One of the things that is right and proper about football is that Kansas University’s John Hadl has been in the College Football Hall of Fame since 1994, thanks to a lot of hard work by Bernie Kish. One of the flaws is that John does not yet have a statue in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
KU’s Gale Sayers (1977), Mike McCormack (1985) and John Riggins (1992) are enshrined in Canton, Ohio; John Hadl, the Lawrence kid who sparkled in high school, college and for 16 years in the NFL, and also coached some real biggies, still is absent as he goes about his chores as a KU associate athletic director.
There are a lot of stories about the reason for this oversight, including one weak explanation that nobody ever formally had nominated John. I know that’s wrong because potent people have done so. There’s also talk that when John was starring with the San Diego Chargers, a reporter who had much to do with selection got his nose out of joint for some reason, and Hadl constantly got shuffled into the background, perennially overlooked though his statistics are better than those of a number of guys already in the display cases.
No Super Bowl ring, but Dan Marino and Jim Kelly don’t wear one, either.
Coach-commentator John Madden and former tackle Rayfield Wright of Dallas are the two latest to be nominated. That only heightens the anger of people who believe Hadl continues to get the short end of the stick.
I mean, all-league as a KU sophomore halfback in 1959, when he not only ran the ball but led the nation in punting with a 45.6-yard average and played defense, too. John uncorked one kick for 94 yards, ran one interception back 98 and had one game with 153 kick-off return yards. It took until 2002 before Greg Heaggans broke that with 195 return yards for KU. Hadl also was a clutch defender.
Then all John did as a junior and senior was make All-America first teams after being shifted to quarterback by Jack Mitchell. People thought Jack was nuts to surrender a brilliant left halfback for a questionable quarterback role. John made Jack look good, very good.
After that came 16 years as a tremendous pro standout, mainly with the Chargers. He became a pro assistant tutoring the likes of Steve Young, John Elway, Vince Ferragamo, Bert Jones and Steve DeBerg; assisted in college at Kansas; then was head coach with the USFL’s Los Angeles Express in 1984 and ’85 before the new league folded. Larry Hatfield, a lifelong friend and former Lawrence High teammate of Hadl’s, has clippings quoting the fabled Joe Namath. Joe calls John the best quarterback leader he ever encountered, deadliest in showdown time. Namath wasn’t too shabby, either.
Hatfield is an encyclopedia of Lion sports. He’s recuperating from a second shoulder surgery but jokes that it wasn’t because ground-pounding LHS coach Al Woolard wore out Larry’s arm passing. “If Al could have gotten the ball to Hadl without my ever touching it, he’d have done it,” Larry explains. Quips Hadl: “Larry did everything you could ask, but he was no speed merchant … should have drawn delay-of-game penalties when he had to run.”
You’d think John might be peeved, just a little, but he moves along thinking he’s had a great life and that if some day he gets into the pro hall, that’ll be just dandy. Deserving as he is, he loses not a wink of sleep over it. When the conversation turns to his career, John quickly cites all the backfield mates he’s had who helped him look so good. Naturally, nobody loves and appreciates offensive linemen more than Hadl.
Just for fun, let’s recount some of the offensive backfield buddies John had at Lawrence High, KU and then as a pro.
Junior season at LHS, 1956: Quarterback Don Wrench, left half Hadl, right half Jerry Hall and fullback Doyle Schick. Was that the best foursome coach Al Woolard ever fielded? Throw in their defense and you can make a good case.
Senior LHS season: Quarterback Hatfield, left half Hadl, right half Phil Kipp and fullback Andy Graham. Andy had been an end, became a fine fullback, then played end at Kansas for three years.
Jack Mitchell recruited a fabulous freshman crew for Kansas in 1958. His backfield featured Lee Flachsbarth at quarterback, Hadl at left half, Gib Wilson at right half and Jim Jarrett at fullback, all Kansas kids from Atchison, Lawrence, Kansas City Wyandotte and Coffeyville. Such doesn’t happen anymore, huh?
Came 1959 and the Jayhawks had Duane Morris at quarterback, Hadl at left half, Wichita transfer Curtis McClinton at right half and the incomparable Schick at fullback. Again, all Kansas guys – Salina, Wichita and Lawrence.
The 1960 season saw Hadl moved to quarterback, with Bert Coan and McClinton as the halfbacks and Schick at full. Best ever at KU? Many think so. Further, all four of those starters played in the NFL as did reserves Fred Bukaty, Kansas City, and Hugh Smith, Nebraska transfer. KU was as good as anybody that season but had to forfeit a league title due to the Coan eligibility flap.
In 1961, KU ended an erratic season with a 33-7 romp past Rice in the Bluebonnet Bowl, and Hadl again starred in many ways. He was under center, Rodger McFarland and McClinton were the halfbacks, and Ken Coleman was at fullback with Jarrett, Armand Baughman and Gib Wilson in reserve. After that battle in a driving rain, Hadl and McClinton ceremoniously signed contracts under the goal posts, John for San Diego, Curtis for the Dallas Texans (later Kansas City Chiefs).
When he reached San Diego and won the starting call, John was in an attack quartet that rates with the greatest in pro history: Hadl, left half Paul Lowe (Oregon State), flanker Lance Alworth (Arkansas) and fullback Keith Lincoln (Washington State). They had everything, including the kind of speed that earned them the Hall of Flame backfield – quite ironic since The Hall continues to forget Hadl.
It’s easy to marvel at all the wondrous backfield foursomes Hadl has been a part of. Be assured he deeply appreciates all they did and stresses that he got where he did at three levels because of such comrades.
But the single thread, the aorta, that runs so consistently through that array of stellar talent is John Hadl, a former NFL man of the year who deserves far better than the Pro Football Hall of Fame has provided. “If you needed a guy to make the play you had to have, you’d want John in charge,” says buddy Hatfield.
