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Steve Tasker has famously said that he won’t campaign for his inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so Buffalo Bills fans are picking up the fight for him.
Tasker is currently ranked No. 1 on the HOF Ford Fan Vote, a public voting conducted online. The special teams legend finished above a number of other former stars including a pair of other former Bills stars, linebacker Cornelius Bennett and offensive lineman Ruben Brown.
The top 10 of the fan vote included wide receivers Torry Holt, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson and Steve Smith. While the actual Hall of Fame voters haven’t shown much love to special teams players, those voting in this online contest feel differently. Just behind Tasker at No. 3 was Chicago Bears punt/kick returner Devin Hester, who many consider to be the greatest returner in league history.
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Bills Fans Boost Tasker
The voting got a major boost from Bills fans, with many sharing the Hall of Fame’s post and posting comments promoting Tasker’s career. Bills fans have proven to be a strong voting bloc in online contests, swamping the voting for the Fox Fan Bracket for two straight years, earning a spot as best fans in the NFL and winning the chance to troll New England Patriots fans with the accomplishment.
For winning the contest, Fox paid for a billboard praising the Bills for having the best fans in the league and then letting those fans pick the location for it. They decided to place it in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the Patriots.
The Hall of Fame fan voting may not have any influence on those actually deciding which players are enshrined. As the Bills team website noted, Tasker has been named a Hall of Fame semifinalist a total of eight times, but gotten no closer to actually making it in. Among special teams players, Tasker has a resume that is almost unmatched — he was selected as a first-team All-Pro seven times and is considered one of the best special teams gunners of all time. He was also a strong returner, racking up 2,159 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns in his career.
No Politicking From Tasker
If he does get into the Hall of Fame one day, Tasker wants it to be solely on his merits. The 59-year-old, who has worked as a sideline reporter and color analyst for the team’s radio broadcast, has said many times that he will not boost his own chances by pressing on Hall of Fame voters.
“I don’t want to mount a campaign to get in the Hall of Fame,” Tasker said in an appearance on the John Murphy Show back in 2015. “I don’t like the way that feels to me. I understand that’s probably what it would take. And a lot of guys do that openly. It’s not in my nature.”
Tasker has also seemed at peace about the situation, saying he was happy about his career and the chance to play with many Hall of Famers on the Bills.
“I’m good,” Tasker said. “I sleep well at night, and I’d be crazy to be bitter about not being in the Hall of Fame after everything this game’s given to me and everything it’s meant to us, and still does.”
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