Favre leads 2016 class into Hall of Fame
Colts legends Harrison and Dungy, Greene, Pace, DeBartolo Jr., Stabler, Stanfel enshrined in Canton
Brett Favre, who delivered the Packers their first Super Bowl championship since the days of Vince Lombardi and captivated fans with a daring and sometimes reckless style that relied on his powerful arm and a guile rarely seen before, was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame during Saturday night’s ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Favre played 16 of his 20 NFL seasons with the Packers and became one of the most dominant and entertaining passers fans have ever seen. He wound up playing one season with the Jets in 2008 and finished his career with two more seasons with the Vikings, going to the NFC Championship Game in 2009.
Favre, a second-round pick of the Falcons before being traded, led the Packers to the Super Bowl championship after the 1996 season and went back to the Super Bowl the next season, losing to the Broncos and fellow Hall of Fame QB John Elway.
One of the highlights of Favre’s career was his stunningly effective performance in a 41-7 victory over the Raiders in 2003, when he threw four touchdown passes the day after the death of his father, Irvin.
Favre, the final speaker, was greeted with a long standing ovation after he was introduced. “I’m going to ask Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy if I can play the first series tomorrow night,” Favre said, joking about playing in Sunday’s Packers-Colts preseason game. “I’m an extremely blessed man, playing a game I loved so much for 20 years, to have all the wonderful years. What a wonderful blessing. To share in that joy with you people tonight, what an incredible week.”
An 11-time Pro Bowler over his 16-year career, Favre led the Green Bay Packers to two Super Bowls, beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. Upon his retirement following the 2010 season, he held the NFL career record in passing yards (71,838), completions (6,300), most 3,000yard passing seasons (18) and touchdown passes (508).
Favre was joined by seven others in this year’s class:
Former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy became the first African-American head coach to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Dungy became the first black coach to win the Super Bowl, as his 2006 Colts won the first and only title in Indianapolis franchise history. Dungy went 127-65 overall, and his 54-42 record with the Bucs made him the team’s winningest coach all-time.
Dungy referenced the ups and downs of his career and his ability to recover from disappointment as the biggest reason for his eventual success.
“Don’t complain about lack of opportunities, look at the positives in every situation and keep moving forward,” he said.
Former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison played 13 seasons for the Colts and retired in 2008 with franchise records for touchdown receptions (128). His single-season receptions record of 143, set in 2002, still stands today.
“The fans is what makes this game possible,” Harrison said. “I say this from the bottom of my heart. No offense, Green Bay, I had the best fans in the game.
Former Rams tackle Orlando Pace, who grew up in nearby Sandusky, Ohio, was a dominant left tackle during his 13 NFL seasons. A first-round pick out of Ohio State in 1997, Pace was one of the key members of the team’s Greatest Show on Turf offense that was a key in the team’s Super Bowl XXXIV championship.
“At 13, I toured the Hall of Fame and was inspired that a kid from Sandusky could be here one day,” Pace said. “This became my first goal and now, here I am, 27 years later, standing in Canton, Ohio, accepting this incredible honor.”
Linebacker Kevin Greene enjoyed a 15-year career with the Rams, Steelers, Panthers and 49ers, finishing with 160 sacks, the third most in NFL history. He had double-digit sack totals in 10 of his 15 seasons and was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 1990s.
Stabler, whose bold and daring style helped the Raiders become a dominant team in the 1970s, was a seniors committee selection.
During his 10 seasons with the Raiders, he was a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler. Stabler, nicknamed “The Snake” for his wild and sometimes reckless style on and off the field, led the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XI over the Vikings. His 59.85 completion percentage was second all time at the time of his retirement in 1984.
Former NFL offensive lineman Dick Stanfel, who played for Detroit and Washington during the 1950s, was selected as the other seniors committee selection. He was honored as the Lions’ MVP during their 1953 championship season.
Former 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who owned the team for 23 seasons, oversaw one of the NFL’s great dynasties.
“I have a confession to make: I could be the only inductee of this great Hall who didn’t make his high school football team,” DeBartolo said.
“To share this stage with these amazing gentlemen behind me is more than humbling. We all may be wearing the same jackets, but they have shoes that I could never, ever fill.”
DeBartolo played an instrumental role in turning the San Francisco 49ers from being one of the worst teams to one of the best teams on a regular basis.
He hired Bill Walsh as coach and drafted Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. The 49ers won five Super Bowls with DeBartolo as owner, who also had players such as Steve Young and safety Ronnie Lott. The 49ers won an average of 13 games from 1981 to 1998.