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Devin Hester became the first returner to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the fourth of seven former players to earn induction into Canton in a weather-delayed ceremony Saturday.
“When I first exploded on the professional scene, there was a lot of negativity, because people didn’t respect the return game,” Hester said. “But eventually, it got to the point where they put in a new rule — which was called, you guys know, the Devin Hester rule — to move the kickoff up, so it made it easy for the kicker to kick it out end zone, which eliminated me from getting a lot of returns. So, I guess the NFL had started taking the return game seriously.
“I hope that me being here today opens up the door and brings some attention to other guys like Brian Mitchell and Josh Cribbs, because I’m not the only returner who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m just the first.”
That’s appropriate considering Hester’s penchant for first-play touchdowns.
He holds NFL records in career kick return touchdowns (19), punt return touchdowns (14) and return touchdowns (20), which includes punts, kickoffs, missed field goals, fumbles and interceptions.
Hester returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a 92-yard touchdown in a game the Bears lost to the Colts.
“I fell in love with football back when I first started playing two-hand touch in the streets,” Hester said. “As young kids, we couldn’t kick the ball too far, so we would throw it high, and make it look like it was a kickoff. And every time they would throw the ball off, out of 10 times I would take about seven of them back.
“I felt like football chose me. From Pop Warner to high school to college to the NFL, the first play of every game, I always did something special. My first carry in high school football, I took a handoff 22 yards for a touchdown. Then, when I got to college, my first time playing in the Orange Bowl, the first time I touched the ball, I took a 97-yard kickoff back for a touchdown against the Florida…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/devin-hester-hall-fame-induction-192627989.html
Author : ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-08-03 19:26:27
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