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Tony Gonzalez, a former two-sport athlete from Cal who reinvented the position of tight end in the NFL, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday in his first-year of eligibility.
Gonzalez, who played 17 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons, is the NFL’s all-time receiving leader among tight ends with 1,325 receptions, trailing only Jerry Rice (1,549) overall.
Other selections included safety Ed Reed and cornerback Champ Bailey, also first-ballot selections, as well as center Kevin Mawae and cornerback Ty Law.
Former Kansas City safety Johnny Robinson, a senior committee nominee, was enshrined as well as two contributors — former Denver owner Pat Bowlen and former Dallas personnel executive Gil Brandt.
Two of the 15 finalists who didn’t make it were former Raiders coach Tom Flores and John Lynch, the 49ers general manager and Stanford graduate who was a safety for Tampa Bay and Denver.
Neither Flores nor Lynch made the initial cut from 15 nominees to 10. Others eliminated during the initial vote were the Rams’ Isaac Bruce, former Chargers coach Don Coryell and former Patriots and Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour.
Drafted out of Cal in 1996 after his junior season, Gonzalez helped redefine the tight end position with his athleticism and skill. At 6-foot-5, 247 pounds, Gonzalez was too fast and agile to be covered by linebackers and too powerful to be covered by safeties. His leaping ability — Gonzalez played three seasons of basketball at Cal — added another dimension.
Gonzalez described for reporters the moment when Hall of Fame president David Baker knocked on his hotel room door to give him the news.
“When you get the knock, your heart drops,” Gonzalez said. “It’s what a lot of guys told me. I’m good friends with (Michael) Strahan, Warren Moon, guys that have gone before me. They’re like, `There’s nothing like it.’
The best part, Gonzalez said, was seeing the reaction of others who were present.
“I turned around and looked at my family, I looked at my cousin, he’s got tears in his eyes,” Gonzalez said. “I looked at my wife, she’s got tears in her eyes. That’s when it hits you — it’s more than just me, it’s my family and friends that have been there from the beginning. I think that’s going to be the best part of this whole process is sharing that with them.”
Gonzalez will be inducted with the rest of the class on July 21.
On Twitter, Gonzalez said, “Words can’t even describe this feeling.”
Gonzalez is only the second Cal player to be enshrined. Les Richter, a two-time All-American at Cal in 1950 and 1951 as a guard and linebacker, played linebacker and center for the Los Angeles Rams from 1954 to 1962 and was elected in 2011, one year after his death at age 79.
“I figure if I was lucky enough to be first-ballot it was going to be in Atlanta,” Gonzalez said. “How great would that be? When Kansas City was playing to get here, I was like, ‘Oh my God. It’s about to be Kansas City playing in Atlanta.’ I was super excited about it.”
Reed’s selection also seemed to be a sure thing, as the he ranks seventh all-time with 64 interceptions in a career in which he played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2002 through 2012 and then in 2013 for the Dallas Texans and New York Jets.
Bailey was one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks backs from 1999 through 2013, finishing with 52 interceptions for Washington (1999-2003) and Denver (2004-2013). Bailey was a 12-time Pro Bowl selection.
Mawae was one of the NFL’s top centers for Seattle (1994-1997), the New York Jets (1998-2005) and Tennessee Titans (2006-2009) with eight Pro Bowl selections.
Law had 53 interceptions in a career that spanned from 1995 through 2009. He won three Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots (1995-2004) and was also with the New York Jets (2005), Kansas City Chiefs (2006-2007) and Denver Broncos 2009.
Robinson was drafted in 1960 by the Dallas Texans, who later moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs. He was one of the AFL’s top safeties and finished his career with 57 interceptions with 741 yards in returns.
Bowlen became owner of the Denver Broncos in 1984 and was the only owner to get to 300 wins during his first 30 seasons. His teams appeared in seven Super Bowls. Bowlen gave up control of the Broncos to CEO Joe Ellis in 2014 after being stricken with Alzheimer’s disease.
Brandt, 85, helped change the way the NFL scouted personnel while working for the Dallas Cowboys in terms of using psychological tests. He worked for 29 years in Dallas, during which time the Cowboys went to the Super Bowl five times and won two championships. Upon induction, Brandt joins 15 players currently in the Hall of Fame that were drafted or acquired by Dallas when he was there.
