Photo Credit: Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
The San Diego Chargers drafted Junior Seau in the first round during the 1990 draft. Seau played 268 career games with the Chargers (1990-2002), Miami Dolphins (2004-05), and Patriots (2007-09). He recorded 10 or more tackles in a regular season game 64 times. He had 56.5 career sacks and intercepted 18 passes, which he returned for 238 yards. Over the course of Seau’s 20-year career, he exemplified perseverance, leadership, and a level of excellence that made him one of the finest linebackers to have ever played the game.
Seau will receive a posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame. Sadly, Seau committed suicide May 2, 2013 at the age of 43. Seau requested his brain be donated to science to check for possible damage due to sustaining multiple hits and concussions from years of playing football.
A lot of the discussion surrounding Seau’s enshrinement in Canton centers around the pomp and circumstance of the event instead of his achievements on the football field. The league has long held a policy that prevented anyone other than the Hall of Famer from making an acceptance speech after his bust is revealed. One of Seau’s final requests was that his daughter Sydney would be able to speak on his behalf if he was ever voted into the Hall. At the time of his death, Seau’s family was told they would be able to speak on his behalf. Sydney Seau was also told she could give an acceptance speech in her father’s honor at the ceremony when his enshrinement was announced in January. Fast-forward 8 months and the Hall of Fame has done a complete about face. First the league indicated the policy of showing a video and not having family members speak on the deceased behalf would be upheld, then after some public backlash and outrage the Seau family was told Sydney would be allowed to take part in the yellow jacket ceremony and have a few words during the unveiling of Junior’s bust on Saturday. Seau will be inducted in the Hall as a San Diego Charger. The official banner displaying the 2015 class sports a picture of Seau in his Patriots jersey, which enraged Chargers fan. Seau was a pillar in the San Diego community and was considered one of the all time great Chargers.
In a rare chatty moment Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke about his former friend and player Junior Seau. Belichick told the Boston Globe, “Loved Junior and his family. Nobody loved the game more than Junior did … I loved coaching him. I can’t imagine having a professional football hall of fame without Junior Seau in it. There’s no one more deserving.”
Junior Seau was a 12-time Pro Bowler, a 6 time First-Team All-Pro, and played in two Super Bowls. Seau was also a member of the 2007 team that went 16-0 and appeared in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots went on to lose Super Bowl XLII to the NY Giants. Junior Seau is the 12th University of Southern California player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Los Angeles Rams selected with RB Jerome Bettis in the first round with the 10th overall pick. Bettis played with the Rams for three seasons before being traded to Pittsburgh where he played for ten seasons. Bettis is the 27th Steelers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bettis’s illustrious career included winning such high profile awards such as: Rookie of the Year, NFC Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. Bettis rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, and scored 40 rushing touchdowns.
During his career, he ran against some stiff competition. In Bettis’ rookie season, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith was the best running back in the league. Midway through The Bus’ career Stephen Davis earned those honors and during the last year of Bettis Hall of Fame career Larry Johnson ran away with the moniker best RB in the NFL.
Jerome Bettis credits much of his success over his career to this college coach at Notre Dame fellow Hall of Famer Lou Holtz. Bettis tells a story of Holtz coming in the locker room insinuating Bettis was lazy and had no work ethic. “I was shocked, that fired me up, him saying that,” Bettis said. “How could he call me out in front of all my teammates?” He didn’t understand until years later that Holtz might as well have read a sign that said insert key to “Make Bus Go” in bold green letters. Bettis took the slight in stride and looked to the end zone. Bettis rushed for 972 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bettis and Holtz laughed about that moment recently. “I’m forever grateful to have had a coach like that. It always stuck with me that you’re not always as good as you think you are, so just keep working hard,” Bettis explained.
Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis both graduates of Notre Dame are the 12th pair of college Alums joining the Hall of Fame in the same enshrinement class. Brown and Bettis have something else in common both were drafted by teams that played briefly in Los Angeles before returning back to their original cities. Bettis was rated by the then Los Angeles Rams who would later return to St. Louis, and Brown was drafted by the then Los Angeles Raiders who later returned to Oakland.
Bettis was a 6-time Pro Bowler. When he retired he ranked fifth all-time in rushing with 13,662 yards on 3,479 career carries. Nicknamed “The Bus” for his bruising running style, he also scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game 61 times during the regular season and three more times in playoff games. Bettis also completed three passes, all for touchdowns in his 13-season.
Bettis’ final NFL game was something straight out of Hollywood. Bettis thought of retiring a year earlier and then decided to come back for a final season. His motivation was the possibility of playing in the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit Michigan. Not only did The Bus and the Steelers make it to the Super Bowl in Detroit they won it. Bettis had 14 touches and rushed for 43 yards in the Steelers win. Bettis has worked as an analyst for ESPN since his retirement from the NFL. Bettis spoke in February after the Super Bowl when he learned he was going to be the next Steeler to unveil a bust in the hollowed Halls of canton, ““I played the game of football with passion, with the desire to be a champion, in that drive I have put myself on the most sacred ground that a football player could ever be in, and that’s the Hall of Fame. I am humbled.” The Bus will be the final member of the 2015 class to ride into the Hall of Fame in Canton on Saturday August 8, 2015.
10 Facts about the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class
The order of enshrinement is below:
- Ron Wolf
- Charles Haley
- Mick Tingelhoff
- Will Shields
- Bill Polian
- Tim Brown
- Junior Seau
- Jerome Bettis
The enshrinement ceremony will be televised live on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 8. Get the latest Pro Football Hall of Fame updates all weekend by following the #PFHOF15 on social media. The Minnesota Vikings and The Pittsburgh Steelers will play in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game Sunday August 9. The Hall of Fame Game will air live on NBC at 8 ET.
