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After being on hand for the
Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for the class that included St.
Louis’ Marshall Faulk, a lot of things ran through my mind on what
it all really means.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Faulk and Deion Sanders were the headliners of the evening. The night was filled with anticipation.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Anticipation of what the Father of NFL Films Ed Sabol, who will be 95 years young in a couple of weeks, had to say; he and his company have meant so much to the NFL and its image.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Anticipation of what Faulk and Sanders were going to say.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>And, yes, afterparty anticipation.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Ah, yes, the afterparty. More on that later.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>The speeches by Faulk and Sanders were poignant and well thought out. They thanked a lot of people – family, friends, teammates, coaches – and God. Cool.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>The coolest thing was that so many people who played with Faulk showed up to be part of his big moment.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Future Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Orlando Pace and Isaac Bruce were in the house, as well as Mike Jones, who is now coaching at Lincoln University. Throw in another 15-20 former teammates and coaches Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz and Jim Hanifan, and all we needed were the Tennessee Titans to try and stop them, as if it were 1999 all over again.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>A collection, for sure – a collection that may not ever be in the same room at the same time again.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>As for the other inductees – Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger, Shannon Sharpe and Les Richter – big congrats. The honor is well deserved.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>This weekend is all about the Hall of Famers. On Friday, they joined a members-only luncheon. At a lavish dinner that night, current Hall of Famers came out one by one to welcome the new class into the Hall. Then the presentation of the Hall of Fame jacket to the new members by their respective presenters.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>In Faulk’s case, it was his agent and longtime friend Rocky Arceneaux. In the history of the Hall, only three agents have ever presented a jacket to a player, and Rocky was the second of three.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Luminary afterparty
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Faulk and Sanders held an afterparty that was security-tight because of the luminaries in attendance. It featured a majority of the current Hall of Famers who stuck around for the event, as well as many former teammates, family and friends, such as Kyle and Dale Blackmon, Frank Blackmon, Les Bond, Chuck Jackson, Scott Rosenblum and other “crew members.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>One of the highlights of the evening was an impromptu performance that featured Nelly, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. At that point, it was on … well into the night, as well.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>It was a memorable weekend for Marshall Faulk and all that were in attendance, as you only enter the Hall of Fame once. Faulk is the first St. Louis Ram to enter the Hall, and in my opinion the best pro football player to ever play in St. Louis. To be part of history in that manner is something all of St. Louis should relish.
