Tag: Hall of Fame

‘We did it:’ Jimmy Johnson thanks Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in Hall of Fame speech

The emotional Dallas coach thanked plenty, but also spoke about relationships, believing instead of dreaming, and using your time wisely.

When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson went through their “little transition” in 1994, famously parting ways after consecutive Super Bowl wins and a whirlwind turnaround for the league’s laughingstock, the football world waited for the two men to patch things up and recognize the other’s contributions to the rebirth of the Dallas dynasty they created.

Johnson had to wait 27 years for Jones to tell him he would at long last make the franchise’s Ring of Honor.

On Saturday night in Canton as he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson got his thank you to Jones out of the way 35 seconds after stepping to the mic.

“I guess you’re wanting to know what I’m going to say about Jerry Jones,” the 78-year-old Johnson said, after his opening remarks touched on the relationships that the sport tends to foster.

The crowd at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium applauded, laughed, got quiet again… and maybe even braced themselves just a little for what might come next.

“Well… Jerry?” Johnson stalled before launching into a story.

But as he started, emotion seemed to get the best of him as he made an early stumble.

“You told me. You said, ‘We’re going to make sports history,’ before we ever bought the Cowboys–”

Quickly realizing he misspoke, Johnson poke a little fun at his goof.

“–before you bought the Cowboys, because I didn’t pay a damn cent!”

The moment broke the tension beautifully, if accidentally. The crowd’s easy laughter allowed the coach to snap back into a more relaxed storyteller mode.

“And you know what? We. We did make sports history. But not only for the Dallas Cowboys, but for the NFL. To go from the worst team in the league two years in a row to winning back-to-back Super Bowls and building a heck of a football team, we did it. And let me tell you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Jerry. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

Keeping himself on the evening’s tight schedule for speeches, Johnson chose not to list everyone that made his legendary career possible, but he emphasized that football success is always a group project. He recalled being enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame thanks to great assistant coaches and players. He painted his inclusion in the Broadcasting Hall of Fame as inevitable only because of his producers and the other legends he shares the TV desk with.

Johnson’s football life has certainly been filled with some of the best names in the business at every level. But the man knows a thing or two about identifying talent and bringing out the best in those around him, to be sure.

“Looking back, I went and counted them up,” Johnson shared. “I coached, recruited, or drafted 13 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame… And on top of that, I coached or broadcasted with 14 more Hall of Famers. I think I know what one looks like.”

But still pulling for the greatness of others to be fully realized, Johnson used even that humble brag to tout the Canton credentials of two former stars who have yet to get the call.

“Zach Thomas belongs up here. Darren Woodson belongs up here.”

Ever the coach, always shooting for the next plateau, the next accomplishment, the next success, the next win.

“I never really dreamed. I wasn’t a dreamer. You know, dreaming is hoping. I believed. I really believed. People say, ‘What made you think, when you were at Miami, you were going to take these inner-city kids and they were going to get an education? What made you say that you were going to get them a college degree?’ Because that’s what I talked about. I believed they were. And 90 percent of them got their college degree. That’s what I was proud of. ‘What made you think you were going to win a Super Bowl when you were 1-15?’ I didn’t dream about it; I believed that we were going to win a Super Bowl. When you believe it, I think it has something with the way you act and how you deal with people: your expectation, and you put expectations on them. Treat a person as he is, he’s going to stay as he is. Treat a person as if he were what he could be or should be, he’ll become what he could be and should be. I didn’t dream. I believed we were going to do it.”

But Johnson admitted that his unfailing belief came at a cost. His two adult sons both played football growing up; Johnson revealed he “never saw them play a down. And that’s a shame.”

In closing his remarks, Johnson referenced an idea that Wayne Huizenga once shared with him. The late Dolphins owner called it QTL.

“Quality Time Left. Think about that. I’m 78 years old, and I think about QTL all the time,” Johnson explained. “The people that you love, like my family right over there, appreciate those people. Because there will come a day you’re not going to be able to appreciate them because you’re not going to be around.”

Johnson and Jones have finally gotten back to appreciating each other, too. Seeing them together this week in Canton and knowing they’ll be together once again when Johnson’s name is hung in the palace that Jones built, maybe it’s a new chapter for the two men whose legacies will always be intertwined. Maybe now it’s destined that they’ll ride off into the sunset as friends once again, wearing their matching gold jackets.

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Sad Day for College Football

The world of College Football lost a legend on Sunday. Former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden passed away. In July Bowden announced he had a terminal illness, which his son Terry confirmed to ESPN was pancreatic cancer. Bowden was a college …

The world of College Football lost a legend on Sunday.  Former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden passed away.

In July Bowden announced he had a terminal illness, which his son Terry confirmed to ESPN was pancreatic cancer.

