. As starting guard for the Bills, he often faced Klecko across the line twice a year when Buffalo played its AFC East rival Jets.
“I had to block (Hall of Famers) Joe Greene and Merlin Olsen when I was playing and, believe me, Joe Klecko was equal to those two guys,” DeLamielleure says. “If Joe had played just one position for 10 years, he’d have been considered one of the two or three all-time top players at that position, whichever one it was. He also would have been enshrined in Canton a heckuva lot sooner than now.”
In addition to Joe Klecko, the Class of 2023 members who will be enshrined this weekend are:
- Five-time Pro Bowl Buccaneers CB/S Ronde Barber
- Cardinals-Chargers Head Coach & Offensive Strategist Don Coryell (deceased)
- Super Bowl V MVP & Cowboys LB Chuck Howley
- First-ballot Hall of Fame CB Darrelle Revis
- Fifteen-year Bengals veteran CB Ken Riley (deceased)
- First-ballot Hall of Fame Browns T Joe Thomas
- Seven-time Pro Bowl Dolphins LB Zach Thomas
- Cowboys & Broncos nine-time Pro Bowl LB-DE DeMarcus Ware
We at NFL Alumni salute the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023!
