John, from one of those in the crowd who cheered, I take the opportunity to say thank you from all of us. We appreciated what you did and you made it fun.
John Mackey
Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers Tight End
Class of 1992
The second tight end to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Mackey caught 331 passes for 5,236 yards and thirty-eight touchdowns.
Presented by AFL Players Association President Jack Kemp
I want to thank you for being introduced as the father of one of the quarterbacks of the Philadelphia Eagles. I was in Philadelphia recently, giving a speech, and the emcee got carried away and introduced me as the father of the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles.
A very distinguished gentleman in the back of the room stood up and said, “He doesn’t look like Randall Cunningham to me.” I am not Randall’s daddy. I am Jeff [Kemp]’s daddy. But we would like to have his arm, and his money.
When John was picked by Ben Schwartzwalder to go to Syracuse, Coach Schwartzwalder sent him three airline tickets. He sent them to his mom and dad, and the Reverend Mackey said, “We can’t accept an airline ticket; we will drive. I don’t want you beholden to anybody, John Mackey.”
When I first started off speaking to all the players of the AFL and NFL, John Mackey didn’t say a word. He didn’t talk for the longest time. Finally, after the meeting was over, I said, “John, why didn’t you speak longer?” He said, “Jack, my papa taught me to listen. He said if you listen, you will be the smartest man in the room. You will know what you know, and besides that, you will know what other people know.”
Mackey was the smartest man in the room.
John Mackey
When we found out that I had been inducted into the Hall of Fame, Jack said to me, “John, I just want to tell you something. You know John Unitas never threw you a pass because you were a minority. John threw you a pass because, first, he knew you would get open and second, he knew you would catch it and third, he knew you would know what to do with it.” That makes me feel good because it is very important that we evaluate people on the basis of their performance alone.
My father, Reverend Walter Mackey, used to say to me when I was in high school, “Son, I know you scored a touchdown, but where are your feet?” I had no idea what he was talking about. I want him to know he is eighty-seven years old and I know he is watching, and I want to tell him first I love him and second, I know where my feet are. I keep them placed on the ground so I keep my head out of the clouds.
I didn’t know what that meant as a little boy, but I know what it means today; I understand now.
Jim Finks
Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and
New Orleans Saints Administrator
Class of 1995
Finks developed the Vikings, Bears, and Saints—all teams with losing records—into winners.
Presented by Bears Executive Ed McCaskey
He was admired at all levels throughout the league for his integrity, his ability, and his creed of, “Do the right thing.” He was tough and fair and believed that building a football organization was the secret to success on the field. Each year the Chicago Bears invite the alumni home for dinner and a game. Those who can’t come might write a letter as their most memorable experience as a Bear. Our fearless safety of yesteryear, Doug Plank, wrote a letter that, with your permission, I would like to read now.
“I had just completed my third year as a starting free safety. Since I was drafted in the twelfth round, my salary qualified me for low-income housing. I was attempting to double my salary. After I submitted my initial offer to Jim Finks he immediately countered with a 50 percent reduction in my increase. Intimidated by his position and negotiating ability, I explained I would have to discuss the offer with my wife before I made a decision. After my response, the room became very quiet. He stared into my eyes for what seemed an eternity. Then he said, ‘Doug, you go home and talk to your wife. I’ll go home and talk to my wife. I hope she doesn’t think I offered you too much.’”
Accepting on Behalf of Jim Finks,
His Son, Jim Finks Jr.
He had a great sense of humor. Anybody who survives in the National Football League for over forty years better have a sense of humor.
A reporter asked him after a game about some questionable calls by the officials. His immediate reply was, “I’m not allowed to comment on lousy officiating.” And we both enjoyed reading that quote in the paper the next day. To sum up what Jim Finks was all about, he kept these words written on a piece of paper in his wallet at all times.
“If we are ever unlucky enough to have it made, then we will be spectators instead of participants in life. It’s the journey, not the arrival, that counts. Does the road wind uphill all the way? Yes, until the very end.” Jim Finks was known as a former Steeler, Viking, Bear, but it is no coincidence he left this world a Saint.
Mel Renfro
Dallas Cowboys Defensive Back
Class of 1996
Selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first ten NFL seasons, Renfro intercepted fifty-two passes and also added 842 yards on punt returns and 2,246 yards on kick returns.
Presented by Cowboys Coach Tom Landry
The Cowboys had their eye on Mel from the start. We knew he was going to be an outstanding pro and first-round pick. But an off-the-field incident in 1963 almost ended Renfro’s football career.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated two weeks before the draft. When Renfro heard the disastrous news, he banged his fist on a mirror and severed a nerve in his hand. Like other NFL teams, we weren’t too sure if the nerve was going to be okay. So we took a calculated risk and picked a defensive tackle in the first round hoping that Mel would last until the second.
And boy, were we lucky that he did.
