Frank Ragnow’s shock retirement at age 29 leaves the Detroit Lions without their offensive anchor and opens a fascinating debate for Canton voters. With four Pro Bowls and three second-team All-Pro nods in just 96 career starts, has he done enough to join the game’s greatest centers, even though he never earned a first-team All-Pro? To answer that, we need to compare his résumé to every modern pure center already enshrined.
The Center Hall of Fame Club
Hall of Famer Inducted First-Team All-Pro Pro Bowls* Games
Mel Hein 1963 5 4 170
George Trafton 1964 2 0 148
Clyde “Bulldog” Turner 1966 7 4 138
Alex Wojciechowicz 1968 0 0 134
Jim Otto 1980 10 12 210
Jim Ringo 1981 6 10 187
Frank Gatski 1985 3 1 144
Jim Langer 1987 3 6 151
Mike Webster 1997 5 9 245
Dwight Stephenson 1998 4 5 114
Dermontti Dawson 2012 6 7 184
Mick Tingelhoff 2015 5 6 240
Kevin Mawae 2019 3 8 241
*Pro Bowls noted for seasons the game existed. Early eras used All-Star selections.
Key takeaway: Only one Hall-of-Fame center—Alex Wojciechowicz, who also played linebacker and DE and snagged 19 career interceptions—got in with zero first-team All-Pro selections. Everyone else earned at least two.
Ragnow vs. the Gold Jackets
Candidate First-Team All-Pro Second-Team Pro Bowls Games
Frank Ragnow 0 3 4 96
Peak dominance: From 2020–24, Ragnow graded top-five in run blocking (PFF) and never allowed more than two sacks in any of those seasons.
Toughness legend: Played through debilitating toe and core-muscle injuries—often without missing a snap.
Short runway: His 96 games are fewer than any center among modern inductees.
The Case For Canton
Era-Adjusted Peak
Voters recently enshrined Terrell Davis (78 games) and Tony Boselli (91 starts) on peak value. Ragnow’s solid final six-year stretch could fit that evolving precedent.
Advanced Metrics
Analytics like PFF may sway future selectors to value dominance over decades of service time.
Iron-Man Narrative
His willingness to play through pain earned universal respect—an intangible voters often cite.
The Case Against
Zero 1st-Team All-Pros
History says that accolade is the ticket for linemen; Wojciechowicz is the lone exception from a two-way-player era.
Limited Longevity
Even Stephenson—often cited for short-career greatness—played 18 more games and captured four first-team All-Pros.
No Championship Hardware
While not fatal, lack of a Super Bowl ring removes a narrative boost other linemen enjoyed (Webster, Langer, Turner).
Verdict: Close, But Needs a Push
Today, Ragnow’s candidacy sits on the borderline: a revered six-year peak overshadowed by the absence of first-team accolades and longevity. He could still get there if:
Voting criteria evolve to weigh analytics and peak play over legacy honors, or
A comeback season down the road (never say never) nets him that elusive All-Pro line on his résumé.
Regardless, Lions fans will always remember No. 77 as the tone-setter of Detroit’s offensive renaissance—and perhaps, in time, Hall voters will decide that was enough for a bronze bust.