Former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli is consistently talked about as a Hall of Fame candidate and, in 2017, he may finally get in.
Rallying support for former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Tonly Boselli hasn’t been particularly difficult. The 2017 Hall of Fame finalist was so supremely gifted that he was in the conversation as the best tackle of the 1990s, even with stiff competition.
In 2015 the Jaguars team site interviewed Boselli asking him to state his case and he did so:
I understand longevity plays a role. And it plays a greater role depending on whether you’re really good or great. But from my standpoint … and I hate to do this … but when I listen to the draft and hear people say, ‘He’s not Tony Boselli’ or ‘all-decade team’ it seems like a lot of people view me as one of the best to play the position. And if you’re the best at what you do doesn’t that have to mean something?
The support for Boselli has been coming from across the NFL.
2x SB champion & @NFLonCBS Analyst @PhilSimmsQB on 2017 @ProFootballHOF finalist @TonyBoselli:
“He certainly deserves a place in the HOF.” pic.twitter.com/l9BvyX4KLU
— Tad Dickman (@Tdickman89) January 31, 2017
5 days…
2015 @ProFootballHOF inductee Bill Polian on 2017 finalist @TonyBoselli:
“He is a very worthy candidate for the Hall of Fame.” pic.twitter.com/fcfAWQNXda
— Tad Dickman (@Tdickman89) January 30, 2017
1998 @ProFootballHOF inductee @AnthonyMunozHOF on 2017 finalist @TonyBoselli:
“I believe Tony deserves a place in Canton, Ohio.” pic.twitter.com/OFCXScIMEd
— Tad Dickman (@Tdickman89) January 30, 2017
.@Jaguars EVP of Football Operations Tom Coughlin on 2017 @ProFootballHOF finalist @TonyBoselli.
“Boselli should be in the Hall of Fame.” pic.twitter.com/7PfXI30q6n
— Tad Dickman (@Tdickman89) January 31, 2017
From a Super Bowl winning quarterback to a Super Bowl winning head coach (and the man who brought him into the NFL) to the best offensive tackle to ever play the position, Boselli has had praise heaped upon him from every corner. He was just that good.
A short playing career is always going to hinder some players from getting into the Hall of Fame. It’s a curse that some players have to deal with. But when a player is as dominant as Boselli was and as respected by opponents and his own organization, it’s worth considering him. ESPN’s Michael DiRocco summed it best over a year ago:
The Jaguars don’t yet have a player in the NFL Hall of Fame but the first one should undoubtedly be Boselli. The No. 2 overall pick in 1995 had his career cut short at seven seasons because of injuries, but he was the top offensive tackle in the league for much of those seven seasons. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro and was voted to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team.
Accolades like that aren’t simply given, they’re earned. Players with talent like Boselli earn accolades like that through hard work, grit, determination, and consistently proving themselves each and every play.
It’s time to see a Jacksonville Jaguars great enter the Hall of Fame. It’s time for Tony Boselli to get his due. He may not be allowing himself to think about it right now, but he deserves it. He put in the work.