Mel Renfro
As a child, I was fortunate. My parents grounded me in the church. They taught me right from wrong and they taught me to believe in the Ten Commandments.
There were many other people who were inspirational to me along the way. I remember my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Honeywell. She pulled me aside when I was ten years old and she said, “I see something special in you, Melvin. One day you are going to be someone.” I didn’t know what she meant. Oh, I knew I could run a little faster than some of the other kids, but she saw in me a vision—a vision of a professional athlete. She encouraged me to stay in the right path. I never heard from her or saw her again after grade school. But I took her words to heart and I stuck with athletics.
What can you say about Coach Landry that hasn’t already been said? He’s a fine Christian man. Tom Landry is a great teacher. We soon came to realize that if we had faith in him, played where he wanted us to play, did what he wanted us to do, that we would be successful. In retrospect, many years later as I was reading the scripture, I saw Coach Landry’s methods.
All the time he was training and teaching, he was doing it from principles in the Bible. He was never threatening. And he never mentioned Christian principles or beliefs, but that is what it was. I know it now.
Mike Haynes
New England Patriots and
Los Angeles Raiders Cornerback
Class of 1997
The Defensive Rookie of the Year, selected to nine Pro Bowls, Haynes intercepted forty-six passes during his career, including one in Super Bowl XVIII.
When I went to Arizona State, I wanted to be a wide receiver. Like a lot of kids playing football, you want to see your name in lights and people reading about you in the papers. Well, at wide receiver, quarterback, running back, you can get that. Not at lineman, not at defensive back, usually. It’s usually defensive backs that are getting beat in those news highlights and some wide receiver is looking pretty good.
But at Arizona State, they had injuries in the secondary and I was a freshman. It was the first year that freshmen could play varsity and they moved me up to the varsity squad. I was third-string free safety. Bef
ore you knew it, I was actually starting. I got a couple of interceptions in the games, had some nice runbacks with those, showed a little bit of what I could do.
It was then that I started this trek to be a defensive back. If I was going to be one, I wanted to be one of the all-time best. And it was hard work there, with a lot of work from a lot of coaches and a lot of players that were at Arizona State.
For those of you young people out there who want to play the game of football, I want you to know some of the things that it really took from me and maybe you will learn from my experience. I loved the game of football. I loved it. I revered it and I really appreciated it. And I knew to be a good player at that game, I had to work hard. I had to understand what 100 percent was all about and I had to understand that that goal kept moving higher because the better I got, the higher the standard became. And that’s why you hear people talk about giving more than 100 percent—because it’s possible, because it keeps moving.
So, young people, set your goals high, it can happen for you. Get the most out of your abilities—that’s what Frank Kush taught us in college and that’s what I think young people who take anything seriously should try to do. Remember, there are no limits.
Anthony Muñoz
Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Tackle
Class of 1998
An All-Pro choice in eleven consecutive years, Muñoz went to eleven straight Pro Bowls as well.
Presented by His Son, Michael Muñoz
I’m going to use this time to say thanks to my dad for what he has meant in my life.
Dad, thank you for always being there. By coming home when you could have gone out with the guys. Or by not taking jobs so you could watch me and Michelle play basketball and football. Thank you for taking us with you whenever and wherever you could. I never remember watching you play but I always remember being there.
I remember going to Spinney Field, I remember going to Pro Bowls, trying to catch Reggie Roby’s mile-high punts, getting Bruce Smith’s autographed shoe, and getting Howie Long’s practice jersey. I thank you for keeping us in your heart when you’re away on the road. By bringing us gifts or calling us on the phone to let us know that you love us. Thanks for always being there.
And thank you for always being consistent in your work ethic. I remember Michelle and I would go to Sycamore High School and you’d be running and you would run and run and run. And me and Michelle would say, “Are you done yet?” And he would start his sprints.
And thank you for being consistent in your walk with the Lord. You’ve always been consistent in leading our daily prayers, no matter what happens, good or bad, easy or hard. I’ve seen you trust God and be consistent in what you say and what you do. Thank you for always being there, always being consistent, but most of all thank you for always being a real person. You’ve been my model. I learned to say “I’m sorry, I was wrong” from you being big enough to admit your mistakes. You have modeled humility. I have learned to respect women because of how you respected and loved Mom.
You’ve also been my mentor. You’ve taught me technique, strategy, moves, and drills. You’ve taught me how to let my actions speak louder than my words. And to make people more important than things.
And finally, you’ve shown me how to be a man. Recently, in Ontario, California, where you grew up, his former classmates and friends all had the same basic thing to say about him. Everybody knew who the big man on campus was—except for one person, and that was him.
Humility always has been a hallmark for your life. You’ve showed me strength under control and how to be tough while still being tender. You are a real man.
Anthony Muñoz
A lot of times when we strive to get to the pinnacle of our profession, it’s like a triangle. You reach the pinnacle and you have a broad base of people that make that possible. I had those people, lots of people.
