“My name in the Hall of Fame will stand as a lasting reminder, a message that no matter how humble a man’s beginnings, success is possible if you have the courage to truly believe”. He also has a coaching tree that has featured Mike Tomlin, Herman Edwards, Jim Caldwell, Rod Marinelli, Leslie Frazier and Lovie Smith.
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Dungy changed the losing culture of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being hired in 1996.
“I’m the 10th Steeler from Super Bowl 13 to be enshrined”, he said with a chuckle, “but you could have won a lot of money if you would have said I would be one of those 10”. First-team All-Pro five times. He was known as much for his compassion and care for people throughout his organization as for building a winning football team.
Dungy, who played three seasons in the National Football League before becoming a coach, spent his first two years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and his final year with the 49ers in 1979 when DeBartolo was the owner.
“The first time I saw him walk through the door I was like, ‘my goodness.’ He was huge”, Farr said.
Stabler, who died a year ago, was elected by the Seniors Committee. The 2017 Hall of Fame class will be announced in Houston on February 4.
Should one of them be the state’s next Pro Football Hall of Famer?
Always a showman who also spent some time as a professional wrestler, Greene usually found the path to quarterbacks. In 15 pro seasons for four franchises, Greene played linebacker and defensive end. That was the second-most ever at the time of his retirement. Died past year at age 69.
Between being the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NFL Draft to and being lucky enough for seven Pro Bowl selections, former St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace will always be considered one of the best players at his position.
Presenter: Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy.
To the St. Louis fans, who have just seen the team move to Los Angeles, Pace had special words of gratitude.
Pace played a dozen seasons for the Rams before finishing his career with the Bears. At 6-foot-7, he had the wingspan to ward off pass rushers, at 325 pounds he had the bulk for the power game, plus he was amazingly light on his feet. He had the franchise tag three consecutive years in a career finally derailed by a torn biceps.
Pace’s eldest son, Justin, presented him for induction.
Harrison retired in 2008 with 1,102 catches, now third behind Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez. Bruce has a strong case for next year, ranking ninth all-time in receptions, fourth in yards and 12th in touchdowns. He topped the 100-catch mark four straight times as Peyton Manning’s prime target. Three-time NFL MVP, won Super Bowl XXXI. Eleven of those were in 2007.
Luterman, one of 20 finalists vying for the honor, received the award at a luncheon Saturday during Hall of Fame induction weekend. “He was one of our better athletes, and that included the receivers and the running backs”.
Luterman is a rising senior and a triathlete.
Greene said of the Army values his father passed on to him and brother Keith, “Be men of honor, have integrity, be respectful, have an attitude of selfless service”.
This likely means that for fans that don’t have the live broadcast of Saturday’s ceremony saved on their DVRs, a large chunk of Pace’s speech will be lost to history. “Thank you for the support you gave us during that run”.
“What drove me most was to help my family overcome the hardships they had to endure”. The lyric usually is: “I ain’t seen the Braves play a game all year”, but McGraw substituted Packers.
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“Coach Dungy, what you brought to our team and to me was more important than anything”, Harrison said.
