By Matt Calkins
The Seattle Times
With Mariners great Edgar Martinez finally being voted into the Hall of Fame, I wondered: Who else from around here might be enshrined? And not just for baseball, but for pro football, college football, and basketball, too.
The criteria is that most of the player or coach’s accomplishments came, or will have come, when they were in Seattle. That’s why I didn’t include soccer players such as Clint Dempsey, Megan Rapinoe or Hope Solo, who will likely make the National Soccer Hall of Fame but are most remembered for their achievements on the national team. I am, however, including Huskies football coach Chris Petersen, predicting that he’ll accomplish more here than he did in Boise.
Let the debate begin.
Ichiro, Mariners outfielder
National Baseball Hall of Fame probability: 100 percent.
He led the American League in hits seven times and tallied 3,089 of them for his career —and that’s despite not making his Major League debut till he was 27. He’s also the biggest MLB star Japan has produced. This is a lock.
Sue Bird, Storm point guard
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame probability: 100 percent.
Bird is a three-time champion and nine-time All-Star whose 2,831 career assists are more than 200 more than any other player in WNBA history. And after 16 seasons, she’s still not done. Bank it.
Chris Petersen, Huskies football coach
College Football Hall of Fame probability: 100 percent.
To be fair, the list of coaches for the College Football Hall of Fame isn’t the most exclusive. But that shouldn’t take away from Petersen, whose career winning percentage of .808 is the best among all-time active coaches.
Earl Thomas, Seahawks safety
Pro Football Hall of Fame probability: 99 percent.
Sorry, Kenny Easley fans —Thomas was the most talented safety the Seahawks have ever had. And despite Richard Sherman being the national face (and hair) of the Legion of Boom, Thomas was its most valuable member. Only tiny question here is longevity and health, but it’s hard to think he hasn’t done enough.
Richard Sherman, Seahawks cornerback
Pro Football Hall of Fame probability: 99 percent.
Sherman was once the best and most feared cornerback in the NFL. He also provided one of, if not the most iconic plays in Seahawks history when his tip sent Seattle to the Super Bowl. Like Thomas, longevity is the only potential issue, but also like Thomas, he should be fine.
Lauren Jackson, Storm center
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame probability: 90 percent.
Jackson, who was slowed by injuries, didn’t play nearly as long as Bird did. But the advanced stats say that, at her peak, the three-time MVP and two-time champion was the most dominant player the WNBA has ever seen.
Russell Wilson, Seahawks quarterback
Pro Football HOF probability: 85 percent
He’s got a Super Bowl title, two Super Bowl appearances and the second-best passer rating in NFL history. He may also be the best scrambler to play in the league. True, many of the great Seahawks teams he quarterbacked were run-first, but Wilson has been exceptional when asked to throw. A couple more quality years and he’s in.
Bobby Wagner, Seahawks linebacker
Pro Football Hall of Fame probability: 75 percent
Hard to say Wagner hasn’t been the best linebacker in the NFL for the past couple years. The five-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro just has to avoid injury or a major drop-off and he’ll be in Canton one day.
Lou Piniella, Mariners manager
National Baseball Hall of Fame probability: 75 percent
The winningest manager in Mariners history fell just one vote shy of induction by the Today’s Game Era Committee last month, leaving many fans fuming. But there’s a good chance he gets in when said committee meets again in 2021. And yes, Piniella’s biggest accomplishment was winning the World Series with the Reds, but he spent 10 years in Seattle compared to three in Cincinnati.
Steve Hutchinson, Seahawks guard
Pro Football Hall of Fame probability: 75 percent
Hutchinson was part of the line that helped push the Seahawks into the 2005 Super Bowl and earn running back Shaun Alexander MVP honors. He missed enshrinement in his first year on the ballot last year. He very well could get in this year.
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks running back
Pro Football Hall of Fame probability: 60 percent
There’s a perception out there that Lynch hasn’t done enough, but as my colleague Bob Condotta has mentioned before, his career stats —even before he went to Oakland —resembled that of surefire Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, and his playoff production is among the best ever. The more you think about Beast Mode, the more it makes sense.
Felix Hernandez, Mariners pitcher
National Baseball Hall of Fame probability: 30 percent
Hernandez made the All-Star team six out of seven years, and the one year he didn’t, he won the Cy Young Award. Unfortunately, he didn’t gradually descend so much as he plunged into an abyss. Baseball generally requires prolonged dominance, and Felix doesn’t quite have it. Then again, Harold Baines was just voted in by the Today’s Game Era Committee, so you never know.
Shaun Alexander, Seahawks running back
Pro Football Hall of Fame probability: 25 percent.
He has 9,403 career rushing yards, which, like Lynch, is more than Earl Campbell. His 100 touchdowns are tied with Marshall Faulk for eighth all time (one ahead of Barry Sanders). But there’s a perception that Alexander was simply the beneficiary of his offensive line. That could be tough to shed.
Myles Gaskin, Huskies running back
College football Hall of Fame probability: 20 percent
Gaskin was never an All-American or a Heisman threat. He probably wasn’t someone people outside of Seattle paid much attention to. But he is one of two players in Division I history to rush for 1,200 yards in all four seasons, and is third in Pac-12 history for rushing yards and second in touchdowns. Don’t rule it out.
Chone Figgins, Mariners third baseman
National Baseball Hall of Fame Probability: 0 percent.
Zero might actually be generous.
