Feb. 5, 2011
DALLAS (AP) - Former Aztec Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders led a class of seven voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Joining them were Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Ed Sabol, Les Richter and Chris Hanburger.
Sanders, the outstanding cornerback/kick returner and sometime wide receiver known as "Prime Time" with five teams, is a two-time Super Bowl winner and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1994.
Faulk won a Super Bowl with the 1999 Rams, was the 1994 Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2000 NFL MVP and a three-time Offensive Player of the Year (1999-2001). Faulk is the 10th leading career rusher with 12,279 yards.
Sharpe starred for Denver and Baltimore for 14 seasons and won three Super Bowls in a four-year span, two with Denver, one with Baltimore. He held league records for a tight end in receptions, yards and touchdowns when he retired in 2001.
Bears defensive end Dent was the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl and finished with 137 1/2 career sacks. He was the top pass rusher on one of the NFL's greatest defensive units.
Richter played linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams from 1954-62. They traded 11 players for him and waited two years while he was in the military before he suited up. He made the wait worthwhile , going to eight straight Pro Bowls. He also was a center and kicker.
Richter died last June.
Hanburger spent all 14 pro seasons with the Redskins and played in nine Pro Bowls. He played from 1965-78 and was called "The Hangman."
"It's wonderful. I am just overwhelmed. It's such a tremendous honor to be nominated, let alone get in," Hanburger said. "Have to think of all the men who played before me and all the men I played with."
Sabol founded NFL Films.
The finalists who did not get in were Curtis Martin, Dermontti Dawson, Cortez Kennedy, Andre Reid and Willie Roaf.
Induction ceremonies are Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio.
| Marshall Faulk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||||||||||||
| 1991 | 201 | 1429 | 7.1 | 21 | 17 | 201 | 11.8 | 2 | 218 | 1630 | 7.5 | 23 | ||||||||||||||
| 1992 | 265 | 1630 | 6.2 | 15 | 18 | 128 | 7.1 | 0 | 283 | 1758 | 6.2 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| 1993 | 300 | 1530 | 5.1 | 21 | 47 | 644 | 13.7 | 3 | 347 | 2174 | 6.3 | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| Career | 766 | 4589 | 6.0 | 57 | 82 | 973 | 11.9 | 5 | 848 | 5562 | 6.6 | 62 | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Team | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Rams | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Rams | 65 | 292 | 4.5 | 20 | 0 | 44 | 291 | 6.6 | 18 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Rams | 195 | 774 | 4.0 | 40 | 3 | 50 | 310 | 6.2 | 25 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Rams | 209 | 818 | 3.9 | 52 | 10 | 45 | 290 | 6.4 | 30 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Rams | 212 | 953 | 4.5 | 44 | 8 | 80 | 537 | 6.7 | 40 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Rams | 260 | 1,382 | 5.3 | 71T | 12 | 83 | 765 | 9.2 | 65T | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Rams | 253 | 1,359 | 5.4 | 36 | 18 | 81 | 830 | 10.2 | 72T | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Rams | 253 | 1,381 | 5.5 | 58 | 7 | 87 | 1,048 | 12.0 | 57T | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Colts | 324 | 1,319 | 4.1 | 68T | 6 | 86 | 908 | 10.6 | 78T | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Colts | 264 | 1,054 | 4.0 | 45 | 7 | 47 | 471 | 10.0 | 58 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Colts | 198 | 587 | 3.0 | 43 | 7 | 56 | 428 | 7.6 | 30 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Colts | 289 | 1,078 | 3.7 | 40 | 11 | 56 | 475 | 8.5 | 34 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 1994 | Colts | 314 | 1,282 | 4.1 | 52 | 11 | 52 | 522 | 10.0 | 85T | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| TOTAL | 2,836 | 12,279 | 4.3 | 71 | 100 | 767 | 6,875 | 9.0 | 85 | 36 | ||||||||||||||||
Highlights
• Selected by Colts first round (second player overall) in 1994 draft.
• Rushed for 143 yards, scored three touchdowns in rookie debut.
• Finished season with 1,282 rushing yards and AFC-leading 11 TDs.
• Also caught 52 passes for 522 yards and touchdown.
• Named Rookie of the Year.
• Rushed for 1,000 yards in seven of first eight seasons.
• In 1999 became second in NFL history to eclipse 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving and set then-record for yards from scrimmage (2,429)
•: NFL's Offensive Player of the Year three straight times.
• Named NFL MVP in 2000 after setting single-season record for touchdowns (26) that included league-leading 18 rushing touchdowns.
• Was first of two straight seasons he led NFL in scoring and touchdowns.
• First-team All-Pro 1999, 2000, 2001.
• Second-team All-Pro in 1994, 1995, 1998.
• Voted to seven Pro Bowls.
• All-AFC twice and All-NFC three times in career.
• First player in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four straight seasons (1998-2001).
• Retired as NFL's ninth-ranked rusher (12,279 yards).
• Recorded 767 receptions (16th all-time at retirement) for 6,875 yards, 36 touchdowns.
• His 19,154 yards from scrimmage was sixth all-time.