Bowden was a college football head coach for 47 years, including his last 34 at Florida State. He complied a 377-129-4 record as a head coach, the second-winningest coach in the history of college football. He led the Seminoles to two national championships (1993, 1999) and to a record 14 consecutive top 5 finishes in the AP Poll from 1987-2000. He retired from coaching in 2009 and is the ACC’s all-time winningest coach with 173 wins.

Swinney said Bowden is the model for coaching and was such a great example of not losing sight of what is truly important in life.

“He was a man of faith. A great husband, a great father. He loved his community. He was loyal. He was committed. He loved his players and he was funny. He had a grace to him,” Swinney said. “He was tough, and the model of consistency … I mean the absolute model of consistency, he is a special human being.”

Bowden last visited Clemson two years ago after just turning 90 years old. He came in and did chapel for the players and then spoke with Swinney and visited for over an hour.

“He was 90-years-old and just the conversation was fascinating,” Swinney said.

We send our prayers out to the Bowden family.

 

Watch: Peyton Manning’s father Archie presents him with Hall of Fame jacket

Watch: Peyton Manning’s father Archie presents him with Hall of Fame jacket

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Here’s something you don’t see every day. Iconic New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning will be presenting his son Peyton for enshrinement to the Pro Football Hall of Fame soon, but before that he got the honor of putting a gold jacket on his son’s shoulders. The “golden moment” was shared on social media ahead of the weekend’s festivities.

Manning’s relationship with his father runs deep — he described the decision to have his father introduce him as “just a no-brainer” in a statement through the Hall of Fame earlier this summer. Manning won two Super Bowls in his storied NFL career, and he might have had three titles to his credit had his dad’s old team not stolen his thunder in Super Bowl XLIV with an all-time clutch interception returned for a touchdown by defensive back Tracy Porter. Such a shame.

Because the 2020 centennial class’ induction was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those new Hall of Famers will be enshrined first on Saturday, Aug. 7. Fans can tune in for the 2021 enshrinement ceremony featuring the Mannings on Sunday, Aug. 8, at 6 p.m. CT. Manning will enter the Hall of Fame alongside Alan Faneca, Tom Flores, Calvin Johnson, John Lynch, Bill Nunn, Drew Pearson and Charles Woodson.

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Tom Brady jokes about attending Peyton Manning’s Hall of Fame induction

Tom Brady jokes about attending Peyton Manning’s Hall of Fame induction:

Peyton Manning will have a familiar face at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday. Former rival and current Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will be in attendance.

Throughout Manning’s career, the two quarterbacks faced off in numerous AFC showdowns. Despite that, the two often displayed a friendship off the field which clearly still rings true with Brady showing his support this weekend.

Manning confirmed Brady will be there during the broadcast of the Hall of Fame preseason game on Thursday.

“Tom Brady is coming in, sitting in my section. I’m not sure how my Colts teammates will handle that,” Manning said. “But that means a lot that he’s taking the time.”

Brady has explained his pending appearance in Canton, Ohio. In the social media persona that Brady has dusted off since joining Twitter, Brady joked that he’s just going to make sure Manning doesn’t have second thoughts:

Brady, who is looking to defend his Super Bowl title from last season, might have a sliver of seriousness in the back of his mind.

Super Bowls? Brady has seven to Manning’s two. Head-to-head, Brady hold an 11-6 record vs. Manning as well.

But in the postseason season, Manning has the 3-2 edge…

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Jerry Jones tells Jimmy Johnson he’ll go in Cowboys Ring of Honor

The outspoken owner finally declared on live TV that the two-time Super Bowl-winning coach will receive the franchise’s ultimate accolade.

There was much speculation the reconciliation would happen- finally- during Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones chose not to prolong the anticipation, popping the question to former college teammate, former Razorbacks roommate, and former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson during Thursday night’s pregame broadcast.

Johnson will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. And at some unspecified point after that, he will have his name added to the Cowboys Ring of Honor. Jones made it official on live TV.

“Tex Schramm, who started that Ring of Honor,” Jones began, “said, ‘Jerry, keep it kind of limited with people. But make sure it wasn’t just about the plays they made. Make sure they contributed to the story of the franchise.'”

Johnson, of course, took the Cowboys from the worst team in the NFL to Super Bowl champs in just four seasons. The dynasty he created with Jones won back-to-back world titles before ego battles and infighting over who deserved more credit resulted in an acrimonious divorce between the two just days after their second Lombardi Trophy win.

The roster Johnson assembled went on to come within one game of a three-peat attempt under coach Barry Switzer and then an unprecedented third championship in a four-year span.

The two men famously and publicly bickered in the years since, with many Cowboys legends and fans alike clamoring for Jones to put Johnson in the franchise’s exclusive Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium, an accolade that’s been bestowed on just 22 men to date.

