Hall of Fame names

Linebackers honored, along with receivers Moss, Owens

Ray Lewis, Brian Urhlacher, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens head class.

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MINNEAPOLIS — Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher terrorized opposing offenses from the middle of the field. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens did the same to defenses on the outside.

The two hard-hitting linebackers and two bigplay receivers highlighted an eight-person class voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Safety Brian Dawkins also received at least 80 percent support from the 47 Hall of Fame voters, along with contributor Bobby Beathard and senior nominees Jerry Kramer and Robert Brazile.

“I’ve been going a long time. And now I can finally rest,” Lewis said. “I want to go fishing with a cigar now and just sit back. I don’t want to work out every day now.”

Moss and Owens each played for five teams in their careers, at times wearing out their welcome with their inability to get along with teammates and coaches.

But at their best, there were few players ever able to strike fear in defenses as much as Moss and Owens, who were both all-decade selections for the 2000s.

Moss had a league-leading 17 TD catches as a rookie in 1998 and helped lead the Vikings to the NFC title game. His combination of speed and athleticism made him the game’s most dangerous big-play threat and led to the phrase “You got Mossed” for embarrassed defensive backs.

He led the NFL in TD catches five times, including his record 23 for New England in 2007, and earned four All-Pro selections. He finished his career with 982 catches for 15,292 yards and ranks second all-time with 156 TD receptions.

Owens was a third-round pick by San Francisco in 1996 but developed into a star known for some memorable playoff appearances, including his winning 25yard TD catch to beat Green Bay in 1999; his 177 yards in a comeback win against the Giants in 2003; and his nine catches for 122 yards in the 2004 Super Bowl against New England just seven weeks after breaking his leg.

Owens ranks second to Jerry Rice with 15,934 yards receiving and is third alltime with 153 TD receptions.

Lewis is considered one of the greatest middle linebackers, winning two AP Defensive Player of the Year awards and earning eight All-Pro selections.

Urlacher wasn’t far behind Lewis with his play and is the latest in a line of great Chicago middle linebackers to make the Hall, joining Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Bill George. He was Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and joined Lewis on the 2000s all-decade team.

Dawkins spent most of his 16-year career in Philadelphia, earning five first-team All-Pro selections He had 37 career interceptions and 26 career sacks. He became the first player in NFL history with a sack, interception, fumble recovery and touchdown catch in the same game against Houston in 2002.

Kramer becomes the 14th member of the Vince Lombardi Packers to make the Hall. Kramer helped anchor the Green Bay line for 11 seasons, winning six NFL titles and making the block that cleared the way for Bart Starr’s TD sneak in the “Ice Bowl” for the 1967 NFL championship.

Brazile was a finalist for the first time after a 10year career for the Houston Oilers that included five straight All-Pro selections.

Beathard helped build four Super Bowl champions in Miami and Washington and made seven trips to the title game during more than three decades as a personnel executive.

Nick Wass The Associated Press Ray Lewis, considered among the finest linebackers in NFL history, was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with seven others.