The Class of Football

by Adam Schefter

  Tom Landry

  In my life, I think the one man that made a great difference was my coach in junior high and high school. I only had one coach when I was in junior high and high school. He taught me a lot about football. He taught me fundamentals. He taught me values. He taught me to pay a price to win. He contributed greatly to my success and, really, I am talking about all coaches, all the junior high and senior high coaches of America. What an impact they have on the youth of America—where we need the impact today.

  Of course, the last year has been a very interesting one for me. I got fired and I got into the Hall of Fame, all in one year. So you coaches remember that there are always good things at the end of the rainbow, if you stick with it.

  John Hannah

  New England Patriots Guard

  Class of 1991

  Renowned as the premier guard of his era, Hannah was an All-Pro ten years and played in nine Pro Bowls.

  God, I love football. And to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is probably the one fulfillment of a lifelong dream. You just don’t know what it means to me.

  I remember when I was growing up in Albertsville, Alabama, and Mom and Dad would take us to church, and as soon as church was over, we would fly home to try to see guys like Ray Nitschke, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus. Man, I would sit there and froth at the mouth and say, “Wonder if I’ll ever be good enough to play with those guys.”

  And I remember even playing in the NFL and I had a coach, Jim Ringo, that had played the game, and I went to him one time and said, “Coach, do you think I was good enough?” Well, what today means to me is, I made the cut. I’m on the team and right now, I have the honor of playing alongside the greatest heroes that ever played football. I also want to believe that this award means in some small way I might have given something back to the game that has given me so much.

  I also want to thank a gentleman that couldn’t be here today, and that is Coach Paul Bryant. Coach Bryant left for me a lesson of setting lofty goals. And not only that, but to run life’s race to reach those goals. The greatest lesson that he left with me was that you have to beat your body. You’ve got to make it your slave if you ever want to get where you want to go.

  I want to thank people like Coach Fairbanks who taught me the importance of organization and surrounding yourself with talent so you could rely on the special gifts of others. He taught me that plans are frustrated without consultation, but with wise counsel they are established.

  I want to thank people like Red Miller who was my first offensive line coach in the NFL. He told me there is no better pleasure in life than to enjoy what you are doing because then you give it the best that you’ve got and, when you look back, you’re happy with what you’ve done.

  I want to thank Jim Ringo, who is probably my favorite and best offensive line coach. What he taught me was you can’t cling to and rely on the basics, but that you have to push on to reach the full capabilities of the talents you have been given.

  I want to thank my dad for one of the greatest lessons any man has ever learned and I hope I will never forget it, and that is to never be satisfied with what you have done; always reach out and forget what lies behind and press on to what lies ahead.

  Ronnie Lott

  San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, and

  New York Jets Defensive Back

  Class of 2000

  Lott was voted to ten Pro Bowls. He intercepted sixty-three passes and was named to the NFL’s Seventy-fifth Anniversary Team.

  I stand a little straighter and a little taller here today because of the greatest giant of all, my loving dad. He taught me to seek success in all facets in my life. He taught me the values of life, the purpose for living. He taught me to have honor and to show respect. Dr. Harry Edwards once said that people who come to your funeral come not for what you accomplished, but for what you stand for. Dad, you stand as our rock….

  I couldn’t have made it this far without my teachers and coaches. They were all giants in my life. My high school coach, Bill Christopher, who would make us listen to the General Patton speech. I don’t know if you guys have heard the General Patton speech, but I’d lay there every night in the dark thinking about what it’s like to be an American and how we don’t tolerate losers. It toughened our spirit and strengthened our resolve, and I appreciate it.

  And finally, to all the football fans out here, I hope you love this game as much as I do. I’ve been very fortunate to be around greatness this weekend. One of the things that I found out about greatness is the character. It’s amazing when you’re around greatness and what you see. I hope you guys all have the opportunity to feel like I’ve felt this past weekend. Each and every one of these men behind me have given more than just their body and soul; they’ve given it all to you. I hope you all understand that these men are not just football players, they’re great men. They’re great people. They love this game.

  Joe Montana

  San Francisco 49ers and

  Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback

  Class of 2000

  Montana was MVP in Super Bowls XVI, XIX, and XXIV. He was voted to eight Pro Bowls and was All-NFL three times.

  Presented by 49ers Owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr.

  Look at any old picture of Joe Montana right after he’s thrown a touchdown pass and you’ll see it. Arms raised in the air, that special gleam in his eyes, a grin full of pure joy. This is the spirit that defined him, the spirit that created the champion that he is.

  But excellence wasn’t an accident for Joe. It was a habit, a singular act of talent and discipline. He was a master, and he was skilled in an art. He was the kind of player who could take his time and finesse his way down the field for a touchdown, or drive ninety yards in ninety seconds without ever perceiving it as an insurmountable obstacle. You can be sure none of his teammates did, either.

