вторник, 18 сентября 2012 г.

RAIN DOESN'T DOUSE 2003 CLASS A STEADY DOWNPOUR STOPS JUST BEFORE THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY.(SPORTS) - The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)

Byline: Jason Wilde Wisconsin State Journal

CANTON, OHIO -- The rain stopped just before their names were introduced, as if the football gods were welcoming them into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Moments before running back Marcus Allen, defensive end Elvin Bethea, guard Joe DeLamielleure, coach Hank Stram and former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Lofton -- the newest of the Hall's 221 members -- walked onstage Sunday afternoon at Fawcett Stadium, what had been a steady downpour ended. And while the sun didn't manage to break through until the ceremony was over, the star power was plenty bright.

Allen, elected to the Hall in his first year of eligibility, rushed for 12,243 yards and scored 145 touchdowns during a 16-year NFL career, highlighted by his 191-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Los Angeles Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII victory over Washington.

'I love football,' said Allen, the last of the inductees to speak. 'It's my DNA.'

Stram, who was the winningest coach in AFL history and led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl IV, was unable to give a speech at the ceremony because of declining health. But he sat in his wheelchair while his presenter, Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson, spoke fondly of him.

'Hank was a tremendous teacher. He wasn't one of these coaches who would go out and give a little spiel and then go out to practice and twiddle his thumbs,' Dawson said. 'I wear a Super Bowl ring on this hand, a Hall of Fame ring on this one. And I wouldn't have either of them if not for this man.'

A video presentation -- including Stram's prerecorded speech -- was then played, marking the first time an inductee has attended but did not speak at the ceremony. Stram, who had been eligible for induction for 25 years, stood and waved to the crowd afterward.

Bethea, who retired in 1983 but waited through 15 years of eligibility before finally being elected in January, was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and played in 201 career games, all with the Houston Oilers.

'I always said, I'll never be part of that,' ' Bethea said of the Hall. 'I finally made it, and it feels great.'

DeLamielleure, who played in 185 consecutive games, spoke of how often people told him that he was truly a blue-collar player, having grown up in Detroit and played 13 NFL seasons in Buffalo (eight years) and Cleveland (five).

'I said, I hope Gary, Indiana doesn't get an expansion team,' ' joked DeLamielleure, who paved the way for Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson as a member of the Bills' famed 'Electric Company' offensive line.

Extra points

Asked before his induction whether he would have made it to the Hall had he spent his career only in Green Bay, Lofton eluded the question, replying, 'I'd still be playing, with Brett Favre at quarterback.' ... Lofton also ducked a question about which team he would have entered the Hall with, if football was like baseball, which requires a player to be inducted as a member of a specific team. If he had to wear a hat, Lofton, who played nine seasons in Green Bay, two for the Los Angeles Raiders, four with the Buffalo Bills and also had brief stints with Philadelphia and the L.A. Rams, said his 'would be split down the middle and have Green Bay on one side, Buffalo on the other and a Raider emblem in the back.' ... The Packers, who arrived in Canton Sunday afternoon for their game tonight against Kansas City, held a reception to honor Lofton after the ceremony.

CAPTION(S):

Associated Press

From left to right, James Lofton, Joe DeLamielleure, Elvin Bethea and Marcus Allen pose with their Hall of Fame busts Sunday in Canton, Ohio.

Photo of Hank Stram

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