London - AFP
Three-time Super Bowl champion Shannon Sharpe, receiver Deion Sanders and star rusher Marshall Faulk were among seven inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ceremonies on Saturday. Gridiron videographer Ed Sabol and players Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger and the late Les Richter were the others enshrined into the sporting museum after being selected for the honor last February on the eve of the Super Bowl. Sharpe, a tight end, won two National Football League titles with Denver and another with Baltimore, retiring in 2003 with 815 catches for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns. "I am so honored," Sharpe said. "You don't know what this means for me. This is the fraternity of all fraternities." Sharpe also paid tribute to his brother Sterling, who played seven seasons for Green Bay, saying, "I am the only player who has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and am the second-best player in my family." Faulk began in 1994 and played 12 seasons, being named the league's Most Valuable Player in 2000 when he led the NFL in scoring. He played five years in Indianapolis and seven more in St. Louis, helping the Rams to a 1999 Super Bowl triumph. "This is pretty special," a tearful Faulk said. "I am glad to be a part of it. This is football heaven." Dent was Most Valuable Player for Chicago's 1985 NFL champions and finished with 137 1/2 career sacks. Sabol began working with the NFL in 1962, buying filming rights to the title game for $3,000 to begin what has become a video operation, NFL Films, that has helped popularize the league for nearly half a century. "This honor tonight really goes to NFL Films. I just happen to be accepting all the accolades," Sabol added. Former Washington Redskins linebacker Hanburger, a 14-year NFL defensive standout, called the Hall of Fame ceremony "one of the greatest moments in my life. I am just overwhelmed by this."