canton Art McNeely was not shy about embracing change.
Known as the father of the modern caretaker, McNally introduced start replay to the NFL when he was supervisor of league officials. He always held his officers to high standards. He also never wanted them… or anything… to affect the outcome of the Games.
“He wasn’t afraid of technology or change,” McNally’s grandson Conor O’Hara said during Saturday’s Ensignment. “He just wanted to do what was needed to get the right call. All he did was put in thought what was appropriate.
“He’s not going to do anything. He’s not going to back down. Truth is the truth. Honesty is something that everyone brings up when it comes to my grandfather. He’s the definition of an honest man. “
McNeely, who watched Saturday’s internment from home, “spent 57 of his 97 years in the National Football League. Before becoming a supervisor of league officials, he himself was an official. He was the first official elected to the Hall of Fame.” Huh.
“He loved to act,” McNally’s granddaughter Shannon O’Hara said.
As an official and supervisory official, McNally earned the trust of the league’s coaches.
“They knew the word art was an honest word,” said former NFL commissioner and Hall of Famer Paul Tagliabue. “He never bowed with the wind.
“His honesty above all gives him the right to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Conor O’Hara said that his grandfather was not someone who wanted to be in the limelight. As part of the Class of 2022, he doesn’t think McNally would mind sharing it this time.
“He’s representing a lot of great men who spent so many hours and dedicated their lives to the NFL,” O’Hara said. “He is the first (official) who received his name in a big light and received a bust in the canton.”
“We’re very proud of it.”
Reach Mike at [email protected]
on Twitter: @mpopovichREP