Jones milked the moment just slightly while seated next to Johnson on the FOX desk and with their very first draft pick, Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl winner Troy Aikman looking on.

“So are we making an announcement here?” host Curt Menefee asked after a bit of buildup from the billionaire owner.

“Well, we can,” Jones teased. “But we’ll be in the Ring of Honor.”

Johnson didn’t pass up the opportunity to play up the bad blood while sliding in one more of his trademark one-liners.

“While I’m alive?” the 78-year-old asked with mock incredulity.

Not to be outdone, Jones came back with a zinger of his own.

“Well, are you going to be able to make it through this Hall of Fame ceremony?”

Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson cutting up once again like it was the old days was a welcome salve to a generation of Cowboys fans who’ve known mostly sadness since the two parted ways.

But it was Aikman who- just as he did so often during his playing days- bridged the gap between the two and put a perfect bow on the moment.

“It wouldn’t have happened- our successes wouldn’t have happened- and every player that was on those teams knows that: Michael [Irvin], Emmitt [Smith], and everyone else. It took both of these guys. Jimmy couldn’t have been the coach that he was had it not been for Jerry and his ownership, and Jerry wouldn’t have been the owner that he was had it not been for Jimmy as the head coach. And we were the beneficiaries of that. And I’m just glad to see these two together. It’s what we’ve all been hoping for.”

It’s what millions of Cowboys fans have been hoping for.

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Cowboys legend Drew Pearson on Hall of Fame speech: ‘You know I’m going to cry’

The receiver known for his passion says his emotion will be on full display when he is officially welcomed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Drew Pearson has never been shy about showing his emotion. Whether he was chucking the legendary “Hail Mary” ball into the parking lot in Minneapolis in 1975, turning the announcement of a second-round draft pick into a goosebump-raising motivational speech in 2017, breaking down on-camera upon not being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, or breaking down (again) upon finally getting the call to Canton in February of this year, the Cowboys great has always worn his heart on his sleeve.

But now that sleeve will be in the Hall of Fame’s own proprietary shade of gold. The Original No. 88 says fans can expect his trademark flair for the dramatic when he makes his acceptance speech this weekend.

“I was reading my speech this morning crying! In the hotel room! You know I’m going to cry,” Pearson told NFL Network‘s Steve Wyche and fellow member of the Cowboys’ 88 Club Michael Irvin. “I’m not going to hold it in.”

The honor is a long time coming for the three-time All-Pro wide receiver, who had to wait nearly four decades after hanging up his cleats for the recognition.

“You don’t really know how you’re going to feel once you get in and how it’s going to affect you,” the 11-year veteran said. “But after you get in and you feel the effect, oh man. First of all, as a Dallas Cowboy, you get respect. But now the respect’s at a different level when people come to you. It’s, ‘You deserve it,’ and, ‘It’s all about you.’ They ain’t talking about the team or nothing; it’s all about you. ‘You deserve it,’ ‘Waited too long,’ and all that kind of stuff. It’s everything I expected it to be.”

Pearson had already been to a pair of Pro Bowls before first-ballot selections Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson were even born. By the time bouncing baby Calvin Johnson entered the world, Pearson had been retired from the game for two years. Now they’ll all receive their gold jackets together.

“When we got together at the Super Bowl, my class, I’m there with three first-ballot guys and other great guys,” Pearson recalled. “But it didn’t seem any different; we’re all the same happy. We’re slapping the same fives. First-ballot, thirty-eight years; it didn’t matter. Because you’re in, and that’s all that matters.”

Due to the extra-large class size this year, the NFL has said they will enforce a time limit on acceptance speeches, which will be delivered over two days. Pearson knows it will be difficult to distill all of his emotion and passion for the game into just six minutes. (By way of comparison, tight end Tony Gonzalez went for 40 minutes during his 2019 enshrinement speech.)

“We’ve got limited time, but still, the emotion’s going to be there, especially when I talk about my mom and dad and my deceased brothers and sisters and stuff like that, wanting to get them involved. It’s going to be emotional, but it’s also going to be a celebration. And I’m going to focus on the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys- because they’re the reason I’m there- and my teammates that helped me get there.”

And even if the band has to cut Pearson’s speech short (at eight minutes), his place among pro football immortality will last forever. And he’ll finally be correctly referred to as a Hall of Famer… even if he’s already heard that unofficial tag for years.

“Before I got in, sometimes when I’d do a speech presentation, people would introduce me as a Hall of Famer. I’d say, ‘Do you know something I don’t know?’ Pearson joked.

He always felt he belonged in Canton. So, Irvin wondered, did Pearson accept the accolade anyway?

“Oh, I corrected them,” Pearson explained. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that until I’m in.’ But now you can wear it out. Wear it out, man.”

