Hall of Fame with a Bullet

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that "Bullet" Bob Hayes made the 2009 Hall of Fame class.  Hayes revolutionized the game of football by introducing the concept of downfield speed into the game.  Offenses began to use speed to move the ball quickly down the field, especially using the long pass, and defenses began to use speed to bottle up offenses.  During his career, Hayes scored 71 touchdowns, accumulated over 7,000 yards receiving, and made 3 pro-bowls.

Besides playing football, Hayes was a 2 two-time gold medal winner at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and set the world record in the 100 meters.  He is the only person to win a gold medal and play for a Super Bowl winner.

Hayes is a native of Jacksonville and played his final season for the San Francisco 49ers and for these reasons The Backbencher celebrates Hayes' election to the Hall of Fame.