Former NFL Running Back Corey Dillon Says His Achievements Merits Hall of Fame Induction
Former NFL Running Back Corey Dillon Says His Achievements Merits Hall of Fame Induction – for more, read more …
Corey Dillon departed from the NFL in 2007 after a highly successful 10-year career.
He amassed over 11,000 yards on the ground (including six straight years of over 1,000 yards) and 89 total touchdowns. In 2004, Dillion and the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl. He was a member of the Pro Bowl four times.
Dillon’s career statistics are among the best in NFL history; he is one of just 14 running backs with over 10,000 rushing yards and an average of over 4.3 yards per carry.
He surpassed Walter Payton’s single-game rushing yards record in 2000 and Jim Brown’s rookie rushing record in 1997. Both have been compromised as of late.
However, he has yet to receive a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dillon was drafted by and played for the Bengals for the first seven years of his career, but he has yet to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honour.
That bothers him a lot. Dillon told Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic that he is “pretty sure they will put [expletive] Jon Kitna in there before they put me” when asked about his omission from the Bengals’ Ring of Honour.
“I want everything. Dillon boasted, “The Ring of Honour and the Hall of Fame can’t stop me. What’s the reason? Simply put, “I deserve it.”
Payton, Brown, Barry Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, Marshall Faulk, and O.J. Simpson are just a few of the 14 running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
From the remaining six, three (Frank Gore in 2026, LeSean McCoy in 2025, and Adrian Peterson five years after his official retirement, which might come as early as next year) are not yet eligible for the Hall.
Dillon, however, qualifies as of 2012. Fred Taylor is in the same boat, and his career stats even outperform Dillon’s. Tiki Barber is the other great who hasn’t made it into the Hall of Fame yet despite being a career rushing leader with 10,449 yards.
The only non-Hall of Fame rushing backs with 11,000 yards are Jeremy Dillon, Chester Taylor, Frank Gore, LeGarrette McCoy, and Steven Jackson. What gives, then? Dillon has some ideas as to why he hasn’t been inducted into the Ring or the Hall of Fame.
Regarding the Bengals’ Ring of Honour, I believe they are upset with me since I spoke out and the team eventually won a title. Dillon probably meant to make reference to the time he famously declared he’d rather be “flipping burgers” than playing for the Bengals in 2000 when he begged to be traded.
After the Bengals’ Week 17 game in 2003, he flung his helmet, shoulder pads and shoes on the field. In 2004, Dillon was transferred to the Patriots, where he eventually became a Super Bowl champion.
“I’m not down in Cincinnati, in the main office saying hello to [Bengals owner and president] Mike Brown every day,” Dillon clarified.
That’s not gonna happen,” he said. That doesn’t take away from what I’ve done on the pitch. Nothing should overturn your efforts on the pitch, where the real work is being done.
Dillon doesn’t think his off-field difficulties should affect his on-field accomplishments, including his possible induction into the Hall of Fame.
Does Data Support Dillon for Hall of Fame
In 2000, Dillon was arrested for fourth-degree assault following an incident with his then-wife. In 2010, he was arrested for both drunk driving and domestic violence. Lack of evidence led to the dismissal of the domestic violence accusations.
Dillon stated, “I don’t want to get into people’s personal business, but there are a lot of Hall of Famers that did far more worse [crap] than I did. That justification can be nullified easily. That can’t be justified in any way.
And here I had assumed the game was based on cold, hard statistics. Do people take a look at the data and say, “Nah, nah?” Not in my opinion.
The data supports Dillon, but data can’t cast a ballot. Dillon will have to wait patiently for the voters of the Hall of Fame and the Ring of Honour to decide whether or not to induct him into these illustrious organisations.