Pearson will lead Sunday evening’s speeches, beginning at 7 p.m. Pearson’s quarterback and fellow Hall of Famer Roger Staubach will introduce him.

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New sack numbers released for Jets legends Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko and others

The NFL didn’t record sacks until 1982, but a new unofficial tally gave Jets legends Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko a boost.

A couple of Jets legends earned a boost in sacks this week.

The statistics website SportsReference.com added unofficial sack totals from 1960-1981, courtesy of researchers John Turney and Nick Webster. The duo compiled sack numbers missing from the NFL archives after reading official play-by-plays, coaches’ stat books and watching game film.

Sacks were not recorded by the league until 1982.

These additions affected some of the biggest players in Jets’ history, including three members of the New York Sack Exchange. Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko and Marty Lyons all saw major increases in their sack totals.

Gastineau now has 107.5 total sacks after 33.5 were added. Klecko is up to 78.0 and Lyons is at 29.0. Gastineau is still the Jets’ all-time sack leader, but he moved up 50 spots on the NFL’s all-time list from 87th to 37th. Klecko became the Jets’ No. 2 leader in sacks and Lyons comes in at No. 10 now.

Even more interesting than the leaderboard changes ks the potential historical significance of Gastineau and Klecko’s magical 1981 season. These new stats reveal the two both tallied at least 20 sacks in one season (Gastineau with 20 and Klecko with 20.5), a lone occurrence in NFL history.

If the NFL recognizes these new numbers as legitimate, it could alter Gastineau and Klecko’s Hall of Fame resume.

The biggest beneficiaries of these changes were Verlon Biggs, Gerry Philbin and John Elliott, who all played before sacks were officially considered a stat and formed a menacing trio in the late 1960s and early 1970s, especially during the Jets’ 1969 Super Bowl run.

Biggs, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end who played for six seasons from 1965-1970 after being drafted in the third round, now ranks fifth on the Jets’ all-time sack list with 58.5. His 15 sacks in 1967 are the fifth-most in a single-season in team history and he tallied at least 10 sacks over four consecutive seasons from 1966-1970.

Philbin joined the Jets in 1964 as a third-round pick and tallied 65 sacks in nine seasons. He ranks fourth now on the Jets’ all-time sack list and was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

Elliott, a seventh-round pick in 1967, had 38.5 sacks during his seven-year career, all with the Jets. Elliot also made three Pro Bowls and was named to the All-Pro team once.

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Troy Polamalu reveals his NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame presenter

LeBeau spent 13 seasons coaching up Polamalu. Now he’ll present him for enshrinement.

If you were on social media Tuesday evening, you may have seen Troy Polamalu’s post hinting at who he’s asked to present him for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From the moment it was announced he’d be inducted, everyone speculated about who would be the one to induct Polamalu. And, of course, most people predicted correctly that it would be his former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

LeBeau came to Pittsburgh in 2004 after a year off from coaching the Cincinnati Bengals. From Polamalu’s second season to his last, LeBeau had the privilege to coach one of the best to ever don a Steelers uniform. And Polamalu had the privilege to be coached by one of the best coordinators in the game.

So, it only makes sense that Polamalu chose LeBeau for this momentous occasion.

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Evaluating the Hall of Fame cases of 10 NBA stars

10 NBA players who are hoping to end up in the Hall of Fame some day.

The biggest honor and feat in team sports is to win the championship and hoist that trophy with the teammates and coaches you fought so hard alongside all season.

When it comes to an individual’s career, being enshrined to the sport’s Hall of Fame is the mountain top. To join the legends and greats that paved the way is something no one can take from you.

This weekend, we saw Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and the late, great Kobe Bryant enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to honor their long, illustrious careers.

Today’s NBA is filled with sure-fire, first-ballot Hall of Famers: LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant to name a few. Then you have your fringe Hall of Famers — guys who are on the fence with arguments for and against being enshrined.

See the list below of current, or freshly retired players, who are on the doorstep of becoming a Hall of Famer.

WATCH: Kevin Garnett’s FULL Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame acceptance speech

Watch KG’s FULL Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame induction speech here.

Now officially ensconced in basketball Valhalla, Boston Celtics champion center Kevin Garnett has rightfully been honored with the sports’ highest recognition, ahead of which he gave a speech for the ages to look back on his career as a player.

The former Celtic, Minnesota Timberwolf, and Brooklyn Net gave a wide-ranging induction speech that chose to focus on the many positives in his professional journey across three franchises and 21 seasons in the league. An NBA champion, league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Olympic Gold medal winner among many other honors, The Big Ticket is part of a historically strong class inducted this weekend that includes Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant.

Watch KG’s induction speech in full in the video embedded below; while it might not have taken place in the Hall itself in this pandemic-haunted year, Garnett’s achievements will forever be honored within it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmWxJCrqo-4

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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