FAVRE HEADLINES 2016 HALL CLASS
Quarterback led Packers back to top of NFL
Brett Favre is officially among the best of the best in NFL history.
Last weekend, the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee elected the Green Bay Packers quarterback legend among the eight members of the Hall’s class of 2016. Favre becomes the 24th member of the Packers organization voted into the Hall and the fifth who made it in his first year of eligibility. Overall, he’s the 74th first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Favre is the headliner of this year’s class, whose other members are quarterback Ken Stabler, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, offensive tackle Orlando Pace, guard Dick Stanfel, coach Tony Dungy and owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.
Favre made it to the Hall on the strength of a résumé that includes great team and individual accomplishments and his indispensable role in reviving the Packers franchise in the 1990s.
“As a kid, all I ever dreamed of was to play pro football, to be Archie Manning or Roger Staubach,” Favre said after he and the other members of this year’s class were introduced on the NFL Honors Show. “I hated Terry Bradshaw, which I told him that. He’s OK now. But that’s all I ever dreamed of. I never dreamed of all the other stuff. It’s been way more than I ever could imagine, so I’m extremely thankful for that.”
Maybe Favre’s greatest feat was his durability while playing the game’s most important position. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive starts at 297 games, a mark that might not be broken for decades, if ever. He also won three NFL MVP awards, second most in NFL history behind Peyton Manning’s five. Favre won his MVPs in consecutive seasons (1995-97).
“We were very fortunate to have someone like Brett Favre come along,” Bob Harlan, the Packers’ chairman emeritus, said in a statement. “And it was a controversial move when Ron Wolf sent a first-round draft choice to Atlanta for a third-string quarterback. But it turned out to be the best trade in Packers history, and maybe one of the top trades in the history of the NFL.
“What I am most thankful for is Brett gave us 16 wonderful years of exciting, winning football, and of all the records he set, I think the most amazing was the 253 consecutive starts at quarterback (with the Packers). He was playing the most difficult position in the toughest sport and every Sunday he was ready to give everything he had for this franchise. That turned out to be two trips to the Super Bowl and three MVPs, and it was really a remarkable career.”
Among Favre’s other noteworthy achievements are his career record as a starter of 186112 (.624 winning percentage). His total of 199 wins including playoffs is second behind Manning (200) for most by a quarterback in NFL history. He made it to two Super Bowls and won one.
He also had the league’s most pass attempts (10,169) and completions (6,300), and second-most touchdown passes (508) and passing yards (71,838).
He was named first-team allpro three times and to the Pro Bowl 11 times in his 20-year career.
“When I traded for Brett Favre I thought he would be sensational,” said Wolf, the former Packers general manager who was inducted into the Hall last year. “He became incomparable. They say that old Yankee Stadium was the house that Ruth built. Well, the Lambeau Field reconstruction is the house that Favre built.”
Favre, 46, played for the Packers in 16 seasons and made the playoffs in 11. Besides the two Super Bowls, he also appeared in three other NFC Championship Games, two with the Packers and one with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Packers’ other first-ballot Hall of Famers were Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Ray Nitschke and Reggie White.
Favre and the rest of the Class of 2016 will be enshrined Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio. The Packers are expected to play in the Hall of Fame game the next day against an opponent to be determined.
The honor caps an eventful year for Favre in which he also became the sixth member of the Packers organization to see his number retired. His No. 4 was retired during a banquet last summer in which he also was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. On Thanksgiving night, the Packers unveiled his name and number on the north façade of Lambeau Field alongside the team’s five other retired numbers: Don Hutson (14), Tony Canadeo (3), Starr (15), Nitschke (66) and White (92).
Dougherty writes for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK