By ERNIE PALLADINO
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

SAN DIEGO - The late New York Giants general manager George Young and former Giants linebacker Harry Carson both made it to the final seven of Saturday's Hall of Fame voting.

But when it came time to make the final selections, enough of the Hall's 36 voters deemed neither Hall of Fame worthy, even though Canton's by-laws would have permitted all seven to enter.

The 38 voters instead named a five-man Class of 2003 that represented the best of the AFC and the old AFL that included one first-ballot selection, Raiders and Chiefs running back Marcus Allen.

The other members of the class were Bills and Browns offensive lineman Joe DeLamielleure, Oilers defensive end Elvin Bethea, Packers, Raiders, Bills, Rams, and Eagles wide receiver James Lofton, and Kansas City and New Orleans coach Hank Stram.

This marked the first time in his four years as one of the 15 finalists that Carson had made the final cut. This marked Young's first year on the ballot. Both will automatically number among next year's final 15. With mega-stars such as Denver quarterback John Elway and Detroit running back Barry Sanders becoming eligible next year, the future could be dim for the nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker Carson.

"I'm very disappointed," Giants co-owner Wellington Mara said. "I'm shocked and surprised. I think they both should be in the Hall of Fame."

Carson, reached on the golf course, stopped worrying about the Hall of Fame years ago.

"Close only counts in horseshoes," Carson said. "I'm happy for the people selected, especially Elvin Bethea, who is a friend of mine. Some people are going to get in, some aren't. You can't lose sleep over it."

Carson's biggest obstacle is that he was overshadowed by Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor for much of his career. Voters have tended to regard him as a very good player, but just a notch below Hall of Fame caliber.

Young's exclusion came as a major surprise, however. Not only did he rescue one of the NFL's flagship franchises from failure and a nasty feud between co-owners Wellington and Tim Mara in 1979, but he was one of the true movers and shakers in the league. He advised commissioners, sat on innumerable committees, and is still quoted a year after his death from a rare brain disease.

According to one voter, a faction of the selection committee believes contributors should be separated from players. Yet, general managers Jim Finks and Tex Schramm are both inductees.

"If general managers are going to go in, then I don't know how George isn't in," Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "In his first year, you can't come any closer. It's devastating. The good part is that both of them came close, so it looks good for the future."

Even Carson, who had his share of tiffs with Young, was rooting for him.

"I really wanted George to get in, even before me," Carson said. "I wanted to present him."

Allen, whose 16-year career - 11 with the Raiders, five with the Chiefs - marked the longest of any running back in NFL history, has already chosen his 68-year-old father, Red, as his induction-day presenter. He said he's doing it as much as a social statement as to honor the man he grew up idolizing.

"With so many fractured families, especially in the black community, I want everyone to know my father was there," said the NFL's sixth-leading career rusher with 12,243 yards. His 145 total touchdowns rank third all-time, and his 123 rushing scores rank second behind Emmitt Smith's 153.

Stram, who started with the old Dallas Texans in 1960 and built a 131-97-10, went to two Super Bowls, and won one in an 18-year coaching career, won more games than anyone in the 10-year history of the AFL. DeLamielleure was a key part of an offensive line that blocked Bills Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson to the first 2,000-yard season in NFL history. Bethea was a fearsome pass rusher. Lofton, with five straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons in a mostly run-based era, was the first player to catch touchdown passes in the 1970s, '80s, and 90's.

Young and Carson will have to wait. Carson has long stopped worrying about induction. As for Young, his close friend Accorsi said he probably would have shrugged at the voting.

"He would have said, 'What's the fuss?"' Accorsi said. "He thought only players belonged in there, anyway. He didn't even want a Super Bowl ring at one point.

"He was in it for the purity of it."

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