Richard Dent gives thanks for what he became

CANTON, Ohio — During his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech Saturday, Richard Dent said he “wanted to be someone special my mother and father and brothers could look up to.”

Dent accomplished that and so much more during a 15-year career mostly spent with the Bears where he wowed fans on the lakefront and wreaked havoc in opposing backfields.

Dent finished his career with 137½ sacks, third all-time when he retired behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith, and was the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl. Those Bears epitomized the Monsters of the Midway.

He had 10 or more sacks in eight seasons, and was also a strong defender of the run, which impressed teammates like offensive guard Tom Thayer, who always appreciated the fact that Dent was a three-down player.

“Buddy Ryan challenged Richard Dent,” Thayer said. “Buddy said, ‘Make sure that you can stop the run, or else you're not going to play in my defense,' and then Richard Dent lived up to everything that was required of him on the field.”

Dent went into the Hall of Fame with Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Shannon Sharpe, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter and Ed Sabol. An enthusiastic crowd of 13,300 showed up — much lower than the usual turnout. With Sunday's Hall of Fame game a victim of the 4½-month NFL lockout, Fawcett Stadium was half full.

Dent was a dynamic pass rusher on one of the NFL's greatest defenses. He was fast, fierce and intimidating.

“Richard was like a guided missile,” Joe Gilliam, Dent's college coach, said during his introduction.

“You must dream and you must be dedicated to something in your life,” added Dent, who asked everyone in the audience to rise in applause for Gilliam, then thanked dozens of people, including many from the '85 Bears who also were in the stadium. He saved his highest praise for the late Walter Payton.

“Walter was great for a long time,” Dent said. “He led rushers for a long time.”

Tyrone Keys, Mike Richardson, Emery Moorehead, Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael were among the teammates Dent called out by name. Another was offensive tackle Jim Covert, who Dent went against in practice every day.

“He made the game easy for me, because I knew I wasn't going to face a guy like him in the game,” Dent said. “Jimbo I look forward to seeing you on the stage. I love you brother. Thank you.”

Near the end of his speech, Dent thanked the fans of Chicago, saying “there's not a better place to play.”

“It was a pleasure to get a chance to entertain them on Sunday to allow us to come into their home and have so much fun.”

And of course, Dent wasn't going to leave out his family. Most touching were the comments about his mom, who has passed away.

“Obviously, my mother was my heart,” Dent said. “And I tell you, I couldn't be here without her. Everybody else were daddy's boys; I was mama's boy. I'm so thankful to be here.”

Ÿ Sanders was his typical flashy self. He came to Canton with an extra touch of gold. And a black do-rag.

Sanders strutted into the Hall of Fame sporting a pair of gold shoes to go with the gold jacket emblematic of the special company he has become a part of.

At the end of his riveting acceptance speech, he placed his ubiquitous do-rag on his hall bust.

Neon Deion, indeed.

“This game,” Sanders repeated dozens of times, “this game taught me how to be a man. This game taught me if I get knocked down, I got to get my butt back up.

“I always had a rule in life that I would never love anything that couldn't love me back. It taught me how to be a man, how to get up, how to live in pain. Taught me so much about people, timing, focus, dedication, submitting oneself, sacrificing.

“If your dream ain't bigger than you, there's a problem with your dream.”

Ÿ When Sharpe headed to Savannah State, all he heard was how he was destined to fail.

“When people told me I'd never make it, I listened to the one person who said I could: me,” Sharpe said.

Failure? Sharpe went from a seventh-round draft pick to the most prolific tight end of his time. He won two Super Bowls with Denver and one with Baltimore, and at the time of his retirement in 2003, his 815 career receptions, 10,060 yards and 62 TDs were all NFL records for a tight end. Three times he went over 1,000 yards receiving in a season — almost unheard of for that position. In a 1993 playoff game, Sharpe had 13 catches against Oakland, tying a record.

Sharpe patted his bust on the head Saturday before saying, “All these years later, it makes me proud when people call me a self-made man.”

In a captivating acceptance speech, Sharpe passionately made a pitch to get his brother, Sterling, who played seven years with the Packers, considered for election to the shrine. Sterling, who introduced his younger brother for induction, wept as Shannon praised him.

“I am the only player who has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and am the second-best player in my family,” Sharpe said.

“I am so honored. You don't know what this means for me. This is the fraternity of all fraternities.”

Ÿ Faulk was the running back of running backs for much of his 12-season career.

As versatile and dangerous a backfield threat as the NFL has seen, Faulk was voted the NFL's top offensive player in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and was the NFL's MVP in 2000. He was the league's scoring leader in 2000 and '01, made seven Pro Bowls, and was the first player to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive years.

Through tears, Faulk said, “Boy this is pretty special. ... I am glad to be a part of it. This is football heaven.

“I am a football fan just like all of you,” Faulk told the crowd. “I have always, always been a fan and had an abiding passion and love and respect for this game of football, even when I was a kid selling popcorn in the Superdome because I couldn't afford a ticket.

“It's tough going from the projects to the penthouse.”