Two former longtime New York Jets football support staffers, public relations director Frank Ramos and equipment manager Bill Hampton Sr., were named Wednesday among the 15 recipients of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's third annual Awards of Excellence.
The Hall of Fame's awards are presented in five categories to those significant contributors who have helped drive the accomplishments of their profession, individual NFL clubs and pro football.
Ramos, 85, is a New Yorker and transplanted Floridian, is the longest-serving PR rep for a single New York pro sports team. He spent his entire 39-year public relations career with the Green & White, from their first season known as the Jets in 1963 through 2002. He never missed a game — working 681 in all — with the highlight coming Jan. 12, 1969, at Miami's Orange Bowl when the Jets stunned the favored Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III. Ramos was selected as a member of the Super Bowl PR group each year of his career and was often a key voice in helping shape the league's public relations positions.
"I'm excited to be going into the Hall with dear friend Bill Hampton and with my fellow PR directors, Harvey Greene of the Dolphins and Dan Edwards of the Jaguars," Ramos said Wednesday night. "I was very fortunate to have such a long career with the Jets and to have worked with outstanding owners Sonny Werblin, Leon Hess and Woody Johnson. But I wouldn't be going to Canton without the help of so many former outstanding assistants, associates and interns. I still bleed Jets Green. Go J-E-T-S."
Hampton, also a native New Yorker who retired to Florida, is being honored posthumously, having died in 2015 at 88. "Hamp" from 1964-2002 was responsible for the Jets' equipment management. He retired after 723 games with the team, missing only one game for a medical issue. He, along with his wife, Dottie, was credited with the idea of outfitting players in pantyhose to keep their legs warm during frigid conditions and for sewing pockets onto the jerseys of quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. His memory lingers on at One Jets Drive in the Hampton Award, which has been presented to the Jets rookie "who acts like a pro in the locker room" annually since 2004.
"Bill was a friend, mentor, counselor and father to Jets players for decades," Ramos said in 2015. "Along with Dottie, they headed up the Jets family for hundreds of Jets players. He will be sorely missed."
And with these Hall of Fame awards, Ramos and Hampton will again be fondly remembered for their contributions to the Jets over the years.
The five groups presenting the Awards of Excellence — assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers, public relations personnel and film/video directors — created their own selection committees and set their own criteria for choosing their class members.
Ramos, Hampton and the other 2024 honorees will be recognized in Canton, OH, with an evening reception on June 26 and a luncheon emceed by Hall of Famer Dan Fouts on June 27.