  Whether fifteen minutes or fifteen seconds remained, Joe always maintained the same level of composure. He was a leader, the hero you always wanted to emulate and a legend to behold. It goes without saying that Joe Montana’s athletic abilities were phenomenal, but we all know that, don’t we?

  Joe Montana

  We all started in Pop Warner, and I’m going to name off some of my coaches. Carl Crawley and Cecil Palmer were Pop Warner coaches who taught me the meaning of really not quitting. Because as a kid, most guys want to quit the game. I tried to quit at some point, but between my father and those two gentlemen, they got me back on the field. Wouldn’t let me quit in the middle of the season. Taught me not to go ahead and be a quitter, to go in and stay there. And then the next year, thank God, I came back to play again. My high school coach, Jeff Petrucci, taught me most of my fundamentals.

  The next few people I think had the most impact on my life, starting with the man who drafted me, Bill Walsh. There are a lot of things that I learned from Bill throughout my career, but I think the one thing that I continue throughout my life is that wish to be perfect. The need for perfection. He pushed me and pushed us, especially the quarterback position which he was so proud of, to want to be perfect. And if you missed perfect, you ended up with great. And that he could handle, nothing else. He taught me to be the same way.

  And most important, to my wife and also my best friend, Jennifer. It’s not the easiest, living with an athlete. They’ll all tell you we seem cool and calm on the outside, but inside, we’re a mess. There’s a lot happening there and they’ve got to deal with a lot that people never begin to see. And I love her to death, and I thank her for her support and her sacrifice. She gave up a career so that I could continue mine. As often as I don’t say it, I do very much appreciate it.

  Lynn Swann

  Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver

  Class of 2001

  The MVP of Super Bowl X, Swann was selected to three Pro Bowls.

  Presented by Steelers Wide Receiver John Stallworth

  It is a single honor to be here today to present someone that I have the privilege of calling
my friend, Lynn Swann.

  Desire, character, cohesiveness are the ingredients that go into making a great athlete and truly a good person. Do you have the desire to be great and the willingness to work towards that? Do you have the foundation of good character that allows you to overcome the obstacles in life rather than crumble under the stress? Can you achieve the cohesiveness necessary to be a team player?

  During Lynn’s life, during his career, he has answered that with a resounding yes. He’s answered every doubt that there’s ever been about him with a resounding yes.

  Lynn Swann

  I want to thank my father, Willie Swann. When I first started playing football against my middle brother, Calvin, who was a much better athlete, my father said, “Well, I’m not sure, Lynn, that you’re going to be so good.”

  So when he took me out to buy the football shoes I wanted, the really expensive ones with the stripes to look really cool, my father said, “I don’t know, son, I don’t know. We shouldn’t be investing that much money into your shoes. You may not be wearing them that long. All right?”

  And I felt kind of bad. But you know what the important thing was? The important thing was my father was with me and he took me to get those shoes.

  What makes a career and what I take with me is certainly a sense of satisfaction of having performed in a big moment. But it’s a response and reaction of people who’ve played the game.

  My happiness and greatest joy of my career and whatever I’ve achieved have come from the words of people like Andre Reed, from Jerry Rice, from the Randy Mosses and Cris Carters, who came up to me at various points in their careers and lives and said, “Lynn Swann, you were the man. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to play the game the way you played it.”

  When you have that kind of impact and those caliber of players tell you that’s what they want to do, then you know in your heart, regardless of whether you stand here or not, you played the very best football a man could possibly play.

  CHAPTER 9

  LOMBARDI

  VINCE LOMBARDI’S SPIRIT LIVES ON. IN GREEN BAY, where his name still is attached to a middle school, a cancer clinic, a family dentistry, a steak house, a gas station, an avenue, and, of course, the Packers. It lives in NFL history. And his name graces the Super Bowl trophy.

  His imprint also is on the men he coached. They speak about him as if they still can hear him, as if they never met anybody like him. Those who don’t know him seem to have a certain fascination with him.

  To this day, Lombardi is the standard by which any other football coach is measured. His words still are gospel, his records still recounted, his phrases still recalled, his lessons still relived.

  Willie Davis

  Cleveland Browns and

  Green Bay Packers Defensive End

  Class of 1981

  An All-NFL player for five seasons and a Pro Bowl selection for five years, Davis did not miss a game in his twelve-year career.

  This is a very special occasion because it is the first time my family has ever been together. I am truly proud of this moment because it was through football that I learned how to win and it was through football that I learned how to enjoy the thrill of success and it was also through football that I developed the will to succeed.

  Coaches have been a very important part of my life, and I would just like to read a poem of the last speech from Vince Lombardi, a man I truly loved and admired. These words reflect my feelings.

