Dent denied Hall of Fame admission for 5th time

Richard Dent's fifth time as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame was no different from the previous four. Dent was again denied admission.

From the original 15 modern-day finalists, Dent made the cut to 10 during Saturday morning's board of selectors meeting in Tampa. But when the field was trimmed to five, Dent was eliminated.

The final five - Vikings guard Randall McDaniel, Bills defensive end Bruce Smith, Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson Jr. and Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson - all received the required 80 percent of the vote and will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, Aug. 8. Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes was also voted into the Hall on the recommendation of the Seniors Committee.

Dent's sack numbers compare to many players already in the Hall of Fame. But with elite pass rushers like Smith and Thomas getting in this year, Dent and others, like Vikings defensive tackle John Randle, were passed over.

Despite being an eighth-round draft pick out of Tennessee State, Dent played in every game as a Bears rookie, and the next year began a 10-year stretch as one of the most dangerous pass rushers in NFL history.

In 1984, just his second season, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Dent racked up a Bears-record and NFC-best 17 1/2 sacks, as coordinator Buddy Ryan's defense emerged as the league's best, headlined by middle linebacker Mike Singletary, defensive lineman Dan Hampton, both of whom are already in the Hall of Fame, and Dent.

The next season Dent had an NFL-best 17 sacks, plus 1 1/2 more in the 46-10 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, when Dent also forced 2 fumbles and was chosen as the game's MVP. In the two playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl, victories over the Giants and Rams, Dent had 4 1/2 sacks, giving him a combined 23 for the season.

Those two seasons started a decade of dominance for Dent, who had double-digit sacks eight times, missing only in 1989, when he had 9, and in '92, when he had 8 1/2.

After 11 seasons with the Bears, Dent signed with the 49ers in '94 but came back to Chicago in '95. He was limited by injuries in both those seasons, but in 1996 with the Colts, and in his final season with the Eagles, Dent missed just one game and ran his 15-year sack total to 137 1/2, which at the time was third best in NFL history. His 124 1/2 sacks in 12 seasons as a Bear are a franchise record.

Dent had 121 1/2 sacks from 1984-93, and only Reggie White, with 137, had more. Lawrence Taylor had 117 in the same time span, and the Bills' Bruce Smith, who was selected Saturday for enshrinement in his first year on the ballot, had 106, although his career didn't begin until 1985, Smith is the NFL's all-time leader in sacks with 200. White, who finished his career with 198 sacks; and Taylor, who had 132 1/2, are already in the Hall.

Dent was also a Hall of Fame finalist in 2004, '05, '07 and '08. Each year, between four and seven new members are elected to the Hall.

NFL All-Time Sack Leaders

Bruce Smith 200

Reggie White 198

Kevin Greene 160

Chris Doleman 150

Michael Strahan 141

Richard Dent 137 1/2

John Randle 137 1/2

Lawrence Taylor 132 1/2

Leslie O'Neal 132 1/2

Rickey Jackson 128

Derrick Thomas 126