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Soccer was Dwight Freeney’s sport until high school, but on Saturday he found himself being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Freeney, a three-time All-Pro defensive end with the Indianapolis Colts, was encouraged to change his athletic pursuits by his high school’s football coach. It was a life-changing move.
“My parents are both Jamaican, so soccer was in my blood,” Freeney explained at his induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio. “If it wasn’t for my high school coach, Jack Cochran, pulling me off that soccer field and convincing me to play this great game, I wouldn’t be on this stage today. Your invaluable lessons in work ethic have stayed with me for my entire life. You also taught me what it takes to become a champion.”
Colts owner Jim Irsay, who is recovering from a fall, introduced Freeney in a video message. Irsay then was brought on stage in a wheelchair to help unveil Freeney’s bronze bust.
“He arguably was the best Colt defensive player in our 60-plus year history,” Irsay said.
Freeney played 11 seasons in Indianapolis and 16 total, registering 125 1/2 sacks, many using his signature spin move. He forced 47 fumbles, made seven Pro Bowls and earned one Super Bowl ring.
In his speech, Freeney apologized to his mother for scaring her when he jumped out of a babysitter’s second-story window at age 2.
“Maybe that daredevil helped me create my spin move,” he joked.
Freeney was among seven players inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Most poignant was the recognition of Steve McMichael,a two-time All-Pro defensive tackle. He couldn’t make it to the ceremony, so it came to him.
Battling ALS and bedridden in the advanced stages of the neurological disease, the 66-year-old two-time All-Pro defensive tackle was the second player enshrined in the Hall on Saturday.
Surrounded by several of his Chicago Bears teammates and his wife, Misty, at his home in Homer Glen, Illinois, McMichael wore his gold jacket, and his bronze bust was unveiled live in a touching tribute.
“You are on a team that you can never be cut from and never be released from. When you die, you’ll always be on this team. Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven forever,” Hall of Famer Richard Dent said, patting McMichael on the head.
Misty McMichael wiped tears as she turned her husband’s head toward the bronze bust.
“That’s you, baby, forever,” she said.
Jim McMahon, quarterback of the 1985 Bears Super Bowl championship team, watched the scene unfold on a video screen from the in-person event at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Many Bears supporters shed tears watching McMichael.
Nicknamed “Mongo” and known for his brash and boisterous personality, McMichael was the most feared player on one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. He became the fourth defensive player from the 1985 team to enter the Hall, joining Dent, Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton.
McMichael’s sister, Kathy, read a speech that she began working on with her brother before he lost his ability to move and speak.
“I want to thank the Chicago Bears and the fans, the best city to play football in,” Kathy McMichael said. “I played 15 years in the NFL and loved every minute of every down. I played with the greatest players and the greatest defense to this day.”
Jarret Payton, son of Bears Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, presented McMichael, who called Payton a “pseudo-son” in the speech read by his sister.
“The only thing bigger than his personality is his heart,” Payton said.
McMichael played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.
The ceremony in Ohio was delayed nearly two hours because of heavy rain and lightning. Similar weather on Thursday night forced the preseason opener between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans to be stopped with 18 minutes remaining.
Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis also were enshrined on Saturday, raising the total members of the Hall of Fame to 378.
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