NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Jim Kelly, the only quarterback to take his team to four straight Super Bowls, made the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday in his first year of eligibility, but coach Bill Parcells was snubbed again.
Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to an unprecedented four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl from 1990-93, but the team lost each time.
Parcells coached in three Super Bowls and won two, but he nearly took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job last month when Tony Dungy was fired and the Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors apparently believes that Parcells will coach again. Hall of Fame rules require that a coach be retired in order to be inducted.
Joining Kelly in the Class of 2002 were Pittsburgh Steelers receiver John Stallworth, Oakland Raiders tight end Dave Casper, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Dan Hampton and Coach George Allen, the nominee of the Hall's Senior Committee. Allen died in 1990.
Parcells and Miami Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg were among the final seven finalists pared from a list of 15 by the Board of Selectors on Saturday morning, but they did not receive the 80 percent approval needed for election.
Rules stipulate that between four and seven new members will be elected each year.
Kelly became the first quarterback from the famed "Class of 1983" and the first player from the defunct United States Football League to make the Hall of Fame.
A strong-armed passer with a linebacker's mentality, Kelly rewrote most of the Bills' passing records and led the team to the playoffs eight times in his 11 years with the team from 1986-96.
With Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas and receiver Andre Reed, the Bills had one of the most potent offenses in the NFL.
Ironically, Kelly's election came a year after his coach, Marv Levy, was inducted.
Known for mastering the "no-huddle" offense that became a Bills' trademark, Kelly passed for 35,467 yards, ranking 12th all-time. Only three quarterbacks reached the 30,000-yard career pasing mark faster.
Kelly played two years with the USFL's Houston Gamblers in a run-and-shoot offense and threw for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns. The league folded following the 1985 season and Kelly signed with the Bills.
The first of Kelly's four Super Bowl losses came against Parcells and the New York Giants in 1990, when Buffalo's Scott Norwood missed a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds.
Parcells coached the Giants to two Super Bowl titles before going to New England and guiding the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI five years ago. The Patriots will play in Super Bowl XXXVI Sunday under coach Bill Belichick, a long-time assistant under Parcells.
Stallworth was a Hall of Fame presenter for fellow Steelers receiver Lynn Swann last year. Swann lobbied for Stallworth's election in his Hall of Fame speech and it apparently worked.
In his 10th year of eligibility, Stallworth became the ninth player from the Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s to make the Hall of Fame, joining Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount. Coached by Hall of Famer Chuck Noll, all nine were on four Super Bowl winning teams.
Stallworth played 14 seasons for the Steelers from 1974-87 and caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all club records.
The 6-2, 190-pound Stallworth was not as acrobatic as Swann, but was more consistent. Selected to four Pro Bowls, Stallworth's highlight was the winning 73-yard touchdown catch in Super Bowl XIV against the Los Angeles Rams.
When many believed Stallworth was in the twilight of his career, he led the AFC with a career-high 1,395 yards on 80 catches in 1984.
Enshrinement ceremonies for the Class of 2002 will be held Aug. 3 at Canton, Ohio.
