Willie Roaf was one of six men inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday. (Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)
CANTON – On a steamy summer evening in the birthplace of the National Football League, the ranks of the Pro Football Hall of Fame swelled to 273 Saturday night with the enshrinement of running back Curtis Martin, tackle Willie Roaf, center Dermontti Dawson, defensive end Chris Doleman, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy and cornerback Jack Butler.
It is a class short on flash, featuring two offensive linemen and two defensive linemen, a runner that left the game as the league’s fourth all-time leading rusher and an 84-year-old defensive back that was second in the NFL in career interceptions when he retired. None of the six players were on a league champion, but they combined for 43 Pro Bowls.
Last year at his enshrinement, running back Marshall Faulk said, “This is football heaven.” From the Friday night Gold Jacket Dinner to the parade Saturday and culminating with the unveiling of their bust, each enshrinee lives that in his words and emotions.
Martin (four Pro Bowls) finished his 11-year career for the New England Patriots and New York Jets with 14,101 rushing yards and 90 touchdowns while joining Barry Sanders as the only players in history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in each of their first 10 seasons. His career-best season came at age 31 when he ran for 1,697 yards and won the league rushing title. He was a third-round pick in 1995 after being limited by an ankle injury in his senior season at the University of Pittsburgh.
During one of the more emotional speeches ever, Martin, who added a matching vest to his gold jacket, said he was going to bear his soul and told how he witnessed his father torturing his mother, how he didn’t like football, but later made a deal with God when he was 20 years old.
First, his pastor told him, “Maybe football is there so you are able to do for others what you want to do,” Martin said. “A light bulb went off. I played for a purpose that was bigger than the game.”
Noting that he never thought he’d live to be 21, Martin said he had a conversation with God when he was 20 in which he pledged to do something important with his life if he lived to be older than 21.
“I’m 39 years old now and God has definitely upheld his end of the bargain and I will spend the rest of my life trying to uphold my end of the bargain,” Martin said.
Doleman started his career in 1985 with the Minnesota Vikings as a linebacker after being the fourth overall pick in the draft. In 15 seasons with the Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers, he played 232 games and eight Pro Bowls and totaled 150.5 sacks, fourth most in league history when he retired. Doleman had a career-high 21 sacks in 1989 and was the defensive player of the year in 1992 when he had 14.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.
Doleman thanked his father “for teaching me the importance of finishing what you started. And if it’s any indication today, I finished the game I signed up for.”
Kennedy was the third overall selection in the 1990 draft and went to the Pro Bowl eight times in his 11 seasons. His signature season came in 1992 when he had 14 sacks and was named the NFL’s defensive player of the year despite the Seahawks winning just two of 16 games.
In his speech, Kennedy said, “This day, right now, this moment, it’s about those that provided support and it’s all about those before and who will come after. It’s all about my teammates that I cried with over the years, both in victory and defeat. It’s not about winning or losing. It’s so much bigger than that. It’s about the relationships and about sharing it, and working hard together.”
Dawson followed Hall of Famer Mike Webster at center after being selected in the second round of the 1988 draft. In 13 seasons, Dawson played 184 games (170 consecutive) and was in seven Pro Bowls. Three times, the Steelers were in AFC championship games with Dawson at center, and they advanced to Super Bowl XXX, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
For Dawson, it was about a message to young people. He said, “Do everything with a purpose. Live, act, play, work with a purpose, with a passion, and most important with honor. I’m thankful for those that ignited that in me during my youth and stoked it year after year.”
Roaf was in 11 Pro Bowls and was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade teams for the 1990s and 2000s. He played in 189 games over 13 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, which selected him eighth overall in 1993, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Roaf spoke for most everyone when he said, “To know that my bronze bust will be in the Hall of Fame forever is unbelievable. To my fellow Hall of Famers, just as I strive to be a good teammate in high school, college and the pros, I promise you this: I will always be a Hall-of-Fame teammate you can be proud of. Thank you for welcoming me to this new team.”
Butler played nine seasons with the Steelers after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in 1951. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times and had 52 career interceptions in 103 games.
The essence of the class is that Roaf’s father, Clifton, presented him for enshrinement in his second year of eligibility, while Butler’s son, John, did the same for his father 59 years after his final game.
In his presentation, John Butler said after the election in February, his father kept asking, “Is this for real? Is there another vote? Is this 100 percent?”
“Yes, I told him. You’re in the Hall of Fame.”
Jack Butler said, “I never envisioned being here in Canton.” After thanking his family for being here with him, he concluded, “Heck, I’m thankful I’m here.”
Five other enshrinees echoed that thought.
