CANTON, Ohio
Defensive back Aeneas Williams had the fans and fellow Hall of Famers chanting in the stands to give it their all.
Linebacker Derrick Brooks delivered what he called a 24-minute “Thank you letter.”
And defensive end Claude Humphrey called the 28-year wait to hear his name called as being worth it.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicked off with numerous extremes to reflect the varied background of the seven-member class Saturday night.
It began with Brooks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star, who was selected for induction in his first year of eligibility, and followed by the 70-year-old Humphrey, who retired after the 1981 season.
“Now they tell me I only had 10 minutes up here, but let me start off by telling you that I’ve waited 30 years to get to this podium, so don’t rush me guys,” said Humphrey, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who split 13 NFL seasons between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles.
Williams livened up the mood late in his speech during which he had one side of Fawcett Stadium chanting: “Begin with the end in mind,” to remind people how important it is to set goals.
And he had the other side chanting: “Die empty,” to remind people to give their all.
It was a fitting message from an eight-time Pro Bowl selection. He was an accounting major at Southern University, who walked on to the football team a week before the start of his junior season.
Selected in third round of the 1991 draft, he proceeded to split 14 seasons between the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams. Williams retired after the 2004 season and was selected for induction in his fifth year of eligibility.
“If you would have told me, ‘Aeneas, you have to the potential to be one of the best cornerbacks,’ I would have thought you were crazy and hit you with my right hand,” Williams said. “I’ll just take a moment to soak this all in.”
Rounding out the class are offensive tackle Walter Jones, receiver Andre Reed, defensive end Michael Strahan and Ray Guy, the first full-time punter to enter the Hall of Fame.
Brooks, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection, paid tribute to coaches, family members and teammates from his Pee-Wee playing days to his 14 NFL seasons in Tampa Bay.
He referred to former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy as his mentor. And Brooks thanked Dungy’s successor, Jon Gruden, for helping the Buccaneers believe they could be champions.
It was under Gruden when the Bucs blossomed into Super Bowl winners during the 2002 season in which Brooks earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
A persistent drizzle fell for much of the afternoon before finally letting up at about 4 p.m., about three hours before the start of the induction ceremony.
As expected, there were numerous fans on hand wearing Bills jerseys in support of Reed.
And it was Kelly, who received a lengthy standing ovation when he was introduced among the Hall of Famers attending the ceremony. Kelly was strong enough to attend while he recuperates from chemotherapy and radiation treatments for sinus cancer.
And leave it to defensive end Michael Strahan, and his familiar gap-toothed grin, for bringing the laughs.
He poked fun at his former New York Giants teammates, such as quarterback Eli Manning’s stoic expressions. He acknowledged being intimidated by Lawrence Taylor during his rookie season in 1993.
And Strahan then turned to “LT,” who was among the Hall of Famers on stage and added: “I’m still scared of you.”
Strahan, one of the game’s most dominant pass-rushers, also acknowledged former Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jon Runyan, who was in attendance. He referred to Runyan as his toughest opponent, and “300 pounds of steel and non-sex appeal.”
Jones had a large contingent of fans seated to the left of the stage, all of them wearing Seahawks-colored T-shirts with the name “Jones” and the No. 71 on the back.
