Final Bus stop: Hall of Fame
By F. Dale Lolley
Staff writer
dlolley@observer-reporter.com
CANTON, Ohio – With a largely pro-Steelers capacity crowd at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium looking on and chanting his name, The Bus rolled into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday night.
Terrible Towels twirled everywhere any time the Steelers were mentioned here and with Bettis becoming the 23rd person associated with the team to achieve induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“We’ve got to get one thing clear here tonight,” Bettis told the cheering crowd before leading them in a chant of “Here we go Steelers.”
“We’re in Canton, Ohio, but we’re in Steelers country.”
Also entering the hall on Saturday were longtime NFL executives Ron Wolf and Bill Polian, defensive end Charles Haley, offensive linemen MickTingelhoff and Will Shields, wide receiver Tim Brown and linebacker Junior Seau.
They were all stars in their own right, but it was Bettis who the majority of the crowd of 21,755 came to see.
“I thought The Bus’ last stop was in Detroit,” Bettis told the crowd, referring to his final game in Super Bowl 40. “But now I know, The Bus will always run in Canton, Ohio.”
Bettis, who was presented by his brother, John, had been a finalist in each of the previous four years before finally getting enough votes to get in this time around.
“You Steelers fans have been waiting for this since Super Bowl 40,” said Chris Berman, the MC of the evening told the crowd as he welcomed Bettis and the other members of the Class of 2015 to the stage.
The NFL’s sixth-leading rusher all-time with 13,662 yards, Bettis played 13 seasons, the last 10 of which he spent with the Steelers after joining them via a 1996 trade with the Rams.
His 50 100-yard games are a Steelers record, while his 10,571 career rushing yards and 80 touchdowns with Pittsburgh are the second-most in team history behind only fellow Hall of Fame member Franco Harris.
“I could never stand here and accept all the credit for my success,” said Bettis. “It’s not about me, it’s about all the people who impacted me in my life.”
Bettis did specifically thank a number of people, including former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.
“Coach, you are one of the biggest reasons I stand here today,” Bettis said of Cowher, who could not attend because of the wedding of his daughter. “I hope one day you stand here next to me today, because you deserve it.”
Bettis thanked all his teammates but specifically mentioned guard Alan Faneca, safety Troy Polamalu, wide receiver Hines Ward, linebacker Joey Porter and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
He gave special thanks to Roethlisberger, whose touchdown-saving tackle following a Bettis fumble in a playoff game in Indianapolis helped the team advance to win the Super Bowl in his final season.
“Brother, without you saving that tackle. I still might be on the doorstep,” Bettis said. “All of you guys, I hope will be here someday.”
He also had a message to the large number of Steelers fans in attendance.
“To Steelers Nation, I need those Terrible Towels going,” Bettis said. “You gotta show these guys what real football fans look like. I want to thank you all for appreciating the power football game. Three yards and a cloud of dust was better than a 40-yard bomb.
“I want to thank you for me and my teammates. We knew we had the support of the best football fans in the world.”
Brown, like Bettis, starred at Notre Dame before coming to the NFL in 1988. He spent 17 seasons in the NFL, all but one with the Raiders, retiring in 2004 after one season in Tampa Bay.
The 1987 Heisman Trophy winner, Brown recorded 1,094 career receptions for 14,934 yards and 100 touchdowns. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl player.
Seau committed suicide at 43 in 2012. Later studies showed that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a type of chronic brain damage that has been found in other deceased longtime football players.
Seau’s daughter, Sydney and sons Tyler, Hunter and Jake, presented him posthumously.
“He is the first Polynesian and Samoan to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and that’s an accomplishment in itself,” Sydney Seau said in the most touching moment of the night.
“Dad, you gave us your time, your presence and love. Most of all you gave us your heart. I know at times it seemed as if everything you accomplished in life wasn’t enough, but today and every day since you held me in your arms for the first time, you were more than just enough, you were everything.
“I want nothing more than to see you come on stage, give the speech you were meant to give, give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time. But that isn’t our realty.”
A first-round draft pick in 1990 by San Diego, Seau played 20 NFL seasons with the Chargers, Dolphins and Patriots.
The 1992 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Seau was an All-Pro eight times and played in 12 Pro Bowls.
Haley, the only player in NFL history to be on five Super Bowl-winning teams, recorded 100.5 sacks in 12 seasons as a linebacker and defensive end with San Francisco and Dallas.
Haley was presented by former 49ers and Pittsburgh Penguins owner Eddie DeBartolo and took the time to try to rally support to get DeBartolo inducted.
“When you’re thinking about Hall of Famers, you’re thinking about winning,” said Haley, a five-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro player. “Mr. D, he won five Super Bowls. He presented five players. I won five. If the standard is winning, why is he not here?
“I pray that Mr. D comes to the Hall of Fame sooner than later, guys.”
Shields played 14 seasons (1993-2006) for the Kansas City Chiefs at guard, never missing a game, a span of 224 games (223 starts). He was a 12-time Pro Bowl player and seven-time All-Pro.
Tingelhoff played 17 seasons for the Minnesota Vikings at center, starting 240 games after signing with the team as an undrafted player out of Nebraska.
Tingelhoff, who retired in 1978, was a seven-time All-Pro and helped the Vikings to four NFL/NFC championships.
Polian spent 32 years in the NFL with the Chiefs, Bills, Panthers and Colts, helping to build those teams into winners.
Polian’s teams went to their respective conference championship eight times, four times in Buffalo, once with Carolina and three times in Indianapolis. He retired in 2011.
Wolf, who worked for the Raiders, Buccaneeers and Jets before becoming the Executive Vice President/General Manager of the Green Bay Packers in 1991.
Wolf spent 11 seasons in Green Bay, transforming the perennial losers since their glory days in the 1960s, into a powerhouse once again.
Former Associated Press NFL reporter Dave Goldberg was named the Dick McCann Award winner, which is given to journalists for “long and distinguished career reporting on professional football.
ESPN Analyst and former Denver Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award given for “longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football”