NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011 - Deion Sanders Tops the List

2011 Inductees Road to Canton

When a football fan thinks of Canton, Ohio, probably the first thought that comes to mind is record numbers. What are the football players statistics, the longevity of his career and of course how many if any championship rings does he own. I think we all think about excellence and production first, everything else last. To be enshrined in the Pro Football HOF is one of the highest honors any professional football player can dream of. Just listen to Deion Sanders acceptance speech and you will understand why this is such an honor.

Selection Process

The Hall of Fame’s selection process - is made up of a 44-member Board of Selectors (a committee largely made up of sports writers, is responsible for electing new members to the Hall of Fame each year) chose the semifinalists for the Class of 2011 from a list of 114 preliminary nominees. The semi finals group is then reduced to 15 finalists during a vote in January. The 2011 Hall of Fame class, can include four to seven new members, and was announced on Feb. 5, the day before the Pittsburgh Steelers lost the Super Bowl to the Green Bay Packers.

Football Legends

It was on February 5, 2011 that these 7 legends of the gridiron were elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and on Saturday August 6, 2011 they will don the Yellow Blazer and the bust for the museum will be unfolded as they are formally enshrined. The Hall of Fame inductee ceremony will be held in Canton's Fawcett Stadium. The Pro Football Hall of Fame headcount now stands at 267 member.

Curtis Martin, Jerome Bettis and Marshall Faulk were among 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Deion Sanders, who played 17 NFL seasons as a cornerback and kick returner, was also selected as a semifinalist in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility. To Martin and Bettis,we can only hope for them as there is always next year!

Richard Dent - Defensive End | 6'5", 265 | Tennessee State
Marshall Faulk - Running Back | 5'11", 208 | San Diego State
Chris Hanburger - Linebacker | 6'2", 218 | North Carolina
Les Richter - Linebacker | 6'3", 238 | California
Ed Sabol - Contributor | Ohio State
Deion Sanders - Cornerback (also KR/PR) | 6'1", 195 | Florida State
Shannon Sharpe - Tight End | 6'2", 230 | Savannah State

College: Tennessee State
NFL Draft: 1983 / Round: 8 / Pick: 203
Debuted in 1983 for the Chicago Bears
Last played in 1997 for the Philadelphia Eagles

• Chicago Bears (1983-1993)
• San Francisco 49ers (1994)
• Chicago Bears (1995)
• Indianapolis Colts (1996)
• Philadelphia Eagles (1997)

Defensive End

After numerous nominations for the Hall of Fame, Richard Dent was finally selected for enshrinement into the HOF on Feb. 5, 2011. Born December 13, 1960 in Atlanta, Georgia Dent went on to play college football for Tennessee State. On induction day this Chicago Bears defensive end willl be presented by his Tennessee State,Coordinator Joe Gilliam.

Dent was a great pass rusher who beat offensive tackles with his speed. He was part of the core of great players who made the Bears' defenses of the 1980s legendary. Between 1984 and 1985, Dent recorded 34.5 sacks. After the Bears beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX Dent was selected as the game's MVP. During the game, he shared 2 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, and blocked a pass.

• 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• 4× Pro Bowl selection (1984, 1985, 1990, 1993)
• 5× All-Pro selection (1984, 1985, 1988, 1990,1993)
• 2× Super Bowl champion (XX, XXIX)
• Super Bowl XX MVP
• 100 Sacks Club

"Laissez les bon temps roulez" was the resounding theme for Marshall Faulk’s Canton Countdown celebration and Rocky Arceneaux hosted the party. Marshall has also chosen Rocky to present him on the big day as he enter the HOF.

Marshall Faulk appeared in two Super Bowls and won one with the 1999 St. Louis Rams, was the 1994 offensive rookie of the year, 2000 NFL most valuable player and a three-time offensive player of the year (1999-2001).

In 2011, Faulk's first year of eligibility, he was elected into the NFL Hall of Fame. As a running back, he placed first in receiving yards (6,875), second in pass receptions (767), second in receiving TD's (36), third in yards from scrimmage (19,154), and tenth in rushing yards (12,279)

Personal information

• Date of birth: February 26, 1973 (age 38)
• Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)Weight: 211 lb (96 kg)

Career NFL Statistics as of 2006

• Rushing yards 12,279
• Rushing average 4.3
• Touchdowns 136

• No. 28
• Running back
• College:San Diego State
• NFL Draft: 1994 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
• Debuted in 1994 for the IndianapolisColts
• Last played in 2006 for the St. Louis Rams
• Career history
• IndianapolisColts (1994–1998)
• St. LouisRams (1999–2006)

Career Highlights and Awards

• Rated #70 NFL Player of all-time by the NFL
• 7× Pro Bowl selection (1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
• 3× First-team All-Pro selection (1999, 2000, 2001
• 3× Second-team All-Pro selection (1994, 1995, 1998)
• Super Bowl champion (XXXIV)
• AP NFL MVP (2000)
• 2× PFWA NFL MVP (2000, 2001)
• 3× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001)
• 3× Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award winner (1999, 2000, 2001)
• Bert Bell Award (2001)
• NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1994)
• UPI AFL-AFC Rookie of the Year (1994)
• Pro Bowl MVP (1994)
• Rams MVP (1999-2001)
• St. Louis Rams #28 retired
• 3× First-team All-American (1991, 1992, 1993)
• 2011 NFL Hall of Fame inductee
• Tenth-leading rusher of All-Time

Stats at NFL.com

Career NFL Statistics

• Interceptions 53
• Interception return yards 1,331
• Touchdowns 22

*Stats as of 2005

Stats at NFL.com

Deion Sanders otherwise known as Primetime will be presented by his agent Eugene Parker during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio.

