Six get in, but voters snub Dent
Stats override character issues as Irvin enshrined
Dent was an eighth-round pick in the 1983 draft out of Tennessee State and wound up making four Pro Bowls for the Bears, for whom he played 12 of his 15 seasons. The Bears lead the NFL with 26 Hall of Famers, with three members of the Super Bowl XX champions receiving the honor -- running back Walter Payton, linebacker Mike Singletary and defensive lineman Dan Hampton. Coach Mike Ditka was voted in for his playing career as a tight end.
None of the four defensive linemen among the 17 finalists made it into the Class of 2007, which consists of guard Gene Hickerson, wide receiver Michael Irvin, offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, tight end Charlie Sanders, running back Thurman Thomas and cornerback Roger Wehrli.
Irvin was the most controversial choice, not for what he did on the field, where he was considered the emotional leader of a Dallas Cowboys team that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span behind Irvin and fellow Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith.
Irvin's issue was multiple arrests on drug charges, which was thought to be a consideration for the 40 media members charged with the voting. His 750 receptions for 11,904 yards with 65 touchdowns during a 12-year career proved worthy enough to overcome the character concerns.
''I want to thank [the selection committee] for considering me and allowing me into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,'' Irvin said. ''It's just such a great honor.''
Irvin might have preferred to make the Hall of Fame a year of two ago, but it worked out well for him that his election came in Miami, where he played his college ball, and near Fort Lauderdale, where he was born and raised. Irvin talked about other finalists such as Dent and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, saying he believed they all deserved to be in the Hall.
Thomas, the NFL MVP in 1991 who was a key component of a Buffalo Bills team that made four consecutive Super Bowls but never won, said he received multiple phone calls from former teammates on his way to the South Beach Convention Center, where the Hall of Fame announcement was made. Thomas said Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith called him five times each wishing him well.
''It's just an unbelievable day for me,'' Thomas said. ''It's just a beautiful day for my wife, my kids, my mom, the Buffalo Bills organization and the fans in Buffalo. Like I've always said, we didn't win a Super Bowl, but this is my Super Bowl gift to the Bills fans. Without the fans cheering us on and cheering me on, this would not have been possible.''
Hickerson blocked for three Hall of Fame running backs during his 15 years with the Cleveland Browns. Matthews started at every position on the offensive line for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise, tying the NFL record with 14 consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl
Sanders, one of the few pass-catching tight ends of his era, went to seven Pro Bowls and made the NFL all-decade team of the 1970s. Wehrli also was named to that team after making 40 interceptions during a 14-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals.