Pittsburgh native Curtis Martin, the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher, got the nod in his second year of eligibility.

Joining him are Seahawks defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, Steelers center Dermontti Dawson, offensive tackle Willie Roaf (Saints and Chiefs), and defensive end and linebacker Chris Doleman (Vikings, Falcons, and 49ers). The senior committee elected Steelers defensive back Jack Butler.

Learn more about each of these players’ many accomplishments below. But first, a few words and a poll about some notable snubs.

Cris Carter, at one of his 8 Pro Bowls. (Wikipedia)

Notable Hall of Fame Snubs

Vikings great Cris Carter, who ended his career second all-time in receptions and receiving touchdowns, will have to wait, again. This is the fifth year that Carter has been a finalist but has not been elected.

Others notable omissions include:

• Receiver Tim Brown, who is fourth all-time in receiving yards;
• Buffalo Bills receiver Andre Reed, eligible since 2006, who will have to wait to join teammates Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and Bruce Smith in Canton;
• Running back Jerome Bettis, who is sixth all-time in rushing yards;
• Defensive end Charles Haley, who was a key part of five Super Bowl champions and an NFL Defensive Player of the Year;
• Coach (and Wichita State alum) Bill Parcells, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, went to a third with the New England Patriots, and took his teams to the Playoffs more often than not.

What do you think about the snubs? Chime in below:

2012 Hall of Fame Inductees

Jack Butler

• cornerback, Pittsburgh Steelers (1951-59)
• 4 Pro Bowls
• 52 career interceptions for 827 yards and 4 touchdowns
• elected by the senior committee

Jack Butler has waited more than 50 years. He won't have to wait any longer.

Dermontti Dawson

• center, Pittsburgh Steelers (1988-2000)
• 7 Pro Bowls, 6 AP All-Pro selections
• eligible since 2006

Chris Doleman

• defensive end and linebacker, Vikings (1985-93, 99), Falcons (1994-95), 49ers (1996-98)
• 8 Pro Bowls, 3 First-Team and 2 Second-Team All-Pro selections
• 150 1/3 career sacks
• eligible since 2004

Cortez Kennedy

• defensive tackle, Seahawks (1990-2000)
• 8 Pro Bowls, 2 First-Team and 1 Second-Team All-Pro selections
• 58 career sacks from the defensive tackle position
• eligible since 2006

Curtis Martin

• running back, Patriots (1995-97), Jets (1998-2005)
• 5 Pro Bowls, 5 AP All-Pro selections
• 14,101 career rushing yards (4th all-time)
• 17,430 yards from scrimmage (7th all-time)
• 90 rushing touchdowns (12th all-time)
• eligible since 2011

Willie Roaf

• tackle, Saints (1993-01), Chiefs (2002-05)
• 11 Pro Bowls, 6 First-Team and 3 Second-Team All-Pro selections
• eligible since 2011

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For those who would rather read than listen, here is the transcript:

Restoring Some Pride To The Word “Humbled”

This past weekend, seven men were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As is custom, each man gave a heartfelt, often emotional speech that thanked the people who helped him along the way and explicated why becoming a Hall of Famer was so special to him.

From Richard Dent to Shannon Sharpe to Marshall Faulk, there were plenty of genuine statements and moments that were compelling to watch and listen to.

Unfortunately, as is also custom at events like these, there was one word in particular so egregiously misused over and over again that someone might as well have just been running their fingernails across a chalkboard right next to my ear.

I’ve written about this before on MSF, and ranted about it on Twitter numerous times, so you may know the word I’m referring to:

Humbled.

Throughout the Hall of Fame speeches we heard phrases like “I stand before you humbled to be joining the rest of the men in the Hall of Fame” and “This is a truly humbling moment.”

Really?

The definition of humbled is to lower someone in dignity or importance. The secondary definition is to be decisively defeated.

Granted, I can’t get into these men’s minds and know exactly why they chose the word humbled, but it seems to me that they actually chose a word that means the opposite of what they meant to express.

I believe what they meant to say was “I stand before you proud to be joining the rest of the men in the Hall of Fame” and “This is a truly proud moment.”

Pride is defined as a feeling of pleasure from one’s own achievements. Call me crazy, but that seems like a perfect fit for the moment, whereas the use of humbled seems antithetical.

If they wanted to show honest humility, a line like “I am humbled to be in the presence of so many great players who I looked up to and who built the NFL into the great game it is” would have worked. That would appropriately place the more senior members of the Hall of Fame in a rightful position of greater importance.

But so say you are humbled to be joining them? Technically, according to the definition, that’s an insult.

Okay, so who cares right? Why do I feel the need to be the over-analytical, judgmental turd in the punch bowl when clearly no malicious intent was present?

I’ll tell you why: because words are important, and if their misuse and abuse is allowed to go unchecked, then words lose their meaning and unique ability to describe a particular thought, feeling, or action.

If a word can have its meaning, while also meaning the exact opposite at the same time, what purpose does it serve?