A standout career as a cornerback and kick returner for Florida State before becoming one of the most dynamic players and personalities in NFL history and today he is my favorite NFL Network analyst.

In addition to his Hall of Fame career in the NFL — which included 52 interceptions and 22 touchdowns as both a defensive back and wide receiver, Neon Deion also played major league baseball with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds.

Deion Sanders and his famous "do-rag or bandana" was always a football player fans loved to watch especially when we were treated to his "High-Stepping" into the end zone followed by his touchdown dance celebrations.

Career History

• Atlanta Falcons (1989–1993)
• San Francisco 49ers (1994)
• Dallas Cowboys (1995–1999)
• Washington Redskins (2000)
• Baltimore Ravens (2004–2005)

Deion "Prime Time" Sanders was selected to eight Pro Bowls, was a first team All Pro nine times, and had 53 career interceptions. His stardom in the NFL was apparent from his very first game when he returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut. Sanders won two Super Bowls, one with the San Francisco 49ers and one with the Dallas Cowboys.

"Interesting to note that Deion’s election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame makes the 1989 NFL Draft one of the most star-studded drafts in NFL history with four of the first five picks now immortalized in bronze at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Famers from that year’s draft class and their draft selection are: Troy Aikman (1), Barry Sanders (3), Derrick Thomas (4), and Deion Sanders (5)."

NFL Contributor

"Big Ed", as he's known, is now 95 and lives in Scottsdale. The NFL Films founder Ed Sabol chose his son Steve Sabol who succeeded his father as president of NFL Films. As CNN says , "Through Ed Sabol's lens, the NFL and its players became mythic."

When Ed Sabol decided to combine his love of sports and movies a company was born that helped propel pro football into America’s most popular spectator sport. At the age of 45, Ed Sabol, an aspiring filmmaker formed Blair Productions, which eventually became NFL Films. His vision changed the manner in which sports was presented. During his tenure, NFL Films won 52 Emmys.

When Ed Sabol founded NFL Films, he forever changed the television landscape in sports but what most football do not know is that he is known for wearing red socks with most, if not all, of his outfits. He sent a pair of red socks so that his red socks will forever be memorialized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's collection. You can see the special exhibit of Sabols trademarked red socks and other memorabilia from the careers of Hall of Famers when visiting Canton as it is located inside the Hall of Fame's Moments, Memories & Mementos Gallery.

"My dad has a great expression. He always says, 'Tell me a fact and I'll learn, tell me the truth and I believe, but tell me a story, and it will live in my heart forever.' Interestingly enough now, my dad's story is going to be in Canton and hopefully that will live forever, too."
~ Steve Sabol ~

"To me, it's so much of a story with my dad. As a son, he was my father, my role model, my best friend, my boss, the best man at my wedding. He's an incredible man. The fact that my dad was a finalist, all the e-mails and twitters he's been getting, he had to buy an iPad just to answer all the tweets and everything else. We were talking and he said to me, what a great week this has been. It's like a referendum for all the work that we've done over the last 50 years. You say it's indescribable and can't put it into words. But when I think of my dad, his whole life is a message to people who don't know what they want to do with their lives. Well, he didn't know what he wanted to do until he was 48 years old. His message is there are paths to be blazed and dreams to be pursued, no matter what age you are."
~ Steve Sabol ~

NFL Draft 1965 / Round: 18 / Pick: 245
College North Carolina
Washington Redskins (1965-1978)

Games played - 187
Interceptions - 19
Touchdowns - 5

• Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011
• 9× Pro Bowl selection (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976)
• 4× First-team All-Pro selection (1972,1973, 1975, 1976)
• 2× Second-team All-Pro selection (1969,1974)
• 8× First-team All-Conference (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976)
• 1972 NFL 101 NFC Defensive Player of the Year
• 70 Greatest Redskins

LineBacker

Former Redskins linebacker, nicknamed "The Hangman", Hanburger was the first linebacker in NFL history who could beat you by blitzing or covering a pass. Chris Hanburger son will present his dad into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug 6, 2011.

Hanburger was an 18th-round draft pick by the Redskins in 1965 and played his entire 14-year NFL career for the team between the '65 and '78 seasons. An athletic bar non but it wasnt His athleticism that made him special, it was his intelligence that put him over most every player in the league. He played in an era where the coaches weren't barking into a microphone to a headset in a helmet of a player, telling them what to do step by step. Hanburger was the captain of the Redskins defense and he knew over 300 audibles but his Hall of Fame head coach George Allen demanded more and Allen the defensive guru that he was would spend hours in the film room with Hanburger and the defense.

