Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015: Best Moments from Legends' Speeches

Eight men earned the highest honor in their profession Saturday as the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined its 2015 class in Canton, Ohio.

By the end of the festivities, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Charles Haley, Junior Seau, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff, Bill Polian and Ron Wolf were all immortalized in commemoration of their contributions to the game of football. Not since 1967 have eight or more members been immortalized in one year, so excitement ran high in Canton on Saturday night.

It's hard to narrow down a memorable night to just three moments, but let's look at some of the top speeches from Saturday night.

Haley Balances Humor and Honesty

Doug Mills/Associated Press

Charles Haley's five Super Bowl triumphs with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys make him the greatest winner in NFL history. The hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end also had a nice individual career, accumulating 100.5 sacks and five Pro Bowl appearances during his 14-year career.

Haley's Hall of Fame speech was a winner, much like his NFL tenure.

He started by recalling a golf outing with former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and some other members of the team. However, Haley isn't a golfer, and hilarity ensued.

Warning: below video includes NSFW language.

During the remainder of his time on stage, he interwove heartfelt thanks to family members and teammates, candid details about his struggles with bipolar disorder and depression, references to the Bible and even a sneaky-good imitation of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Haley's words provided fans with entertainment and enlightening life and career details, two key aspects of a great Hall of Fame speech.

Bettis Shows His Steeler Pride

You knew Jerome "The Bus" Bettis' speech was going to be special. The sixth-leading rusher in NFL history has always had a likable personality and a big heart; plus, he was concluding the evening and had a humongous crowd of Pittsburgh Steelers fans there waiting for a special moment with their retired star.

The Bus delivered.

He started his speech by leading the Pittsburgh faithful in a chant of "Here we go, Steelers" and waving his Terrible Towel.

Bettis responded to his warm reception by saying, "I really thought The Bus' last stop was in Detroit at Super Bowl XL. But now I know The Bus will always and forever run in Canton, Ohio."

The rest of his speech included a tribute to fellow inductee Junior Seau (more on him later) and words of gratitude for Steelers fans and teammates. Bettis singled out quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for making a clutch tackle in the 2005 AFC Championship Game after the running back fumbled near the goal line.

The Steelers went on to win the game, and the rest is history.

Sydney Seau Pays Tribute to Her Father

Junior Seau was a lean, mean tackling machine at linebacker throughout his 20-year NFL career. His best years came with the San Diego Chargers from 1990 to 2002, a period in which he made 12 Pro Bowl appearances and earned a spot on eight first-team All-Pro teams.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

However, Seau committed suicide May 2, 2012, ending his life at just 43 years old. Per Seau's ex-wife, Gina, via ESPN, he suffered from a neurodegenerative disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy that caused erratic behavior. The disease was a result of numerous head collisions during the star linebacker's football career.

Due to an NFL rule preventing deceased inductees from having others present full speeches for them, Seau's daughter, Sydney, wasn't allowed to present the entire speech she had planned.

But what she was able to say was touching and beautiful.

In a short interview following a video tribute to her dad, Sydney spoke eloquently about Junior's remarkable accomplishments as a player and person, what he would have thought about earning a spot in the Hall of Fame and other thoughts.

And yes, Sydney did find a platform to share her speech. The New York Times released her full tribute Saturday, just before Seau's portion of the evening had started.

All statistics and measurements are from Pro-Football-Reference.com and updated through August 9 unless otherwise indicated.

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