In addition, it’s ludicrous that we demand our athletes and other public figures be so vanilla and politically correct that rather than actually say what they are thinking, they either subconsciously or disingenuously try to mask their true feelings behind words they do not mean.

When I rant about the misuse of the word humbled, and I often do, it’s less about this isolated example and the people I specifically mention, and much more about the larger issue of respecting the power of words and the value of honest communication.

Unfortunately, a great word like humbled being misused over and over again on such a public stage perpetuates its misuse in everyday life by those who were listening and who subconsciously processed the erroneous context of the word without recognizing how much its meaning was bludgeoned by such use.

In this sense, we all have a responsibility to make sure we say what we mean and use words as they are intended, lest we further contribute to the erosion of words’ unique meanings, which in turn makes candid, efficient communication that much harder.

Look, despite this rant, I enjoyed the speeches that were given Saturday night. Watching these men speak with such deserved pride about the difficult obstacles they overcame to achieve their goals was humbling to listen to and consider. This night was theirs, and it was a celebration of their path to reaching the pinnacle of their profession. There is nothing humbling about that.

No, the reality is that there was only one thing humbled on Saturday night, and it was the word itself.

Just consider this quickcast my small effort to restore a little pride to one of my favorite, but one of the most misused, words in the English language.

Tonight, the Cleveland Browns take on the New York Giants at Cleveland Browns Stadium, nestled comfortably in the heart of the Midwest. Thus far into the 2008 season the Browns have not done as well protecting their home turf as they did last year when they went 7-1 at home. Already, two writers here at Midwest Sports Fans have predicted a win tonight for the Browns in their Monday Night Football matchup against the currently undefeated Giants.

And while the Browns are clawing their way to a tough, hard-fought, highly significant victory this evening, Cleveland residents, and anyone planning on visiting the city, have the opportunity to enter a contest for a chance to chance to win a significant victory of their own.

PositivelyCleveland.com is sponsoring a contest that honors Cleveland’s history as the Rock and Roll Capital of the World. All you have to do is follow this link to the Cleveland Rock and Roll In the Know Sweepstakes and fill in your name, email address, and phone number to enter.

The winner of the contest will receive four tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with a private guided tour with the museum’s curator. According to official contest rules, entries must be received by this Friday, October 17th, at 11:59am.

There are plenty of compelling reasons to enter:

1. Did you know that the first ever rock and roll concert was held in Cleveland in 1952? I did not. Hence, the presence of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
2. Should you be chosen as the winner, you can make an entire week out of your trip to Cleveland. You can take your tour of the greatest music museum in the world, shoot on down to Canton and visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well, see the Goodyear blimp in Akron (also the hometown of LeBron James), and enjoy some outstanding parks and golf courses during your downtime.
3. Brady Quinn is still wearing a hat and holding a clipboard, so if you profess your support for John McCain and Sarah Palin, as Brady Quinn did recently, he might be compelled to accompany you on your tour. (Disclaimer: This claim is by no means guaranteed and is, in fact, utterly preposterous. Do not plan a trip to Cleveland hoping Brady Quinn will be your tour guide. Who knows — if the first half goes badly for Derek Anderson tonight, Quinn could actually be playing.) As of right now, Brady has nothing better to do, and he is obviously a rock and roll fan as evidenced by the picture of he and Brett Michaels from Poison to the right.
4. Our very own Ryan Russell, a Cleveland native who predicted a victory for the Browns tonight and is also a professional musician for The Franchize (who recently played a show at the Playboy Mansion), has been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “50 times” according to him, and thinks it’s a necessary trip for any music fan.
5. Karma. The more fans of the city of Cleveland who enter the sweepstakes, the better the Cleveland Browns chances of beating the New York Giants tonight and winning the AFC North. Don’t believe me? Well, answer me this: can it hurt? No. But it could, possibly, in some cosmic way help. To me, that says zero downside, but huge potential for upside. Right now, if you’re a Browns fan, you should be doing everything to increase this team’s karma and good fortune!

Prove your fan loyalty and sign up for the Rock and Rock In the Know Contest right now. Then come back here and leave a comment with your prediction for the score of the game. Whoever comes the closest to the actual game score (assuming a Browns victory — remember folks, we win and lose as a team) will receive two free passes to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, independent of the sweepstakes. We’ll roll the free passes over to next week if the Browns somehow come up short tonight. (Hint: There is NO incentive to pick the Giants to win. We’re all about boosting the Browns karma here at Midwest Sports Fans, objectivity be damned. Let’s see how long of a comment thread we can get of overwhelming Browns positivity!)

Aren’t you glad you kept reading?

So go sign up for the contest, leave your comment and score prediction here, and then cheer your heart out for the Browns tonight. The Season of Great Expectations is at a crossroads this evening, but a victory puts the Browns back on a positive track. We’ve already given you our predictions for the score of the Browns’ victory. What is yours?

[tags]cleveland, cleveland browns, rock and roll hall of fame, pro football hall of fame, ohio, contest[/tags]