The results are in and Warren Sapp, Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden all made the Hall on their first ballots. Legends Chris Carter and Bill Parcells finally get their busts in Canton after several tries. From AP/ESPN:
Parcells had to wait a while, earning a bust in Canton on his fourth try. He thought he might get in the previous year in tandem with one of his former players, Curtis Martin.
"It was a little less stressful than last year," Parcells said in a telephone interview from Florida. "I was kind of hoping we could do it together, but as fate would have it, it didn't work out."
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No one was more emotional than Carter, who took six years to get in despite putting up some of the best receiving numbers in NFL history. He broke down in tears but quickly pointed out "it's not because I'm sad."
"This is the happiest day of my life," he said. "When people said, `Aw, you know, it really doesn't matter, you're a Hall of Famer in my eyes,' I said, `It's more important that I'm a Hall of Famer in the Hall's eyes.' And I really, really wanted this. "
Sapp said his stomach was churning all day.
He doesn't have to fret anymore. Next stop, Canton.
"My feet haven't touched the ground in about 30 minutes," Sapp said. "This is unbelievable."
In addition to Bettis, four other players failed to get in on the final vote: Charles Haley, Andre Reed, Michael Strahan and Aeneas Williams. Earlier in the day, the selection committee eliminated DeBartolo and Modell, as well as ex-players Tim Brown, Kevin Greene and Will Shields.
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Sapp got in on his first year of eligibility after playing 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneersand Oakland Raiders. He amassed 96½ career sacks despite playing on the interior of the defensive line, including double-digit sack totals in four seasons. He was the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year after helping Tampa Bay claim its first division title in 18 years.
Carter played 16 seasons, becoming only the second player in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions in a career. He caught at least 70 passes in 10 seasons, and totaled 130 touchdown receptions from 13 passers.
Allen played 203 games over 14 seasons, spending the bulk of his career with the Cowboys. He played every position on the offensive line except center and was a first-team All-Pro seven straight seasons.
Ogden played a dozen seasons with the Ravens, a lineman who led the way for Jamal Lewis to become just the fifth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Ogden was a six-time All-Pro and was voted to 11 Pro Bowls.
Like Sapp, Allen and Ogden were first-year selections.
