Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Tony Boselli didn’t have to sit in a hotel room in Tampa, waiting for “the knock on his door” that never came on Super Bowl Eve.
But this one stings just as much.
For a fifth-straight year, the Jaguars’ first draft selection and legendary offensive tackle has come up just short of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Boselli was once again among the 15 finalists.
Boselli was voted to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1996 to 2000 and was a three-time All-Pro selection from 1997 to 1999. He was also named to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team. Boselli’s Jaguars played in two AFC Championship games during his tenure with the team.
But the 1995 No. 2 overall Draft selection’s career was limited to 91 games due to shoulder injuries. Thus, of the offensive line finalists, he owned the fewest Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections – and no Super Bowl rings.
In his 15th year on the ballot, though, that limited body of work remains a deterrent to Boselli’s eligibility.
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, John Lynch, and Alan Faneca are the five, modern members of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Jacksonville native and Packers legend LeRoy Butler also came up short of induction in his second year as a finalist.