Under the guise of a reporter from Canton, Ohio, looking for an interview, the Professional Football Hall of Fame convinced Lynell Nunn to make a call from Zoom a few weeks ago.
Nunn reluctantly agreed to video chat – she thought a simple phone call would be enough – but her mood was optimistic when she saw that the person on the computer was David Baker, the president of the Hall of Fame.
“Obviously, I’m not a reporter for the Canton newspaper,” Nunn recalled Baker saying. “I am pleased to tell you …”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Baker was breaking the news that Lynell’s father, Bill Nunn, whose 46-year tenure at the Pittsburgh Steelers, was posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in the contributor category.
Since Nunn was the only deceased member of the 2021 Hall of Fame class with eight members – he died in 2014 at the age of 89 – Baker handled the ad virtually with the Nunn family. For the other seven members, Baker knocked on their doors.
“They tried to make their own surprise,” said Lynell Nunn. “And it was, it was really a surprise and it was good.”
Bill Nunn, who was responsible for selecting players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, was named a finalist collaborator in August. Although he was the only finalist on the ballot, he still needed to receive 80% of the votes from the 48-member Hall of Fame committee to be elected.
When the vote was official, Nunn became the 26thº selected member as a contributor. Most importantly, he became the first predominant scout to join the Hall of Fame – and the first African-American executive in the front office.
“That would have meant everything to him,” said Lynell. “He was always looking for diversity, valuing diversity, trying to change things for the better.”
Nunn’s candidacy was reinforced by a rule change adopted by the Hall of Fame in 2014. Until then, contributing candidates were grouped with finalists from the modern era, with no more than five in that group receiving induction each year. This resulted in only nine employees being sworn in over the past 46 years, including Steelers’ Art Rooney Sr. and Dan Rooney.
The 2014 decision separated the category in the hope of eliminating an accumulation of qualified candidates that included commissioners, owners, general managers and other executives. Nunn has become the seventh selected contributor since the rule change.
“If they hadn’t created it, guys like Bill probably wouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II on Sunday. “I remember my father’s speech in the Hall of Fame. He wasn’t sure if anyone besides the players should be in the Hall of Fame. I knew what he was saying, but I think Hall made a good decision by opening its doors to people like Bill. ”
Nunn’s selection became official on Saturday night during the NFL Honors program, broadcast nationally on CBS.
“When we first got the news in August, it was impressive,” said Lynell. “Last night really did bring life. We are very honored and satisfied. ”
The inauguration ceremony in Canton will take place from 6 to 9 August and will feature members of the 2020 Centenary Gang, whose festivities have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nunn will be consecrated along with this year’s class guard Alan Faneca, in addition to security guards Donnie Shell and Troy Polamalu and coach Bill Cowher of 2020.
“We will have to make special plans,” said Rooney II. “We will have to find the biggest tent in Ohio to have a party after the ceremony. It will be a special weekend. ”
Joe Rutter is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Joe by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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