Humphrey: ‘It would be great to go in as a Falcon’

Former Falcons great Claude Humphrey has been down this road before.

Last Wednesday he received another call letting him know that for the fourth time, he was a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Humphrey, the third overall pick out of Tennessee State in the 1968 draft, terrorized offensive tackles for the Falcons from 1968-78.

Perhaps the fourth time will be charm for Humphrey.

Feeling his career had hit a dead end with the Falcons, Humphrey retired and later forced a trade to Philadelphia, where former Falcons coach Marion Campbell was serving as the defensive coordinator under coach Dick Vermeil.

Playing as a pass-rushing specialist, Humphrey helped the Eagles win the NFC Championship in the 1980 season and played in Super Bowl XV.

Humphrey is already in the Georgia and Tennessee Sports halls of fame. He would like to make the trip to Canton, Ohio, in August to get one of those spiffy yellow jackets.

Humphrey, who resides in suburban Memphis, was considered one of the best pass rushers of his era, but the quarterback sack did not become a league-sanctioned statistic until 1982.

Humphrey, along with Bob Hayes, were nominated through the senior committee. They will be voted on separate from other eligible former players. The final selection will be announced Jan. 30, the day before the Super Bowl in Tampa.

Humphrey, who turned 64 in June, took some time Friday via telephone to answer questions from AJC Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter:

Q: How do you think you’ll feel if everything works out this time around?

A: Well, I’ll tell you what, it would be a great feeling. I’m proud of myself. I’ve been here four different times, and I haven’t gotten over the hump so far.

I’m not going to get too excited about it even though I did go pull out the [previous Hall of Fame] files last night. But I will not get excited about it. If I get in, then I’m going to really get excited.

Q: Falcons coach Emmitt Thomas waited awhile before he went into the Hall of Fame. He’s still grinning from ear-to-ear. Would you mind the wait?

A: That’s the way I’m going to be. I’ll probably be grinning wider than ear-to-ear. I’d probably be grinning to the back of my head. There’s no telling what I’m going to do.

Q: How would you describe your style of play to the young folks who didn’t get to see you in action?

A: I was aggressive, very aggressive. I tried to play the game to the point where when I walked off the field, there was nothing that I didn’t cover. I tried to play all out. I didn’t take any prisoners. I just tried to do my job.

Q: They didn’t count sacks during your career (the NFL started counting sacks as an official state in 1982), how many do you think you had?

A: I don’t know. I really don’t know. Somebody else asked me that, but my best guess is about 88. One year I think I had about 18, then one year 17. There were two or three years where I had 16. I had another year with 14, but really I just don’t know. It’s hard for me to count because back then a sack was just a tackle. That is probably what I did best. I think my [quarterback] hurries were on par with my sacks.

Q: At 6-foot-5, you also used to bat down a lot of passes. How did you perfect that skill?

A: I think I had two or three batted passes a game. The cornerbacks on my side didn’t have to play the out [pass pattern]. Most of the time when they tried to throw the out, I would bat it down. The corners didn’t even worry about the route. One year [1977], Rolland Lawrence didn’t even cover the route and he went to the Pro Bowl that year.

Q: If you get in the Hall of Fame would you consider yourself a Falcon or an Eagle?

A: Well, I’m going to consider myself a Falcon. It’s a new generation of Falcons fans going to the games, and they don’t know much about me. During my time, back in the day, the Falcon fans were pretty knowledgeable.

But, I tell you what; it would be great to go in as a Falcon. But I don’t think I get a chance to determine that. I think that’s determined by the Hall of Fame.