Rice and Smith enter Hall of Fame

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ApiodOH3apl2R0wyooYGXmM5nYcB?slug=ap-halloffame

Rice and Smith enter Hall of Fame
By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
8-7-10

CANTON, Ohio (AP)—Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith can stop the chase now.

Linked as the NFL’s leading receiver and rusher, two of the greatest players football has seen entered the Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Both admitted their destinies are fulfilled.

“This is finally it,” Rice said. “There are no more routes to run, no more touchdowns to score, no more records to set. That young boy from Mississippi has finally stopped running.

“Let me stand here and catch my breath.”

An hour later, Smith tried to hold back his tears as he reflected on his unequaled career.

“Most people only dream,” Smith said. “I not only had my childhood dream, I did everything I could to fulfill it.

“You know what, I am now the all-time leading rusher. ‘Wow. What an honor.”

Rice was the man who took away everyone’s breath during an incredible 20 years and was one of seven NFL greats to enter the shrine as the Class of 2010. It is one of the strongest groups ever inducted, also including John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little.

Rice holds every important pass-catching record as the game breaker in the West Coast offense for the San Francisco 49ers. In becoming the top target in the pro game’s most dangerous scheme, he established marks that might never be broken.

Rice caught 1,549 passes, more than 400 beyond anyone else. He gained 22,895 yards, more than 7,600 ahead of second place. He scored 208 touchdowns, easily shattering the previous record. He made 10 All-Pro teams, was chosen for 13 Pro Bowls, and made receptions in an almost-unimaginable 274 consecutive games.

Yet, he says, at 47, “I still believe in my heart I could play today.”

Looking as fit as any current All-Pro, Rice admits he made one major mistake during that unparalleled career.

“My single regret about my career is I never took the time to enjoy it,” he said. “I was always working.

“I was afraid to fail. The fear of failure is the engine that has driven me my entire life. The reason they never caught me from behind is because I ran scared. People always are surprised how insecure I was. The doubts, the struggles, is who I am. I wonder if I would have been as successful without them.”

Rice was successful from Day 1 in the NFL, rising from the obscurity of Mississippi Valley State to win three Super Bowls and change the game forever. He was humbled by the conclusion Saturday night.

“I can honestly say this is the greatest team I have ever belonged to,” Rice said.

Smith began choking up during a one-minute standing ovation as he stepped to the microphone as the final inductee. He immediately praised Walter Payton, the man he surpassed as rushing king, and recognized the two other Hall of Fame members of the Cowboys’ Triplets, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin.

And he broke down when saluting his former fullback, Daryl Johnston.

“You took care of me as if you were taking care of your little brother,” Smith said through wet eyes.

Smith rushed for 18,355 yards, with 164 touchdowns, 11 seasons with 1,000 or more yards on the ground, and 78 games with 100 yards rushing.

Smith made the hall in his first year of eligibility and won three Super Bowls, taking MVP honors in the 1994 game.

“When I go into the hall today, I am not going in alone,” Smith said. “I am carrying my grandfather, I’m carrying my father and I’m carrying my son along with me because I bear all their names. Now I can say to my dad and my son, EJ, our name will be forever enshrined in the history of football.”

While Rice and Smith were immediate selections for the hall, LeBeau finally was inducted after a 32-year wait.

“Man, this really is a great day to be alive,” said LeBeau, elected by the senior committee.

LeBeau was chosen for his 14-year career as a cornerback with the Detroit Lions, in which he had 62 interceptions, still eighth overall. He’s best known as an assistant coach, the mastermind of the zone blitz. Currently the defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, LeBeau singled out his players who sat in a corner of Fawcett Stadium.

“I am being inducted as a player and believe me that makes me most proud,” said LeBeau, at 73 the oldest coordinator in the NFL. “I did that for 14 years. but for the last 38 years I have been a football coach.

“They are here,” he added, pointing to the Steelers, who he helped win two Super Bowls in the last five seasons. “That’s just about the highest compliment ever paid to me in my life.

“I wouldn’t want to be here without you: offense, defense and special teams.”

The players stood in applause and fans in the crowd whirled Terrible Towels in tribute.

He was immediately followed on the stage by Randle, who as an undrafted defensive tackle with the Vikings and Seahawks accumulated 137 1/2 sacks in 14 seasons, most for anyone at that position.

Randle made six straight All-Pro teams (1993-98) and was chosen for seven Pro Bowls. He had a league-high 15 1/2 sacks in 1997.

“I am so humbled by this incredible honor which I never thought was possible. I’m a small-town kid whose dream came true.”

Grimm was called the “Head Hog” by former Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel. From 1981-91, Grimm led the Hogs and helped the Redskins win three Super Bowls. He is the first member of that memorable line to make the hall.

“It’s a privilege to play in the NFL,” said Grimm, now the assistant head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. “It’s been a privilege to coach in the NFL. It’s an honor to be selected here in Canton.

He called the Hogs “a group of guys that grew together, worked together, rose families together” and said he would have their names embroidered on the inside of his gold Hall of Fame jacket.

Jackson, one of the most versatile linebackers in league history, is the first New Orleans Saints player to be enshrined. Jackson made six Pro Bowls with a combination of strong run defense and a tenacity that led to 128 sacks. He helped turn New Orleans from ‘Aints to a division winner for the first time (1991), and finished his career with the 49ers, winning a Super Bowl in January 1995.

