Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015: A Fitting Start

In the picture above, you can see both running back Jerome Bettis and wide receiver Tim Brown looking pretty dapper earlier this year when they both found out that they would be joining the elite fraternity of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But that’s nothing compared to the new “apparel” the duo and six other new enshrinees were sporting on Thursday night at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio.

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Bettis and Brown were joined by guard Will Shields, outside linebacker/defensive end Charles Haley and contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf in getting their gold jackets from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Meanwhile Sydney Seau, the daughter of the late Junior Seau, received a plaque in honor of the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker that included the Hall’s emblem.

What makes this moment so memorable is that the eight new inductees are joined by over 100 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From running back Emmitt Smith to quarterback Bob Griese, from defensive end Elvin Bethea to outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor, from cornerback Mike Haynes to kicker Jan Stenerud.

It’s quite a gathering when you can look around a room and see Anthony Munoz and Jack Youngblood, Dave Wilcox and Cris Carter and Michael Irvin and Carl Eller. You get the picture.

The newest members receive their golden prizes from their presenters, who have the honor of putting the jacket on in front of a packed house of Canton’s hard-working citizens, as well as NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. It was interesting to see Hall of Fame head coach Marv Levy give Polian his jacket, quite an honor considering it was the latter who gave Levy a job as Buffalo Bills’ head coach in 1986.

Former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr. had to have Charles Haley bend a bit so the former executive could give the five-time Super Bowl champion (with the 49ers and Cowboys) his new duds. And how cool was it that Bettis not only received his jacket from his brother John Bettis III, the proud duo took the time to take a selfie on stage.

Of course, this is just the appetizer to the entrée that is the enshrinement ceremony on Saturday evening at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. And while the donning of the jackets is a special night indeed, the emotions will indeed be running very high in a couple of days.

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