Lester Hayes was named a semifinalist on Wednesday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and has a case to be one of the players most deserving of making it into the Hall of Fame. He was a premier lockdown cornerback who learned from the late-great Willie Brown before cementing himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
Lester Hayes was also one of the most eccentric players in the history of the Raiders, a statement that certainly holds a great amount of weight. He came into the league with a stutter, then managed to become one of the most talkative players on the team, according to former teammate Matt Millen. He was a massive Star Wars fan who leading up to Super Bowl XV, referred to himself as the “only true Jedi” of the NFL.
Lester Hayes Deserves To Be In The NFL Hall of Fame
Former Raiders CB Lester Hayes (37) – Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated
He was a college lineman and linebacker who managed to be converted to a lockdown shutdown cornerback. Not many guys could’ve made that conversion. He led the league in interceptions in 1980 with 13 in the regular season, one away from Night Train Lane’s regular season record of 14, then added five in the postseason for a total of 18 interceptions in a single season. Counting interceptions that were called back, Hayes potentially could’ve ended up with 22 interceptions that season.
“The Judge” formed the greatest cornerback duo in NFL history with Hall of Fame cornerback Mike Haynes. Together with safeties Vann McElroy and Mike Davis, the Raiders had an insanely dominant defense with a lethal secondary in those days. Against the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII, Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes teamed up to lockdown the then-highest-scoring offense in NFL history on their way to a 38-9 win. Hayes, in particular, locked down Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk throughout the contest.
Former Raiders CB Lester Hayes (37) – Focus on Sport/Getty Images
What possibly could’ve dissuaded past Hall of Fame voters from voting for Lester Hayes from making it to the Hall previously was also what he was controversially best known for; Stickum. Stickum is a substance that was outlawed specifically because of Hayes since it admittingly helps the football stick to your hands. Hall of Fame receiver Fred Bilentnikoff famously used the substance very visibly, and arguably the greatest player in NFL history, Jerry Rice, admitted to using a spray-on version of Stickum on his gloves throughout his career.
Mel Blount has the Mel Blount Rule due to the physicalness of how he played the cornerback position. That wasn’t held against him. He wasn’t seen as only being good because he could ruthlessly maul opposing receivers. Lester Hayes proved that he was a shutdown cornerback even after they created the Lester Hayes rule outlawing Stickum. The feared duo he formed with Mike Haynes started when Haynes joined the Raiders in 1983, 2 years after the rule was implemented.
When you look at the competition that Lester had to go against also, it also speaks volumes about what he was able to accomplish. The “Air Coryell” San Diego Chargers were in the same division as the Raiders during Lester’s prime. They revolutionized the passing game with Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts throwing bombs to the likes of John Jefferson, Wes Chandler, and Charlie Joiner on the outside. Lester Hayes had to match up with all three of those players, two of whom are in the Hall of Fame(Chandler and Joiner) while Jefferson was also one of the top receivers of the time.
In the 1980 AFC Championship Game in San Diego, Hayes primarily lined up against Jefferson and held him to four catches, 74 yards, and zero touchdowns for the entire game in a 34-28 Raiders win. Given that Dan Fouts carved up the Raiders’ defense for 336 yards that evening, Hayes effectively held down one of the best receivers in the NFL during Jefferson’s best season in the league—a year where Jefferson led the league in receiving yards and touchdowns.
Lester Hayes is tied with Willie Brown for the Raiders team record with 39 interceptions. Hayes was AP’s 1980 Defensive Player of the Year, a one-time All-Pro (1980), and a five-time Pro Bowler. He’s one of the most beloved players in the history of the Raiders organization. Those Raider teams in the late 70s and 80s wouldn’t have been as dominant without Lester Hayes on the field. He was an integral part of the Raiders, consistently making the playoffs year in and year out. He deserves his place amongst the immortals in Canton.
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