2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductees Share One Common Belief

At the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, three incredibly talented and unique professional athletes spoke with one voice.

That voice expressed enough thanks and gratitude to others to fill up all 32 NFL stadiums. That voice credited the NFL for creating the opportunity for each of these men to succeed. That voice spoke lovingly about the game of football, its players, owners, coaches, teammates, support staff and even its agents.

Now that the lockout has ended and NFL players have rejoined the union and ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, this event coming on the heels of heated negotiations seems surreal.

As a fan, I listened to the acceptance speeches and was blown away by the message that Shannon Sharpe, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders delivered—each in his own way.

We often fail to consider the obstacles that athletes deal with in order to join the ranks of elite professionals, and we rarely get the chance to discover the personal and physical challenges that they face. The words of these three men are worth remembering because they echo the experiences of so many other athletes that we never get to know up close and personally.

Shannon Sharpe warned us not to let his persona overshadow his person and offered this sage advice to youngsters hoping to join the professional ranks: “Don’t hope someone gives you an opportunity, create one for yourself.”

Shannon passionately reminded us what it was like for him to leave the safety of his grandmother’s home (with all of his worldly possessions stuffed in two grocery bags) in hopes of realizing his dream at Savannah State. For him, that journey started and ended with the emotional support of a loving family and was the driving force behind the “raging inferno” he felt to make something of his life—not just for him, but especially for his granny. 

Marshall Faulk shared with us what it was like to grow up in the Desire projects in New Orleans, where drugs and brutality were pervasive and many of his peers succumbed to this way of life. But Marshall had clear goals and revealed this about himself, “I channeled every ounce of energy I had into sports.”

He credits his mom with his success and made this unequivocal admission, “I wouldn’t be here if it was not for my family, especially Cecile Faulk, my mother.” He went on to thank his mother not only for her love, but also her tough love and her incredible work ethic—which he observed and clearly emulated. His closing words were memorable: “God gave me the talent. Football gave me the opportunity. I made the commitment.”  

Deion Sanders chose this special occasion to reveal a family secret. Here’s how he described it: “I was ashamed of my mama because one of my friends in high school, he saw her in a hospital one night pushing a cart, and he came back and clowned me. He ridiculed me and he mocked me because of my mama.” This revelation seemed to be something that Deion had waited a long time to come to terms with. Having been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame appeared to be the catalyst to set the record straight.

Deion took some of the media to task and explained it this way; “Many of my naysayers said, you know, Prime didn’t tackle, but show me some film where I hurt my team. But I want to respond to that publicly because that affects me, it bothers me. That’s insinuating that I’m soft, and I’ve got kids. Since 1989, I’ve tackled every bill my mama has ever given me, haven’t missed one yet.”  

Shannon Sharp, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders became Hall of Famers this week in Canton, Ohio. They shared a common belief that football would be their salvation…and when they delivered their acceptance speeches, the thing that mattered most was family.

Susan Tose Spencer is an award-winning author, entrepreneur, successful business owner and is the only female GM in the history of the NFL. She currently owns a meat trading company, hosts a radio show (Business Buzz) on Women’s Radio, is a guest lecturer at UNLV’s School of Entrepreneurship and is a blogger (www.briefcaseessentials.com/blog).