Michael Strahan expects emotions to flow at HOF induction
CANTON, Ohio – Michael Strahan is pleased to know he is scheduled to go last during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
That means the former New York Giants star pass-rusher won’t be the first to break down in tears once the 2014 seven-member class is inducted today.
“I am not going to be the first one to crack,” Strahan pronounced with a familiar gap-toothed grin Friday. “But it’ll be interesting. I just told the guys, ‘It’s OK. If you’re going to cry, this is the opportunity to cry where nobody can say anything to you.”’
If that’s the case, Andre Reed might not make it through Friday. The former Buffalo Bills receiver was having trouble keeping his emotions in check after meeting former teammate, quarterback Jim Kelly, who is battling cancer.
“I almost broke down and cried,” Reed said. “Three months ago, we didn’t know if (Kelly) was going to be in Canton. Yeah, my heart kind of beat a bit faster when I saw him.”
There’ll be plenty of emotions given the varied backgrounds of the inductees.
It’s a group that includes two first-time ballot selections, Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks and Seattle offensive tackle Walter Jones. Then there’s Arizona/St. Louis defensive back Aeneas Williams and Oakland’s Ray Guy, the first full-time punter inducted.
And don’t forget Atlanta/Philadelphia defensive end Claude Humphrey, who waited 28 years to hear his name called.
“It’s a great moment,” said the 70-year-old Humphrey, who earned six Pro Bowl selections during a 13-year career. “It came at a time in my life where there wasn’t a whole lot of other things going on. It gave the career I worked so hard on, a little rejuvenation.”
Humphrey brings the history and Strahan the buzz, in having become a commercial pitchman and talk-show host. And Guy is bringing a 20-member punter posse to help him celebrate.
“It’s bigger than me,” said Guy, who is being inducted 28 years after he retired. “It is a part of them, too, because I am now representing every one of them.”
“This is the Hall of Fame. It’s not about one player or one person and what they’ve done,” Strahan said.
Strahan established himself as one of the NFL’s top pass-rushers over a 15-year career that ended after helping the Giants beat New England in the 2008 Super Bowl. He set the league’s single-season record with 22 1/2 sacks in 2001, and ranks fifth on the all-time list with 141 1/2.
Reed ranked fourth in the NFL with 13,198 yards receiving at the time he retired after the 2000 season.
Guy was selected to the NFL’s 75th anniversary team, and helped change the punter position.
Williams was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, who finished with 55 interceptions, plus six in the postseason.
Jones is regarded as one of the game’s best tackles during a 12-season career in Seattle.
Brooks helped anchor the Buccaneers’ defense that keyed a Super Bowl run in 2002 and ranked among the NFL’s best for more than a decade.
“I’m excited about our class, being part of history,” said Brooks.