He never told his father he heard his dad’s remark, but it stuck with him.
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He later said, after telling a story of hearing his father say after a bad game in high school that his son would redeem himself: “I spent the rest of my career trying to redeem myself and make him proud, and I hope I succeeded”. And on that Monday night when Favre threw for four touchdowns and 399 yards in a 41-7 romp at the Black Hole, a new objective entered his mind.
“Raiders fans can be nasty”, Favre said, “but that night, the tremendous amount of respect shown to me and my family by Oakland Raiders fans was spectacular”.
“Coach Dungy, what you brought to our team and to me was more important than anything”, Harrison said. “He was a tremendous part of my life”.
But it was Favre’s recollections of his relationship with his father, Irv, which truly struck a chord with everyone, particularly the males in attendance or watching from afar. He said he wouldn’t be where he is without him, and after choking up multiple times, he said, “This is tougher than any third-and-15 I’ve ever faced”. “I would not be here today without my father”. And, again, I never told anyone. “I look at my family – what a lucky man, to play a game that I love so much for 20 years, to have all of the wonderful things happen, what a blessing”.
On a night of emotional speeches, the most poignant moment of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday came after Ken Stabler was introduced and there were no words at all. “I say this from the bottom of my heart”.
He said the Hall of Fame wasn’t a consideration in his mind until a revelation on the plane ride to MS for his father’s funeral following the Raiders game. “For at 13, following a basketball tournament here in Canton, I toured the Hall of Fame and was inspired”.
A second-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL Draft, the former Southern Miss quarterback was traded to the Packers a year later. Favre would have wanted Irv to present him had he not died at age 58.
Fans attend a pep rally for Brett Favre in Green, Ohio. He described his dad as being “short on praise”, saying that he always pushed Favre to get better. But I never forgot that statement and that comment that he made to those other coaches.
Favre, however, doesn’t think life will change much. He earned All-Pro honors five times in his seven-season career. They serenaded Favre several times with chants of “Go Pack Go” and “MVP”. He reached eight straight Pro Bowls from 1999 to 2006 and recorded 1,102 receptions, 14,580 receiving yards and 128 touchdowns over a 13-year career.
He was chosen to play in 11 Pro Bowls and retired with league records for passing yards (71,838), touchdown passes (508), completions (6,300) and attempts (10,169). The big left tackle with the quick feet, the long reach, and just a little bit of nasty is officially a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Favre, obviously, was the headliner with a speech that went more than 37 minutes-or, as he said about the length, “I’m going for a world record, and I don’t give a damn”. “I often wondered what it was like when Mike and Matt Hasselbeck came back with Seattle”. And then I found out. The lyric usually is: “I ain’t seen the Braves play a game all year”, but McGraw substituted Packers. His 160 career sacks are third most in National Football League history.
“It wasn’t a goal of mine”, Favre said.
“I just remember the Raiders players standing outside the locker room smoking”, he said, drawing laughs from reporters.
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FIFTH GAME: With most suggestions to cure some ills of the preseason centering on reducing the number of exhibition contests, two “lucky” teams get to play five of them instead of four.
