Houston Antwine deserves your Pats Hall of Fame vote

[PatsFans.com Article]

Houston Antwine deserves your Pats Hall of Fame vote
By: John Morgan

Today the New England Patriots announced the three finalists for this year's team Hall of Fame voting. They are defensive lineman Houston Antwine, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, and head coach Bill Parcells. The finalists were chosen by a panel of media members that cover the Patriots this past month.



And unfortunately it already appears that the most deserving candidate is getting almost no consideration.



While the bulk of the commentary by both fans and the media focuses on 'Parcells or Bledsoe', there is virtually no discussion about Houston Antwine - and that's a shame....

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY​

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Great perspective piece. Shame on the gen x media for falling victim to the what have you done for me lately mentality. He got my vote because he deserves it, as do a few others, and while the other two presently media nominated candidates may or may not be deserving of consideration, neither is a slam dunk first ballot candidate - lots of whom loom on the horizen and some of them will likely have to wait due to sheer numbers. It's about your career accomplishments as a NEP, not your Q rating.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Bledsoe and Parcells will have many other years to get into the Pat's Hall of Fame. Houston Antwine has been the most egregious example of a worthy and overlooked Hall of Famer, now that Jon Morris has been enshrined.

He was much better than his linemate who has long been enshrined. I have already cast my vote for him, and urge others to do likewise.

 

[DarMan]

Just cast my vote for Houston Antwine..one of the all time great Patriots

 

[RayClay]

Nice story.

A few more tidbits.

Buck Buchanan, Pro Football Hall of Famer, played every year of the AFL from 1963 and was voted second team all AFL, behind Antwine.

Fellow lineman (DT) Jim Lee Hunt did not make 1st or second team all AFL, yet he made the Pats Hall, even having his number retired. Bob Dee (DE) made it too. Hell, Larry Eisenhauer was also great, but Antwine was one of the best Patriots ever.

In my opinion, a case could be made for him being the second best pre Brady lifetime Patriot after Hannah.

Interesting tidbit i found concerning one of the few AFL non-glamor position players in the Hall, Billy Shaw and Antwine switching sides of the ball in a college all star game and never looking back.

“We went to the college all-star game and I was playing on the defensive side of the ball behind Bob Lilly,” said Shaw. “I saw very quickly that I didn’t match up on the defensive side of the ball like I thought I would.”...

“Houston Antwine was the best defensive tackle I ever played against in the AFL, but at the all-star game he was playing guard for our team and he was stinking it up, probably more than I was stinking it up on the defensive side,” said Shaw. “So coach Graham changed us. He put me at offensive guard and Houston at defensive tackle. And our careers kind of took off from there.”...

Shaw went on to become an eight-time AFL All-Star, a member of the AFL All-Time team and the only Pro Football Hall of Famer to play his entire career in the American Football League. Lilly also became a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for Dallas...

Bills All-Time draft memories: Billy Shaw

 

[Mike in 333]

I voted for Antwine, he deserves it. Having said that though, I'm in my very early 60's and my memory of Houston are vague at best and herein lies the Patriots HOF dilemma. Since our HOF is so young, there is a lot of catching up that should be done and it will be really difficult for the "old" (let's call it "pre Parcells") era players to get fair recognition for their efforts. Let's face it........there have been 2 Patriot eras and the first one definitely didn't have the same fan base that the post Parcells era has.
Any early era player who is up against a later era player really stands no chance, or at least overwhelmingly bad odds. I really think that the Seniors Committee, or whatever the correct name is, should be able to add some of these players on a limited basis otherwise some very deserving players may find themselves left out. Maybe for the next 3 years they could add 2 players per year rather than 1. While it might look like it's devaluing the honor, when viewed in the context of spanning the entire history of the Patriots it really is only adding 3 more players over what would be added under the current process.

 

[RayClay]

I voted for Antwine, he deserves it. Having said that though, I'm in my very early 60's and my memory of Houston are vague at best and herein lies the Patriots HOF dilemma. Since our HOF is so young, there is a lot of catching up that should be done and it will be really difficult for the "old" (let's call it "pre Parcells") era players to get fair recognition for their efforts. Let's face it........there have been 2 Patriot eras and the first one definitely didn't have the same fan base that the post Parcells era has.
Any early era player who is up against a later era player really stands no chance, or at least overwhelmingly bad odds. I really think that the Seniors Committee, or whatever the correct name is, should be able to add some of these players on a limited basis otherwise some very deserving players may find themselves left out. Maybe for the next 3 years they could add 2 players per year rather than 1. While it might look like it's devaluing the honor, when viewed in the context of spanning the entire history of the Patriots it really is only adding 3 more players over what would be added under the current process.

