Tim Brown kept doing the math as the years ticked by and the phone call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame never came. Forget about the statistics, the wholly appropriate nickname, or even the Super Bowl ring that defined his singular career.
Advertisement
“It was the hardest game I had to play”. “We’re here in Canton, Ohio, but this is Steelers country”. “I cared about me!”
The diverse eight-man group Bettis headlines represents the value of patience.
Joe Robbins/Getty Images The football community remembers Seau as they honor his life and career in Canton, Ohio on Saturday.
For the rest, Saturday night was a mixture of relief, joy and wonder. And when you look at the landscape of pro football, Marshawn Lynch is one of those guys. “Rai-ders!” in a joyous moment more than a decade after the last of his 1,094 receptions and 105 touchdowns. Despite the impressive resume, it didn’t stop doubt from creeping in as contemporaries Jerry Rice, Cris Carter and Andre Reid earned their gold jackets.
“He’s waited 37 years to get to the Hall of Fame”, Tarkenton said as thousands rose to their feet in appreciation.
He concluded with a wry quote from his father, “I love a good speaker”. “But man I couldn’t do anything but cry”.
Like Brown, Kansas City mainstay Will Shields never won a title. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. It took four years for him to become only the third right guard enshrined. “You said do what God gave you the ability to do, and that’s run”. He additionally led the Irish in rushing yards (977) during his sophomore year.
Center Mick Tingelhoff snapped the ball in four Super Bowls for Minnesota, most of the time to Fran Tarkenton. Hopefully, as more athletes like Haley and Marshall stand up and speak out, the Hall will soon realize it needs to be the platform for players and their families to do so – ceremonial policies aside.
Contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf, a New Freedom native and Susquehannock High School graduate, paid tribute to the icons who paved the way for their success.
“That is really what has gotten the attention of the football world and the American people”, Carson said. Neither did Polian, who figured his job was to find Hall of Famers, not become one.
With the addition of Brown and Bettis to the hall Notre Dame now has 12 members in the exclusive club.
It was nonetheless a fitting commemoration for Seau, who played the first 13 of his 20 NFL seasons with his hometown Chargers before moving on to Miami and finishing with the New England Patriots having played 268 career games, second-most ever by a linebacker.
With many of his former teammates in the crowd and six Hall of Fame Steelers on the stage where he stood, Mr. Bettis began his speech by leading the crowd in a chant of “Here we go, Steelers, Here we go”. Bettis singled out quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for making a clutch tackle in the 2005 AFC Championship Game after the running back fumbled near the goal line.
He thanked Tom Donahoe for swinging the trade that brought him to the Steelers in 1996, and then Dick Hoak for not trying to change his running style. “Just an exceedingly talented guy who did everything in his own low-key way, but did it exceptionally well”. You’ve got to find a way to endure. And although I didn’t know every aspect of his life, I did know one particular part very well. Seau took his life in 2012 and his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the NFL, claiming his death was due in part to the countless hits he sustained during his career.
Advertisement
Before the start of the 2003 season, Seau was traded to the Dolphins. His daughter Sydney gave him a stirring video tribute. There was huge controversy when the NFL made the decision that Sydney would not be allowed to give any form of speech, but after a public outcry, they decided to let her be interviewed on stage. It’s hardly necessary to secure her dad’s legacy.
