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| | | | | | | |  Tuesday, November 14, 2000
I'm still not sure I was worthy enough for the Hall
By Dan Fouts
Special to ABC Sports Online
It's such a humbling experience to be in the Hall of Fame. And what makes it even more special is when the people up there on the podium with you are so classy and have had such an impact on our game. It blows me away.
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Dan Fouts was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. |
Like any member of the Hall of Fame, you think your class is the best. I'm proud to be in that class of 1993, alongside Larry Little, Chuck Noll, Walter Payton and Bill Walsh.
We spent a lot of time together that week, and we all jokingly betted on who would start crying first or who would cry the most. I'm not sure who won the bet, but I know that each of us had to choke them back at some point. It's an overwhelming feeling when you think about the people who have helped you along the way. You just don't know what's going to set you off.
By the time you are inducted, you do have a bit of time to get used to it. You get elected in January, months before the ceremony in late July or early August. But having said that, it still boggles my mind to think I'm in the Hall of Fame.
It's not that I don't believe it, sometimes I just don't think it's right because of what the Hall of Fame means. There have been so many great players in there; I just don't feel worthy. I'm not sure I'm great enough. I've been a fan of the NFL since I was two years old, and 99 percent of these guys in the NFL are history. Some of them did so much more and meant so much more to the game.
Taking a look at this year's Hall of Fame class:
-- Joe Montana:
My first impression of Joe Montana in the pros was that he was smooth. I think that's my last impression of Joe Montana too. As a rookie, the guy had great athletic ability and no rough edges. Once he got the system down and seemed to be comfortable in it, the rest was history.
And because he won, he should be ranked as high as any quarterback in NFL history. He was part of a rebuilding program, a young team, and they all got hot and continued to win as veterans. They went from a young team to a veteran team with great leadership. A lot of that he should get credit for.
-- Howie Long:
Howie Long was one of those guys that I played against many times. He was a fearless competitor, a non-stop player that was always going to be a factor. We always had to locate him before the ball was snapped. We usually had a couple of guys that had to take care of him, and oftentimes that wasn't enough.
-- Ronnie Lott:
You just don't find a better leader for a defense than Ronnie Lott. He was to the defense what Joe Montana was to the offense on those great Niners teams.
-- Dan Rooney:
I think Dan Rooney is finally getting credit for building a great organization. He is well deserving of this honor. Again, when you think about Rooney, you think about Super Bowls. Those Pittsburgh teams of the 1970s were one of the NFL's great dynasties.
-- Dave Wilcox:
He was one of my childhood heroes. I grew up watching him with the 49ers. It's good to see him get credit for the type of player that he was, because if he were playing today he would be considered the best.
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