The senior committee is going to induct one every 5 years, if they do. It's becoming an actuarial contest.

 

[Mike in 333]

The senior committee is going to induct one every 5 years, if they do. It's becoming an actuarial contest.

WOW! I thought it was 1 per year. Maybe that's to try and influence people to vote for the older players. If so, I don't see it happening.

 

[RayClay]

WOW! I thought it was 1 per year. Maybe that's to try and influence people to vote for the older players. If so, I don't see it happening.

It's a separate vote, but who's going to be left to remember in 5, 10 etc. years?

 

[jmt57]

This may be the last chance for not only Antwine, but any of the other old-timers like Russ Francis or Julius Adams other than the once every five years veteran's committee. Bledsoe is eligible this year, then Troy Brown, then Willie McGinest, then Rodney Harrison, then Tedy Bruschi, etc.

I would really like to see Houston Antwine get in but it's going to be tough simply because so many current fans never saw him play.

 

[RayClay]

This may be the last chance for not only Antwine, but any of the other old-timers like Russ Francis or Julius Adams other than the once every five years veteran's committee. Bledsoe is eligible this year, then Troy Brown, then Willie McGinest, then Rodney Harrison, then Tedy Bruschi, etc.

I would really like to see Houston Antwine get in but it's going to be tough simply because so many current fans never saw him play.

I'm trying to remain hopeful, but he had a better chance before. Bledsoe is certainly HOF material on this team.

It's really an embarrassment, they should have just put Morris and Antwine in, it's become a farce.

 

[IndyKen]

Houston got my vote - very solid player way back then.

 

[italian pat patriot]

Houston Antwine will get my vote too

 

[jmt57]

Now that the draft is over ......

a reminder to vote early and often for Houston Antwine for the New England Patriots Hall of Fame. Two weeks remain until the voting is concluded.

Vote for the first choice on the left

 

[captain stone]

Remember, folks: today is the last day - maybe the last day ever - to do the right thing,
and vote for Houston Antwine - and not those other 2 far, far less deserving candidates.

Vote early, vote often, and vote TODAY for the obvious candidate,
who is already in the HOF for the ENTIRE AFL: Houston Antwine...
...before it's too late.

And shame on Mike Reiss for voting for Bledsoe.

 

[RayClay]

Remember, folks: today is the last day - maybe the last day ever - to do the right thing,
and vote for Houston Antwine - and not those other 2 far, far less deserving candidates.

Vote early, vote often, and vote TODAY for the obvious candidate,
who is already in the HOF for the ENTIRE AFL: Houston Antwine...
...before it's too late.

And shame on Mike Reiss for voting for Bledsoe.

As much as I like Reiss, his history of the Patriots starts with Kraft being awarded an NFL franchise and hiring Bill Parcells.

As opposed to many posters here who take the creationist view, Gawd created Belichick, and he begat Brady, and Gawd said it was good and urged them to be fruitful and produce multiple championships.

 

[flasox27]

I voted for Antwine. He was IMO the best defensive tackle to play for the Pats. I can remember the defensive like of the Pats of the 60's with Hunt and Antwine as tackles and Dee and Eisehower as ends.

 

[captain stone]

I'm keeping this thread open all day long, so I can click jmt's link until voting is closed.

I wished I had asked one of the mods, earlier in the voting process,
to show this as a sticky, in order to remind everyone here of their solemn duty.
That's what I get for going to Ireland for 10 days last month.

 

[RayClay]

I voted for Antwine. He was IMO the best defensive tackle to play for the Pats. I can remember the defensive like of the Pats of the 60's with Hunt and Antwine as tackles and Dee and Eisehower as ends.

We had a great line, but the greatest player on it got zilch. That must have been some meeting in 1991?, where they retired the numbers of Hunt and Dee and enshrined them, but snubbed Antwine.

Yes. Larry Eisenhauer deserved it as much as the other two also, but Antwine was the league standout.

Must have been some sort of jealous clique back then, it's kind of sad.

Houston Antwine never thought he would get the opportunity to be inducted into the Patriots [team stats] Hall of Fame. He assumed politics would be involved, and that would end the story.

He now knows he misjudged the process.

DL Houston Antwine on short list - BostonHerald.com

 

[jefmblrd]

I remember Houston well from the old Patriot days and felt he deserved my vote. Hope he gets in.