Woodson, Lynch, Flores all inducted into Pro Football HOF.
Hall inductees Flores, Lynch and Woodson display range of emotions
In the end, Tom Flores and John Lynch stayed in character on their night of immortality. Charles Woodson, on the other hand, lost his legendary composure in a most appealing way.
The trio with Bay Area ties were joined by former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Pittsburgh guard Alan Faneca, Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson and former Pittsburgh super scout Bill Nunn as inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Canton, Ohio.
Flores and Pearson were senior committee selections, while Nunn, who helped scout talent for the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the 1970s, was named as a contributor.
Flores, 84, needed the help of a wheelchair and then a cane to take the podium. As usual, the two-time Super Bowlwinning coach and a trailblazer as the first Hispanic coach and general manager was modest, understated and self-effacing.
He chronicled his arrival in the Central Valley town of Sanger, where his father
moved the family when Flores was 12 to work in the fields. His first home had dirt floors and no plumbing.
His Central Valley experience included Sanger High School, Fresno City College and finally College of the Pacific (later UOP).
It was at Pacific where Flores met his future wife Barbara.
When the mention of Sanger drew cheers from the crowd, Flores said, “It’s a long way to come. You ever try to get here? It’s not an easy place to get to. I’ve been trying for a long time to get here.”
The decision to pursue a football career didn’t go over well with Flores’ family.
“My mother cried when I told her I was going to play professionally instead of coming home to be a teacher as I had studied for in college,” Flores said. “But in the end, she was proudest of all because I followed my passion, and that’s what brought me to this stage tonight, passion.”
Flores, who never needed or wanted to be the center of attention in an ego-driven profession, was introduced by Carol Davis, wife of late Raiders’ owner Al Davis, and current owner Mark Davis.
Lynch, 49, made a living striking fear into the hearts of wide receivers and unsuspecting offensive players as a nine-time Pro Bowler for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos. At the same time, Lynch, has always been polite, humble, treating people as he would want to be treated through his pro career as well as the 49ers general manager.
Known among his friends as “Captain America,” there was more than a little patriotism weaved in with the sport he loves.
“The NFL is the greatest metaphor for life I’ve ever known . . . it compels every man that puts on a uniform to not only do their best but be their best. In football, we quickly discover we’re only as strong as our weakest link, and we must all learn to play together.
“Each of us comes from a different walk of life, but when we huddle up, we huddle up as a team. It doesn’t matter where you come from or your background. Tonight I advocate that we take the lead of football and huddle up as a people, as a great nation. Let’s find the common ground through our shared values. Let’s celebrate and learn from our differences.”
Lynch recounted arriving at Stanford as a quarterback and how he moved to defense under Denny Green and then was coaxed into staying rather than pursuing a baseball career with the Florida Marlins by his successor Bill Walsh.
At Tampa Bay, influences included head coach Tony Dungy and assistant Herm Edwards, the latter who was Lynch’s co-presenter along with his son Jake.
“It takes a lot of belief to get to this stage,” Lynch said. Woodson, 44, immediately broke into tears when he opened the final speech of the evening with a musical ode to Georgia Woodson, his mother and presenter.
Woodson was one of the most outwardly confident athletes of his era. His 18year career included 65 interceptions, 20 sacks, 13 touchdowns, honors for being the top rookie and top defensive player and a Super Bowl ring.
But rather than extol the myriad statistics and accomplishments that made him special, Woodson dished off credit instead. He cited family, friends and former teammates dating back to his days as a youth in Freemont, Ohio, and thorugh his career at Michigan, the Raiders and the Green Bay Packers.
When talking about his mother, who raised Charles, his brother and sister as a single mom, Woodson even dropped the lone profanity of the night.
“You say a woman can’t raise a man?,” Woodson said. “I call (B.S.). When talking about his sister Shannon, Woodson revealed she was at home fighting COVID-19, Woodson’s voice cracked again.
“Big moment for our family. Dealing with COVID. She’s fighting,” Woodson said.