It was people like my brother Joe, who’s right here in front—Joe, stand up—and his wife, Barbara. It was individuals like my brother Joe and my brother Tom, who is not here today, that taught me, “You just go out and play and let your playing do the talking. You don’t have to say anything. Be competitive, be intense, but let people see your humility.”
I think about all the opportunities I was offered, the encouragement, the instruction I was offered. And it allowed me to do only one thing and that is offer my life, make my life an offering.
See, because in my second year in the NFL, I knew I wasn’t motivated by money, I knew I wasn’t motivated by the notoriety. And I sat in my hotel room the night before the season opener and there had to be more to playing in the NFL. And I realized as I looked through the scripture that there is more than playing in the NFL. That I was to present my body as a living sacrifice and that was my way to worship God.
Ozzie Newsome
Cleveland Browns Tight End
Class of 1999
Newsome finished his career as the all-time leader among tight ends with 662 receptions for 7,980 yards.
Presented by Browns Running Back Calvin Hill
I stand before you to talk about my friend, Ozzie Newsome, and the qualities that make him special for me. And these are qualities that transcend statistics or receptions, and yet were essential for his success on and off the field. Ozzie is grace. And not just the grace of an acrobatic reception, but the grace of congratulating an opponent after a bitter loss. The grace of consoling a teammate after a critical mistake. And I know, because I made one of those mistakes against Denver in 1981, and the first arm around my shoulders was Ozzie Newsome.
Ozzie is dependability. One of the greatest coaches whose bust is in this building, Vince Lombardi, once said that “ability is important, but dependability is critical.” And for Ozzie, whether it was practice or games, or even more important, a verbal commitment to a young kid to be there, he was there. You could etch his word in stone.
Ozzie is humility. We call him “The Wizard of Oz.” When he was introduced in Cleveland, they would put up “The Wizard of Oz.” I heard people in the parade today yell “Wizard” and he would chuckle, almost embarrassed. Because with his greatness comes a deep humility.
Ozzie is class. Twenty-one years ago, when I first came up to Cleveland, he showed me a telegram he got from Bear Bryant. He was em barking on a professional career and Bear Bryant was just telling him some things, and he ended that telegram by saying, “Ozzie, keep your class.” And for twenty-one years, he has kept his class….
See I know what it means to be the father of a son. As a father, you hope to impart all the right values by example. But you know, it takes a village. And there are others in that village that help. And when my son was five years old and he first met Ozzie, he was someone I used as an example outside my house—an example of grace, an example of humility, of dependability, of class, of family. And so it excites me because I’ve talked about Ozzie to my son for a lot of years. And he’s watching, and he’s going to see this man that I have used as a role model for him go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ozzie Newsome
At some point during my career, I was at a dinner and I heard Hall of Famer Paul Warfield talk about Hall of Famer Jim Brown and the passion he had for the game. Paul related the story of how Jim drove all night so he could be at the very first practice for the College All-Star Game. That’s passion.
I’ve come to understand and appreciate passion, playing for thirteen years in front of what I consider the greatest football fans in America. We’ve got great fans here from Buffalo, great fans here from New York. But I want to give you your official welcome to Cleveland’s “Dawg Pound.”
Along the way, in order for any of us to achieve, there had to be some mentors. I had one of the greatest college football coaches to ever walk a Saturday afternoon, a man by the name of Paul “Bear” Bryant. Just ask some other fellow Alabamians that have come before me; they’ve talked about Coach Bryant. I think we all can agree that the lessons that he taught us while we were there
are the lessons that we are living right now in our lives. That’s how special a man he was.
Eric Dickerson
Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts,
Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons Running Back
Class of 1999
Dickerson rushed for 13,259 yards, including an NFL record 2,105 in 1984.
Presented by Rams Tackle Jackie Slater
I have known Eric Dickerson since 1983, and by his own admission, he’ll tell you that I’ve changed and grown, as we all do. But there are a few things about Eric Dickerson that I have found to be as consistent today as they were in 1983. And those qualities consist of the following: an unshaken loyalty to his family and his friends; a willingness to take responsibility for his shortcomings and to try to improve; and, last but not least, Eric’s supreme confidence in his abilities that he felt came directly from God, almighty.
Eric Dickerson
When I go back and think about people who have really changed my life in certain ways, who comes to mind most definitely is John Shaw of the Rams.
Now if you know John Shaw, he was the general manager of the Rams at the time. John Shaw and I could not see eye to eye on anything. Me and him had an argument one day in his office about who led the league in rushing.
I’m saying, “John, I led the league in rushing.” “No, you didn’t,” he tells me. “Yes, I did.” “No, you didn’t.” “Yes, I did,” I said. “John, get the book.” And he did and he said, “Oh! You did lead the league in rushing.” It was just amazing.
But one thing I can say after all the years, and you step away from the game of football and you sit back and you get to know a person on a one-on-one basis, it makes it a bit different.
The Class of Football Page 15