  I owe most everything to football, which I have spent the greater part of my life in. I have never lost my respect, my admiration and love, for what I consider a great day. And each Sunday after the battle, your team savors its victory. The other lives in the bitterness of defeat. And many hurts are a small price to pay for having won. And to the loser there is no reason which is adequate enough to the winner, there 100 percent elation, 100 percent fun, 100 percent laughter, and yet the only thing left to the loser is resolution and determination.

  Most important of all, to be successful in life demands that each man make a personal commitment to excellence and to victory even though we know deep down that the ultimate victory can never be completely won. Yet that victory must be pursued and it must be wooed with every fiber of our body, with every bit of our might and all of our effort.

  And each week, there is a new encounter, each day there is a new challenge. And yet all of the display, and all of the color, and all of the glamour, and all of the excitement, and all of the rewards, and all of the money, these things are only limited in the memory. But the spirit, the will to win, the will to excel, these are the things that will endure and really these are the qualities, larger and more important than any of the events they occasion.

  Just as the value of all of our daily efforts are greater, are more enduring really if they create in each one of us a person who grows, a person who understands, one who really lives, one who prevails for a larger and more meaningful victory—not only now but in time and hopefully in eternity.

  Indeed, I would say that the quality of each man’s life is the full measure of that man’s personal commitment to excellence and to victory—whether it be in football, whether it be in business, whether it be in politics or government or what have you. And likewise, too, I think it teaches that work and sacrifice and perseverance and competitive drive and the selflessness, a respect for authority, is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that’s worthwhile.

  Vince Lombardi

  Green Bay Packers and

  Washington Redskins Head Coach

  Class of 1971

  In ten years, Lombardi compiled a 105–35-6 coaching record that included five NFL titles and victories in Super Bowls I and II.

  Presented by Giants Owner Wellington Mara

  A trip to the Hall of Fame is truly an inspiration to a member of the National Football League. To see its exhibits and to stand as it were in the shadows of those great men in whose reflected glory we all ask to be long remembered. It brings a full realization, the debt we owe to them and a resolution that we will never forget it, in our stewardship of this heritage they have given us.

  Vince Lombardi did not invent professional football and he did not found the National Football League, but he embellished both of them to a degree never surpassed and seldom, if ever, equaled. He made winners out of his players and losers out of his opponents.

  Accepting on Behalf of Vince Lombardi, His Son, Vince Lombardi Jr.

  If my father were here today, he would indeed be very pleased, for although there has been much written and said about him, few people realize how strongly my father felt about the National Football League. Few people realize how proud my father was to be a part of the tradition and the image of the National Football League, and few people realize how much my father cherished his association with the players and the coaches and the owners and the other members of the National Football League.

  Obviously you do not earn an honor such as this on your own; it takes the help and cooperation of many, many people, and my father was no exception. Because my time is limited, I cannot thank all the people who should share this honor. I sincerely hope that it is enough that they know who they are.

  However, I would like to take this occasion to call attention to and to thank one person in particular. That person through love and understanding, more than any other, was responsible for the success my father did enjoy. That person, Marie Lombardi, my mother.

  Jim Taylor

  Green Bay Packers and

  New Orleans Saints Fullback

  Class of 1976

  Taylor rushed for 8,597 yards and scored 558 points. In 1962, he led the league in rushing and scoring with nineteen touchdowns.

  Presented by Marie Lombardi, Wife of Packers Coach Vince Lombardi

  About six weeks ago I wasn’t sure I could be here because I was in the hospital having a nerve block on my face, and it is a terrible thing because it numbs the one side of your face and your mou
th doesn’t work too well. And what could be worse for a woman if her mouth doesn’t work too well?

  It shattered me pretty badly when I knew I just couldn’t be here, so I called my son in Seattle and I said, “Vince, you better call Jimmy and tell him I can’t go to Canton because I can’t speak.” He said, “All right, Mother, if that’s what you want.”

  An hour later, I called him back and said, “Vince, don’t call Jimmy because a big voice up there said to me, ‘You better be in Canton and you better do a good job!’” So here I am, and I better do a good job because he probably would trade me. And I just kind of suspect that I am pinch-hitting for that Italian with that big voice who can’t be here.

  Now everybody knows of those fine records that Jimmy made in Green Bay, those magnificent five years where he gained over one thousand yards. I know he did because I saw him gain every single one of them. But I have to say today is the day he will take the most pride in because, you see, he is the first, the very first, of the great Packers players of what is known as the great Lombardi era to be taken into the Hall of Fame.

  And it occurs to me when I go into the Hall and I see the history of the great National Football League that the years of the ’60s were something special. I think it was professional football’s finest hour. And the Packers players of the ’60s dominated football at its finest hour and it must be a great joy for Jimmy to know that he is the first to reach the top.

  As Coach Lombardi used to say, “I don’t care anything about gimmicks or tricks on offense. You play this game with power, you do what you do best, and you do it again, again, and again.” Jimmy Taylor was that power and he used to say we had thunder and lightning on the Green Bay Packers, and Jimmy Taylor was that thunder.