Falcons great Claude Humphrey elected to Hall of Fame

It was an uphill climb for Humphrey, in part because the Falcons’ history of losing during his era. He retired from the NFL in 1981 and was an unsuccessful Hall of Fame finalist in 2003, 2005 and 2006 and fell short in 2009 as a senior candidate.

“It’s been a long time,” Humphrey said. “I appreciated every day that I went out to play football in the National Football League.”

Guy, a native of Thomson and a multisport high school star there, becomes the first punter elected to the Hall of Fame.

“In a little ol’ town like Thomson, Georgia, and all of that, playing there and then going through the ranks and all that to Southern Miss, I never thought about (going into the Hall of Fame),” Guy said.

Of Humphrey’s first 10 seasons in Atlanta (1968-77), only two were winning ones. Overall, those Falcons were 53-84-3. He played one season with the Philadelphia Eagles and reached the Super Bowl before retiring.

Humphrey will join Tommy McDonald (1967), Eric Dickerson (1993), Chris Doleman (1994-95) and Deion Sanders (1989-93) as the only Falcons in the shrine.

“Claude was what many offensive coaches called a ‘game-wrecker’ based on his ability to disrupt enemy offenses,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “He was voted to the Pro Bowl six times … and his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — in my opinion — is long overdue. On behalf of Falcons fans and the entire Falcons organization, we congratulate Claude Humphrey on today’s induction.”

Humphrey’s selection was bittersweet for him because his wife of more than 45 years, Sandra, died in July.

“Every year that I was nominated, she got out and worked and worked,” Humphrey said. “She passed away this July, and it was just incredible now that I’m going into the Hall of Fame, and she won’t be there with me to enjoy such a spectacular event. She was my life. She stayed with me the whole time. … It’s a sad experience for me, going in and not having her by my side.”

Humphrey has not selected a presenter, but is leaning toward his oldest daughter. Guy said that John Madden will present him.

After being selected with the third pick in the 1968 AFL/NFL Draft out of Tennessee State, Humphrey went on to terrorize quarterbacks in the NFL. He suffered a horrific knee injury and spent 1975 recovering from an injury that many thought would end his career. He returned in 1976 and was the team’s MVP.

“Everybody predicted that I would not be as good coming of that injury,” Humphrey said. “It was my job to prove them wrong.

Humphrey was a part of the Falcons’ “Grits Blitz” defense of 1977 that set an NFL record for fewest points allowed.

The sack was not made an official statistic until after Humphrey’s retirement, but a film review of his career determined that he finished as the Falcons’ all-time leader in that category, with 94.5.

During his 11th season, when he grew weary of losing, he abruptly quit the team. The Falcons rebounded from the 1-3 start that drove Humphrey away in 1978 and went on to make their first trip to the postseason.

In 2008, Humphrey was added to the Falcons’ ring of honor.

Late in his life, Humphrey has been confronted with significant health issues: diabetes; the loss of a kidney to cancer. Humphrey now joins his other top pass-rushing contemporaries from his era enshrined in Canton, such as Deacon Jones (1980) and Jack Youngblood (2001) of the Los Angeles Rams, and Elvin Bethea (2003) of the Houston Oilers.

CLAUDE HUMPHREY’S RESUME