Richard Dent Humble in Induction to Hall of Fame
The Sack Man Richard Dent finally arrived in Canton Ohio, taking his rightful place among the NFL’s all-time greats. He joins 26 other Chicago Bears, most among all NFL teams. Dent started his induction speech talking about his inspiration:
"“I grew up in a town where men always said, ‘I have a dream,'” Dent said in his induction speech Saturday shortly after unveiling the bust that will be on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “That man was Martin Luther King. As a kid growing up at that time, listening to him, all I could do was dream. I’ve wanted to be someone special that my mother and my father and my family looked up to.”"
Dent gave props to his college coaches and teammates, and of course his Chicago Bears teammates, who were well represented for his induction:
"Dent’s Bears teams were well-represented in Canton. Among those he recognized on stage were Neal Anderson, Gary Fencik, Al Fontenot, Dan Hampton, Dale Haupt, Tyrone Keys, John Levra, Emery Moorehead, Jim Osborne, Mike Richardson and Bill Tobin.He saved special salutes for Steve McMichael (“I’d love to see you up here sometime; you were the heart of the defense.”), Jim Covert (“I look forward to seeing you up on this stage.”) and Walter Payton (“I tried to pattern myself after him. I loved watching this man go to work.”)"
And of course, he gave a shout out to Chicago Bears fans, the greatest in the world:
"Dent, who became the 27th Bears inductee, didn’t forget Bears fans either. “I love the Bears and people in Chicago,” he said. “There’s not a better place to play. It’s where the game started. It was a pleasure to entertain them on Sunday.”"
To see the full speech, click here.