Each of these players is a Hall of Famer, but never won a Super Bowl
By: Nick Holz
Great Players to Never Win the Super Bowl: Jim Kelly, QB, Buffalo Bills: Football fans around the globe really have to feel for Kelly. The orchestrator of some of the most marvelous offensive football played in the early 90s, Kelly’s Bills made four straight Super Bowl trips. His team still failed to win a single ring. Upper New York still weeps to this day.
Greatest Players to Never Win the Super Bowl: Alan Page, DT, Minnesota Vikings
Well before Aaron Donald, there was Alan Page. A monster in the middle of the famed “Purple People Eaters” defense, Page is one of the most dominant defensive players of All-Time, who nobody seems to remember. From his rookie year in 1967 through to 1978, the Vikings won 10 Division titles and reached four Super Bowls.
The men in purple lost every single one. Leaving one of the most exceptional football talents ever without a shiny ring. Page was the league’s Most Valuable Player, in 1971, while appearing in nine Pro Bowls. Unlucky.
Super Bowl 2020
Greatest Players to Never Win the Super Bowl: Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raider, New England Patriots
Moss is, undoubtedly, one of the two or three very best receivers to ever grace the planet. Gliding by defensive backs with ease throughout his Hall of Fame career, he made playing the position look too easy. Coming in at second or third in every major statistical category upon his retirement wasn’t enough to get Randy that famed Super Bowl ring. He came up short in the big game twice.
Most memorably losing to the New York Giants as a member of the undefeated Patriots. Ironic that a Moss-esque catch by Giants receiver David Tyree will forever be remembered in Super Bowl history, and Randy will not. A late career stint in San Francisco saw Moss play in the Harbaugh Bowl, and losing to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII.
Greatest Players to Never win the Super Bowl: Dan Marino, QB, Miami Dolphins
Marino put-up eye-popping numbers before anyone knew what those numbers even meant. Some of the records that still s
tand today
or have been broken in the last decade are hilarious to even think about. Imagine a quarterback from the modern era, throwing for 5,000 yards and 48 touchdowns against the defenses of the mid-1980s. In a time where running the football and playing defense were still the name of the game, Marino was a man amongst boys.
He could be beaten, battered, and bruised in any way a defender wanted, and somehow threw for 48 touchdowns! The enormity of his records should not be overlooked. Marino’s soul trip to the big dance saw him run into the buzzsaw of Bill Walsh’s 49ers in Super Bowl XIX. Walsh and Montana came out on top 38-16.
Greatest Players to Never Win the Super Bowl: Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions
Unquestionably the greatest running back of his era, Barry Sanders retired early, rather than face the futile reality that is football in Detroit. While playing with some of the worst offensive lines in NFL history, “Big Bad Barry” managed to retire with the second most rushing yards ever. His dizzying array of highlights will keep fans interested in the game for years to come.
Sanders had a 2,000-yard season on his resume, yet his team failed to ever advance past the NFC Championship game. The elusive Oklahoma State star would be a behemoth in today’s game. His skills are often imitated, and still have never been duplicated. The true definition of NFL royalty.
