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Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015: Enshrinement Night

By Russell S. Baxter

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Aug 8, 2015, Canton, OH, USA; Bill Polian poses with his bust at the 2015 Pro Football Enshrinement Cermony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Contrary to what you might have thought watching ESPN or the NFL Network on Saturday evening, the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies were not moved from Canton, Ohio, to Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field.

The “Terrible Towels” were out in full force to see Rams and Steelers running back Jerome Bettis take his place among the greats of the game of football and made their presence felt during the traditional introductions.

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But this was so much more than a night for the Steel City.

First to speak was executive Ron Wolf, who began by quoting Kenny Chesney and finished talking about his 24 years working for Hall of Famer Al Davis and the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He went onto talk about his brief time with the New York Jets and then his amazing years with the Packers, where he helped resurrect that franchise and cast away the thoughts that Green Bay was not where an NFL player wanted to wind up.

Then there was the hiring of head coach Mike Holmgren, a trade for quarterback Brett Favre and a free-agent deal for defensive end Reggie White.

Mission accomplished. “We worked hard to eliminate that stigma,” said Wolf.

Aug 8, 2015, Canton, OH, USA; Charles Haley (right) and presenter Eddie DeBartolo Jr. pose with the bust at the 2015 Pro Football Enshrinement Cermony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Following the presentation of the 2015 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award to ESPN’s Tom Jackson for his nearly three decades of excellence on the airways, fierce defender Charles Haley stepped to the forefront and had the crowd in stitches. He also bore his soul about his own personal issues and in a way that was poignant in the process. He spoke of his special admiration for former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr. (his presenter) and current Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, both which had a huge impact in his life, as well as Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh.

Center Mick Tingelhoff played 17 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. That included 240 regular-season contests and 19 postseason games. Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton reminisced about the fact that over that span, the former undrafted free agent never missed a practice. A very emotional Tarkenton, citing the fact that his former teammate was a man of few words, spoke for Tingelhoff this night and broke down when he noted that his center for many years had waited 37 years to be inducted into Canton.

Aug 8, 2015, Canton, OH, USA; Will Shields and presenter Adrian Lunsford post with the bust at the 2015 Pro Football Enshrinement Cermony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, 12-time Pro Bowl guard Will Shields spent his time thanking everyone from coaches on all levels to former teammates and his family. He was followed by the Hall of Fame duo of coach Marv Levy and general manager extraordinaire Bill Polian. We had seen this duo in Canton before. Only this time around, it was Levy who was Polian’s presenter. The gracious executive spent plenty of time making sure he thanked nearly everyone and his enthusiasm was infectious. But he waxed poetically about the opportunity that Levy gave him in pro football more than 40 years ago.

Tim Brown took a lot of time and deservedly so to thank those who had been a big part of his life on and off the field. “So I’m going to enjoy this honor, but on Monday, I’m going to really be able to enjoy this honor. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been incredible work. I can’t wait to enjoy this for the rest of my life.”

Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; The children of Junior Seau (not pictured), Tyler Seau and Jake Seau and Hunter Seau and Sydney Seau pose with the bust of their father during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Sydney Seau, the daughter of the late great Junior Seau, spoke after the video presentation enshrining her father and did it with dignity.

“Dad, you gave us your time, your presence, your love, but most of all you gave us your heart, and I know at times it seemed as if everything you accomplished in life wasn’t enough, but today and every day since you’ve held me in your arms for the first time, you were more than just enough. You were everything.”

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And then it was “Here We Go Steelers…Here We Go!” The majority of the crowd of nearly 22,000 was there to see Bettis, who declared “We’re in Canton, Ohio. But this is Steeler Country.”

The former Golden Domer opened by thanking his family one by one and proceeded to show his gratitude to his former coaches and many friends. And the lessons he learned from his parents, teachers and teammates were on display.

As usual, it was a night of cheers and tears and various emotions. It’s an evening the family, friends and fans of these eight men will never forget.

NOTE: All transcripts courtesy of ProFootballHOF.com.

Next: Pro Football Hall of Fame: Tommy and Mommy

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