Joe Klecko: Class of 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame snapshot

Joe Klecko races after New England’s Steve Grogan in 1981. Klecko had 20.5 sacks that season.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Joe Klecko started 145 of 155 games in his career and was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his 30th year of eligibility.

Class of 2023 profiles: Today we are feature a snapshot of each individual being enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton in the order they will be inducted. Enshrinement starts at noon Saturday, Aug. 5, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Class of 2023: Rondé Barber, Don Coryell, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko, Darrelle Revis, Ken Riley, Joe Thomas, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware.

Born: Oct. 15, 1953, in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Speech order: Fourth.

Presenter: Teammate Marty Lyons.

Induction: Player.

Position: Defensive lineman.

College: Temple.

Draft: Sixth round, 1977.

Teams and years played: 12 – New York Jets, 1977-87; Indianapolis, 1988.

Jersey: 73.

The knock: Joe Namath knocked on Klecko’s door with the news he made the hall.

Special artifact in the hall: A hat fans delivered to Canton in 2019 campaigning for Klecko’s Hall of Fame election, plus figurines representing the “New York Sack Exchange.”

Quote: “He wasn’t intimidated by anybody. You could put him up against somebody that was 6-8, he didn’t care. You didn’t realize how good Joe was till you watched the film on Monday. You’re playing right alongside of him, but you don’t realize what he did to make that offensive lineman look so silly.” – Lyons. Source: New York Post

About Klecko in 50 words: Part of the defensive line known as the “New York Sack Exchange,” Klecko was the second player in league history to be named to the Pro Bowl at three positions (defensive tackle, nose tackle, defensive end). In 1981, he tallied 20.5 sacks and was named Defensive Player of the Year.

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I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. For my recent stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursdays. Twitter: @mbona30. My latest book, co-authored with Dan Murphy, is “Joe Thomas: Not Your Average Joe” by Gray & Co.

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