Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio – Football has always been a game of emotion. But six men discovered that the greatest emotion comes at the finish.

Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Jackie Smith, Bud Grant, Jimmy Johnson and Leroy Kelly closed the book on their football careers with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Some cried, others teared up – but all were sacked by the emotion of the moment on the steps of Canton.

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Tony Dorsett is also credited with throwing a touchdown pass.

Dorsett acknowledged the emotion after stepping up to the podium but vowed not to let it seep into his acceptance speech. Yet when he started talking about his late father, he became choked up.

"My dad worked in the steel mill in the open-hearth department," Dorsett said. "But they should have called it the open-heart department, because he had one of the biggest hearts of any man I've ever known.

"He taught me an awful lot about common sense, about street sense. He never forced me to be anything. He always told me, 'Son, if you're going to accomplish anything in life, do it yourself.'

"I know in more ways than one my dad is here with me today."

Kelly, a former Cleveland running back, broke down when he spoke of his brother Sampson; Johnson, a former San Francisco cornerback, broke down when he talked about his family; and Grant, a former Minnesota coach, unraveled when he recalled his former players and coaches.

Smith and White managed to maintain their composure the best, but even they were not immune to the moment. Smith stopped in his tracks when he started talking about his ailing wife.

"If I was as tough as my wife, I'd be in a training camp right now," Smith said.

White softened the tone of his breezy, witty acceptance speech when he talked about his late father.

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Randy White missed only one game in 14 seasons.

"I want to thank him for all the time he gave me," White said. "I don't think my dad ever missed a little league football game, high school game or anything that I ever participated in.

"He was a butcher and had his own shop. If it meant closing the butcher shop to get to a game, he would be there. That meant a lot to me."

"He's right up there," White said, pointing to the sky, "and he's got a big smile on his face. I guarantee you that."

The emotion from Grant was in stunning contrast to his public persona.

History remembers him for his frozen stare in the frozen North. Grant never showed emotion on those frigid Sunday afternoons in December when his Vikings were closing out division races and winning playoff games.

But Grant thawed in the July sunshine of Canton, sobbing early and often during his speech. The tears started when he began naming the players and coaches who helped him become the 15th coach inducted into the Hall.

But Grant become the most emotional when he talked about his late father – how proud his dad would have been if he could be there to share this moment with his son.

"If he were here," said Grant, pumping his arm into the air, "my dad would stand up and say, 'The kid made it.' "

Dorsett and White also spoke of how position changes made them the players that they became, the Hall of Famers that they are.

White's switch has been well-documented. The Cowboys drafted him as a linebacker but moved him to defensive tackle in his third season.

"They tried me at middle linebacker, strongside linebacker, weakside linebacker ..." White recalled. "I had to cover Tony Dorsett one-on-one in practice coming out of the backfield. So I knew my future was not going to be linebacker, because every time he went out for a pass he caught a touchdown. I'd be watching the back of his jersey running down the field.

"So I want to thank Coach Landry for moving me to defensive tackle."

Dorsett's switch was not as well-documented. It came during his sophomore year in high school.

"I was a defensive specialist," Dorsett said, "but my coach [Rich Ross] knew that my four older brothers were exceptional running backs. So he moved me to the other side of the line of scrimmage. From that point on, I kept getting bigger, better and faster.

"Coach Ross, I just want to let you know that you tapped the source. You're the reason why it all started to flow."

The inductions of Dorsett and White pushed the count to six Cowboys in the Hall of Fame. They joined Tex Schramm, Tom Landry, Bob Lilly and Roger Staubach.