Six elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

MIAMI -- Former Cleveland Browns guard Gene Hickerson is one of six new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The announcement of the Class of 2007 was announced this afternoon.

The other inductees are former Dallas wide receiver Michael Irvin, former Oilers-Titans offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, former Detroit tight end Charlie Sanders, former Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas and former St. Louis Cardinals cornerback Roger Werhli.

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was one of 11 finalists who was not selected by a 40-member selection committee.

Hickerson is the 16th member of the Browns storied franchise to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. The class of 2007 will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame the weekend of Aug. 4-5.

“I am honored to be joining such an elite group of individuals and to be remembered as one of the best linemen of all-time,” Hickerson said in a release from the Browns public relations department. “It was such a relief to finally get the phone call and be informed that I was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Hickerson, who played 15 seasons (1958-60, 1962-73) for the Browns, appeared in six Pro Bowls (1966-71) and was voted an all-league selection on five occasions (1966-70). Hickerson was also named the NFL’s most outstanding blocker in 1969.

Hickerson, 72, joined the Browns as a seventh-round draft choice out of Mississippi in 1957. His 15-year career, all with the Browns, ended in 1973 as he played in 202 games, which ranks fourth highest in franchise history, including a streak of 165 consecutive games, which also ranks fifth longest in team history.

Hickerson is the 16th former Browns player or coach in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He joins head coach Paul Brown, running backs Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Marion Motley and Bobby Mitchell, offensive guard Joe DeLamielleure, defensive end Len Ford, center Frank Gatski, quarterback Otto Graham, place kicker/offensive tackle Lou Groza, wide receivers Dante Lavelli and Paul Warfield, offensive tackle Mike McCormack, tight end Ozzie Newsome and middle guard Bill Willis.

With 16 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Browns currently have the fifth-most representatives, behind the Bears (26), Green Bay Packers (21) and Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants (tied with 17 each).