Andy Reid cemented his status as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, and has solidified his case as a first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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The Kansas City Chiefs came out on top in the 25-22 overtime win in Super Bowl LVIII, clinching a third Vince Lombardi Trophy in the past five seasons.
Reid's Chiefs have become a modern-day dynasty as the venerable head coach climbed into a tie alongside Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs for third-most Super Bowl victories by a head coach in NFL history. Now trailing only Chuck Noll's four championships and Bill Belichick's six for most all-time, Reid has forged an undeniable Hall of Fame candidacy.
One of the brightest offensive minds of his generation, Reid took the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl, and four NFC Championship Games, before guiding the Chiefs to three championships, so far, in four Super Bowl appearances. Meanwhile, Reid was instrumental in the development of franchise quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Donovan McNabb, underscoring his place in the "story" of the National Football League.
While Reid undoubtedly will one day reside in Canton, Ohio, despite there only currently being 29 head coaches enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Reid's chances of being inducted in his first year of eligibility could be a more complicated question than it appears on the surface.
Unlike players, who are Hall of Fame eligible five years after retirement, head coaches are chosen from the "contributor" category. There is only one finalist from the contributor category who even gets debated among the other Hall of Fame finalists, per class, and it is a more involved process.
As the Hall of Fame website explains, "Coach/Contributor Committee members and Seniors Committee members are assisted during their annual meetings by one or two consultants, chosen by the Hall's President, who were contemporaries of the majority of the nominees. The consultant(s) offer only their opinions and are not entitled to vote. After each candidate is discussed thoroughly, the consultants are excused from the meeting. Additional discussion is conducted followed by a series of reduction votes that results in the naming of a Coach/Contributor Finalist and up to three (3) Seniors Finalists."
Despite the added hurdles and uncertainty of who Reid's fellow contributors might be when he is up for debate by the Hall of Fame selectors, at least one member of the separate contributor committee believes this is an open-and-shut case.
"Usually these questions are hard," Charean Williams of Pro Football talk tells FanBuzz. "This one is a no-brainer. Five years after he retires, he will be in the Hall of Fame. The only question is: When is that going to be? At this rate, he might end up being the greatest coach of all time with the most championships."
Paul Domowitch, now of The 33rd Team, covered Reid full-time in Philadelphia and echoes Williams' sentiment.
"He would have to be nominated by the coach/contributor committee for the whole group to vote on," Domowitch explains. "But there's no doubt he's Hall of Fame-worthy."
Some members of the committee, speaking on background, believe that Reid would be a slam-dunk inductee even if he never coaches another game.
To get a sense for Reid's chances of becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer, FanBuzz surveyed nearly a dozen Hall of Fame selection committee members on how they would vote for the head coach with 284 wins, when he eventually becomes eligible.
Here are their answers:
Matt Maiocco
NBC Sports Bay Area - @maiocconbcs
"The coach/contributor committee nominates the finalists each year. It only goes to the full selection committee for the up-or-down vote at that point. But, yes, I don't think there's any question. He was probably in that territory even before this game. This almost guarantees it."
Bob Glauber
"Andy Reid is getting to Mount Rushmore status among football coaches, if he isn't already there. Already a great run with Philadelphia, just without the Super Bowl. Now that he has pelts on the wall, as Bill Parcells likes to say, he is a lock. Coaches and contributors have their own category, so they don't compete against players, although there is only one opening per year. But it's hard to find another name outside of Bill Belichick right now that would keep him away from a very quick entry into the Hall of Fame."
Alex Marvez
SiriusXM - @AlexMarvez
"Yes. Overall body of work, three Super Bowl wins as a head coach, more than 200 wins, development of quarterbacks.. he basically checks every box."
Jason Cole
"The answer is yes. The first time that his name comes up, I'm voting for him. It's a no-brainer."