His nine Pro Bowls are the most in Redskins history, and his four First Team All-Pro honors is tied with the legendendaty "Slingin" Sammy Baugh as the most in franchise history. He was also named 1972 Defensive Player of the Year by the NFL 101 Committee.

He was a four-time all-pro choice. Hanburger, who now lives in Darlington, S.C., said in recent days he'd long ago abandoned any hopes of reaching the Hall of Fame, but then last year he was told about his nomination. It came from the the seniors committee, which considers the candidacy of players from at least 25 years ago and the voting automatically goes to a yes-or-no round of voting by the selectors, and had to be named on at least 80 percent of the ballots.

Career Information

College: California
NFL Draft: 1952 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Debuted in 1954 for the Los Angeles Rams
Last played in 1962 for the Los Angeles Rams

Makes NFL Hall Of Fame

Jon Richter will represent his late father, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Les Richter, who is being enshrined posthumously. In 2009 Richter, diagnosed with dementia Quoted a few years ago he said of his father that "He's got some great stories to tell. Unfortunately, he can't remember a lot of them now."

In 1952 the Rams traded 11 players to acquire Richter, an All-American football player starred as a linebacker, offensive guard, and place kicker. He was also the class valedictorian at California. After he graduated he served in the US Army and spent the next two years in Korea.

Blessed with "legs like tree stumps and a torso like a freight car," according to Jim Murray, the 6-foot-3, 238-pound Richter played with the Rams from 1954 to 1962. Richter played in 8 Pro Bowls in an era where the players and coaches, not the fans nor media, voted you in.

After football Richter was just as successful in his second career where he was involved in the world of sports car racing and there he served as senior vice president of operations for NASCAR.

Linebacker, Guard, Kicker

Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 238 lb (108 kg)

No. 67, 48

Career history

Los Angeles Rams (1954–1962)
112 Games Played
16 Interceptions
193 Points Scored
8 Pro Bowls
Hall of Fame Class of 2011

Personal information :

Date of birth: October 26, 1930
Place of birth: Fresno, California
Date of death: June 12, 2010 (aged 79)
Place of death: Riverside, California

• 8× Pro Bowl selection (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001)
• 4× Associated Press First-team All-Pro selection (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)
• 1× Associated Press Second-team All-Pro selection (1995)
• 3× Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII, XXXV)
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team

Tight End

Shannon Sharpe has chosen his older brother, former star receiver Sterling Sharpe, as his presenter when he is enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug 6 2011. This Denver Broncos great and legendary tight end was not elected to the 2009 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he was a first-time finalist, Sharpe made the cut from 17 to 10 before failing to make the final 6.

Three Super Bowl rings and every tight end record at the time of his retirement this is one football player I am

NFL Position(s) Tight End

# 81, #84, #82
Born: June 26, 1968
Chicago, Illinois

Career information

Year(s) 1990–2003
NFL Draft 1990 / Round: 7 / Pick: 192
College: Savannah State

Professional Teams

• Denver Broncos (1990-1999)
• Baltimore Ravens (2000-2001)
• Denver Broncos (2002-2003)

Career stats:

• Receptions 815
• Receiving yards 10,060
• Touchdowns 62

Stats at the NFL website

See Shannon Sharpe’s complete HOF bio here.

The Hall of Fame Today

Mission Statement
The Mission of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is:
To honor, preserve, educate and promote. . .

To honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to professional football
To preserve professional football’s historic documents and artifacts
To educate the public regarding the origin, development and growth of professional football as an important part of American culture
To promote the positive values of the sport

Class of 2011 Semifinalists

===========================
Jerome Bettis, RB
Tim Brown, WR/KR
Cris Carter, WR
Don Coryell, Coach
Roger Craig, RB
Terrell Davis, RB
Dermontti Dawson, C
Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner
Richard Dent, DE
Chris Doleman, DE/LB
Marshall Faulk, RB
Kevin Greene, LB/DE
Ray Guy, P
Charles Haley, DE/LB
Lester Hayes, CB
Cortez Kennedy, DT
Les Richter, LB 

Curtis Martin, RB
Art Modell, Owner
Andre Reed, WR
Willie Roaf, T
Ed Sabol, Contributor
Deion Sanders, CB/KR/PR 

Shannon Sharpe, TE Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner
Aeneas Williams, CB/S
George Young, Contributor

*names in bold 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees 

*The Stats in this Hub have all been taken from the Nfl website

Curtis Martin
New York Jets

Martin, 37, ranks fourth in NFL history with 14,101 rushing yards, trailing only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

Martin spent eight of his 11 seasons with the New York Jets and retired in 2005.

2012 I am hoping will see Curtis Martin make it into the Hall of Fame. As a New York Jet fan my hopes are high we will see this come to pass!