“I think I deserve to be up here,” Jackson said. “Football always has been my life. I see that in these guys up here (onstage), how they carried themselves. They set the standard.”

Little was a star running back for the Denver Broncos from 1967-75 despite being the only offensive threat on the team. He had to wait nearly three decades since becoming eligible before getting elected.

One of football’s most dynamic runners during his career, Little also was a dangerous punt and kickoff returner. In a relatively short career, he had 12,157 all-purpose yards and scored 54 touchdowns. Yet the Broncos never were better than 7-5-2 in his career.

“There are no words to describe the joy of experiencing this chapter, the highest honor … everything else pales.”

In a powerful induction speech, he also encouraged people to say “Yes I can” throughout their lives and noted he had “given the best I’ve got.”

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Smith, Rice & 5 Others

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2010-02-06/pro-football-hall-fame-vote-makes-it-wonderful-day-be-alive

Pro Football Hall of Fame vote makes it 'a wonderful day to be alive'
Tears mingle with pride and remembrance for Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice and five others in the 2010 enshrinement class.
Dennis Dillon
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It was a day for tears, cherished memories and a coincidental fixation on the number 44 as seven new members were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame here Saturday.

Jerry Rice: "There's a sacrifice you have to make if you wanted to be great, and I respected this game."Wide receiver Jerry Rice and running back Emmitt Smith both were first-ballot selections. They will bring the most receiving yards and most rushing yards in NFL history to the shrine in Canton, Ohio, when they are inducted in August. Joining them in the Class of 2010 were guard Russ Grimm, defensive tackle John Randle, linebacker Rickey Jackson and two senior committee nominees -- Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau.

"It's a wonderful day to be alive," LeBeau said by telephone.

This Hall of Fame election was a made-for-TV event. In fact, the NFL Network televised it live from a third-floor ballroom at the Greater Fort Lauderdale-Broward County Convention Center, where the stage looked almost like a set on Letterman and nominees waited in a "green room."

The first new inductee introduced was Rice, who played 20 seasons, 16 with the San Francisco 49ers, and set almost every notable receiving record, including receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), total touchdowns (208) and most 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14). Behind those prolific numbers was a rock-solid work ethic.

Former quarterback Steve Young recalled dropping by the team's facility to pick up items a few days after the 49ers had beaten the Chargers in Super Bowl 29. When he looked out on the practice field, Young saw Rice -- all alone, running wind sprints.

Under the klieg lights of the Super Bowl, Rice had caught 10 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Now, with no cameras watching him, Rice was working out by himself.

Asked by NFL Network host Rich Eisen where his work ethic came from, Rice said, "I think it came from my parents and what they instilled in me." Rice then broke down in tears. After composing himself, he added, "There's a sacrifice you have to make if you wanted to be great, and I respected this game."

Smith, who played 15 seasons (13 for the Dallas Cowboys), owns several NFL rushing records, including most rushing yards in a career (18,355). He also couldn't hold his emotions in check when he related a conversation with his father.

"Son, I'm so proud of you," Smith said, recalling his dad's words. "I had the dream of doing what you're doing, but my mother got sick and I never went to college."

Little, who waited 30 years for his chance to join pro football's special fraternity, said he became discouraged two years ago and had doubts that his day would ever come.

A bowlegged running back for the Denver Broncos, Little used to go to bed at night with belts wrapped around his waist, thighs and calves because he wanted to fix his condition. It didn't seem to bother him on the field. Over nine seasons, Little rushed for 6,323 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Little and LeBeau, a cornerback for the Detroit Lions who intercepted 62 passes in 14 seasons, both wore No. 44. Little noted that there are 44 Hall of Fame voters "and there's a 44th president."

LeBeau, 72, has spent more than half a century in the NFL -- the past 37 as a coach. Currently the Steelers' defensive coordinator, LeBeau is known for creating the zone blitz as well as reciting "Twas The Night Before Christmas" from memory.

LeBeau called his election "a lifelong dream. I can't imagine anything else more rewarding for someone who made football his life's pursuit."

Grimm, now the offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals, played in four Super Bowls during an 11-year career with the Washington Redskins. One of the original "Hogs," Grimm was famous for executing Washington's counter trey, a running play where he and left tackle Joe Jacoby would pull around to the right side and lead the blocking for John Riggins and other backs.

Although he was an undersized defensive lineman, Randle was quick enough to have 137.5 sacks during a 14-year career with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. He was known for trying to intimidate opponents by wearing face paint and yelling at them.

"I was terrified to death of John Randle," Rice said. "You looked across the line and saw this guy with makeup on his face, making faces. And he could put pressure on the quarterback."

Jackson helped the Saints make a transition from perennial losers to respectable contenders during his 13 years in New Orleans (he played his final two seasons in San Francisco). One of the elite pass rushers of his era, Jackson had 128 career sacks.

This story appears in Feb. 7's edition of Sporting News Today. If you are not receiving Sporting News Today, the only daily digital sports newspaper, sign up today.

Senior writer Dennis Dillon covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at ddillon@sportingnews.com.