Gonzalez, who played 17 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons, is the NFL’s all-time receiving leader among tight ends with 1,325 receptions, trailing only Jerry Rice (1,549) overall.
Other selections included safety Ed Reed and cornerback Champ Bailey, also first-ballot selections, as well as center Kevin Mawae and cornerback Ty Law.
Former Kansas City safety Johnny Robinson, a senior committee nominee, was enshrined as well as two contributors — former Denver owner Pat Bowlen and former Dallas personnel executive Gil Brandt.
Two of the 15 finalists who didn’t make it were former Raiders coach Tom Flores and John Lynch, the 49ers general manager and Stanford graduate who was a safety for Tampa Bay and Denver.
Neither Flores nor Lynch made the initial cut from 15 nominees to 10. Others eliminated during the initial vote were the Rams’ Isaac Bruce, former Chargers coach Don Coryell and former Patriots and Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour.
Drafted out of Cal in 1996 after his junior season, Gonzalez helped redefine the tight end position with his athleticism and skill. At 6-foot-5, 247 pounds, Gonzalez was too fast and agile to be covered by linebackers and too powerful to be covered by safeties. His leaping ability — Gonzalez played three seasons of basketball at Cal — added another dimension.
Gonzalez described for reporters the moment when Hall of Fame president David Baker knocked on his hotel room door to give him the news.
“When you get the knock, your heart drops,” Gonzalez said. “It’s what a lot of guys told me. I’m good friends with (Michael) Strahan, Warren Moon, guys that have gone before me. They’re like, `There’s nothing like it.’
The best part, Gonzalez said, was seeing the reaction of others who were present.
“I turned around and looked at my family, I looked at my cousin, he’s got tears in his eyes,” Gonzalez said. “I looked at my wife, she’s got tears in her eyes. That’s when it hits you — it’s more than just me, it’s my family and friends that have been there from the beginning. I think that’s going to be the best part of this whole process is sharing that with them.”
Gonzalez will be inducted with the rest of the class on July 21.
On Twitter, Gonzalez said, “Words can’t even describe this feeling.”
Gonzalez is only the second Cal player to be enshrined. Les Richter, a two-time All-American at Cal in 1950 and 1951 as a guard and linebacker, played linebacker and center for the Los Angeles Rams from 1954 to 1962 and was elected in 2011, one year after his death at age 79.
“I figure if I was lucky enough to be first-ballot it was going to be in Atlanta,” Gonzalez said. “How great would that be? When Kansas City was playing to get here, I was like, ‘Oh my God. It’s about to be Kansas City playing in Atlanta.’ I was super excited about it.”
Reed’s selection also seemed to be a sure thing, as the he ranks seventh all-time with 64 interceptions in a career in which he played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2002 through 2012 and then in 2013 for the Dallas Texans and New York Jets.
Bailey was one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks backs from 1999 through 2013, finishing with 52 interceptions for Washington (1999-2003) and Denver (2004-2013). Bailey was a 12-time Pro Bowl selection.
Mawae was one of the NFL’s top centers for Seattle (1994-1997), the New York Jets (1998-2005) and Tennessee Titans (2006-2009) with eight Pro Bowl selections.
Law had 53 interceptions in a career that spanned from 1995 through 2009. He won three Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots (1995-2004) and was also with the New York Jets (2005), Kansas City Chiefs (2006-2007) and Denver Broncos 2009.
Robinson was drafted in 1960 by the Dallas Texans, who later moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs. He was one of the AFL’s top safeties and finished his career with 57 interceptions with 741 yards in returns.
Bowlen became owner of the Denver Broncos in 1984 and was the only owner to get to 300 wins during his first 30 seasons. His teams appeared in seven Super Bowls. Bowlen gave up control of the Broncos to CEO Joe Ellis in 2014 after being stricken with Alzheimer’s disease.
Brandt, 85, helped change the way the NFL scouted personnel while working for the Dallas Cowboys in terms of using psychological tests. He worked for 29 years in Dallas, during which time the Cowboys went to the Super Bowl five times and won two championships. Upon induction, Brandt joins 15 players currently in the Hall of Fame that were drafted or acquired by Dallas when he was there.
Ex-Cal star Tony Gonzalez inducted to Pro Football Hall of Fame
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