Chase Utley, Jason Kelce and 8 other Philly athletes who could make the Hall of Fame

Pat Burrell walked to the plate in Atlanta, locked eyes with catcher Brian McCann, and laughed.

“We were like, ‘Who would do that? And was that even legal? What just happened?’” Burrell said.

Burrell was on deck when Chase Utley hit a grounder to first base. Adam LaRoche fielded it and readied to throw home to get the runner as Utley ran to first.

“Chase was coming out of the box and jumped into the air to try and get hit by the ball,” Burrell said. “Which is insane.”

» READ MORE: Chase Utley’s baserunning made him ‘The Man.’ Could it also make him a Hall of Famer?

LaRoche, startled by Utley, threw the ball wide of home and a run scored. Utley was willing to do whatever it took to win.

“He never let up,” Burrell said. “It was the envy of everyone.”

Utley will have another chance next month to become a Hall of Famer, as he’s on the ballot for a second time. Last year, Utley garnered 28.8% of the vote from the baseball writers. It was a good debut. Utley’s numbers make a strong case, but it was his willingness to get hit in the face that makes Utley’s peers believe he’s a Hall of Famer.

“People ask me who the best player I ever played with and it’s hands down Chase Utley,” Jayson Werth said. “He may not be the most talented player I ever played with, but he was the best. He was the most prepared. He was the smartest. The first guy there, the last to leave.”

Utley finished with fewer than 2,000 hits, but his 59.7 wins above replacement from 2005 to 2014 trails only Albert Pujols. His career WAR (64.5) ranks 14th among all second basemen, and he led the Phillies in WAR both times a teammate won the MVP. Utley was an elite baserunner. His stolen-base percentage (87.5) is the best by any player who attempted at least 100 steals, and his 76.2 BsR — a stat created by FanGraphs to be an “‘all encompassing baserunning statistic” — ranks him 13th all-time.

» READ MORE: Enjoying life in London, Chase Utley is proud of his career — whether he’s voted into the Hall of Fame or not

Utley was inducted this month into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and the Phillies will one day retire his No. 26. To reach Cooperstown, Utley needs to receive 75% of the votes. He likely won’t get there this year, but it’ll be important to see if his support continues to rise after last year. If so, The Man will be on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

“If he doesn’t get in the Hall of Fame, it’s not because he doesn’t deserve it,” Werth said. “He had a few injuries and the deciding factor a lot of times is volume. How much volume do you have? That will probably be a deciding factor. If he stayed healthy, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer all the way. That’s why it’s such an elite group. With Chase, I think there’s the intangibles that go along with it and I think his intangibles are Hall of Fame all the way.”

Here are nine other Philly athletes who could become Hall of Famers. To make the list, the athlete has to be retired.

Allen missed the Hall by a vote in both 2014 and 2021, but his candidacy will take another swing in December. Like Utley, Allen’s case is hurt by his lack of counting stats. Allen has 1,848 hits and 351 homers, but his OPS+ from 1964 to 1974 (165) is tops, beating Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, and Willie McCovey. He was one of the most feared hitters of his generation and this could finally be the year he gets in.

» READ MORE: A secret visit to Dick Allen’s farm brought him back to the Phillies and cemented his Philadelphia legacy

He has more hits than Barry Larkin and Alan Trammell and a higher fielding percentage than both of those Hall of Fame shortstops. Rollins won the MVP, made three All-Star teams, and is one of two National League shortstops to win four Gold Gloves since Ozzie Smith won 13 straight from 1980 to 1992. Rollins’ defensive runs above average — an advanced metric calculated by FanGraphs — is the best among all shortstops from 2000 to 2014. He has a case, but it has yet to yield much momentum. Rollins, in his third year on the ballot, garnered just 14.8% of the votes last year. He’ll have another chance this year to gain support.

» READ MORE: Chase Utley says Jimmy Rollins ‘no doubt’ belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Wagner appears to be an out away from closing out the ninth and punching his ticket to Cooperstown. But that last out can be tough. The 73.8% of the vote he received last year fell just below the 75% threshold, pushing Wagner to a 10th and final year on the ballot. The ballot lost three names with the induction of Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mauer, but it also added likely Hall of Famers Ichiro Suzuki and C.C. Sabathia and borderline Hall of Famer Dustin Pedroia. Wagner closed for two seasons in Philly and is one of eight pitchers with 400 saves. Of those eight, only Mariano Rivera has a lower career ERA than Wagner’s 2.31. Wagner’s time in Philly was brief, but his ability to touch triple-digits on his fastball before it was common was memorable.

Kelce won’t need much campaigning, as he’s one of the NFL’s all-time centers after entering the league as a sixth-round pick who walked on at the University of Cincinnati. He’ll be eligible for induction in 2029, giving Kelce plenty of time to prepare for another epic speech. The biggest question will be how many of Kelce’s Super Bowl champion teammates will join him in Canton. Lane Johnson and Jason Peters, who are both still playing, seem like safe bets.

» READ MORE: Jason Kelce’s career is likely headed for the Hall of Fame. It started with him asking for a scholarship.

How special was Eric Allen? Just watch his ridiculous interception return against the Jets in 1993, when he spun, juked, and danced around hopeless tacklers en route to a 94-yard TD. A six-time Pro Bowler, Allen had 54 regular-season interceptions, eight of which he took to the house. Only three Hall of Fame defensive backs — Charles Woodson, Rod Woodson, and Aeneas Williams — can match those numbers. Allen was a first-time finalist last year but missed the cut. He advanced in October to the next round of voting and will learn next month if he is a finalist again.

It’s fitting that Allen’s interception return happened in the same New Jersey town — different stadium — as DeSean Jackson’s unforgettable walk-off punt return in 2010. It was one of Jackson’s 26 TDs of 60 yards or more, which ranks him first all-time. A three-time Pro Bowler, Jackson had at least 900 receiving yards in seven of his first nine seasons and led the NFL four times in yards per reception. The big-play threat will be eligible in 2028.

The Ultimate Weapon is one of four QBs to throw for 29,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards, along with Steve Young, Cam Newton, and Russell Wilson. In 1990, Cunningham threw for 3,466 yards and rushed for 942. He paved the way for the dual-threat QB and it’s easy to imagine how Cunningham’s talent would have played in the modern NFL. A four-time Pro Bowler, Cunningham revived his career with his memorable 1998 season in Minnesota. Perhaps his Hall of Fame chances are different if the Vikings had won the Super Bowl that year. For now, his chances to make it to Canton seem slim, as he did not move forward this year in the voting process.

A third of the Legion of Doom, LeClair helped bring hockey back to the forefront in Philadelphia. He scored 50 goals in three straight seasons and led all players in goals between 1995-1996 and 1999-2000. During his 10 years in Philly, LeClair registered the 16th-most points in the NHL. Of the 15 skaters ahead of LeClair, 11 are in the Hall of Fame, and that will become 12 when former Flyer Jaromir Jagr finally retires. Rod Brind’Amour, LeClair’s former teammate who won a Stanley Cup and two Selke Trophies with Carolina, seems to be on the cusp of induction after coming up short the last few years.

His time in Philly — 69 games in his second-to-last season — will be a footnote when Howard gets inducted. He announced his retirement in September, finishing as an eight-time All-Star, three-time defensive player of the year, and five-time All-NBA first-teamer. Howard came off the bench for the Sixers in 2019-2020 and averaged 8.4 rebounds per game as a 35-year-old backup to Joel Embiid. The Sixers were one of the seven teams Howard played for over 18 seasons.

» READ MORE: He played here?!: 10 notable athletes who had late stops in Philadelphia