MINNEAPOLIS — Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher terrorized opposing offenses from the middle of the field. Randy Moss and Terrell Owens did the same to defenses on the outside.
The two hard-hitting linebackers and two big-play receivers highlighted an eight-person class voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Safety Brian Dawkins also received at least 80 percent support from the 47 Hall of Fame voters, along with contributor Bobby Beathard and senior nominees Jerry Kramer and Robert Brazile.
But the biggest stars of the class are the two linebackers that made it on their first tries, and the pair of lightning-rod receiver who sometimes caused as many problems for their own teams as for the opposition. Moss also made it on his first try, while Owens needed to wait for his third year on the ballot to get enough support.
Moss and Owens each played for five teams in their careers as they often wore out their welcome with their inability to get along with teammates and coaches at times.
But at their best, there were few players ever able to strike fear in defenses as much as Moss and Owens, who were both all-decade selections for the 2000s.
Moss led the NFL in TD catches five times, including his record 23 for New England in 2007, and earned four All-Pro selections. He finished his career with 982 catches for 15,292 yards and ranks second all-time with 156 TD receptions.
Owens, who didn’t attend the announcement, entered the league as a third-round pick by San Francisco in 1996 but developed into a star known for some memorable playoff appearances, including his winning 25-yard TD catch to beat Green Bay in 1999; his 177 yards in a comeback win against the Giants in 2003; and his nine catches for 122 yards in the 2004 Super Bowl against New England just seven weeks after breaking his leg.
Owens ranks second to Jerry Rice with 15,934 yards receiving and is third on the all-time touchdowns receiving list with 153.
Lewis is widely considered one of the greatest middle linebackers, winning two AP Defensive Player of the Year awards and earning eight All-Pro selections.
Lewis’ career was also marked by legal problems off the field. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice after initially being charged with murder in connection with two killings following a Super Bowl party in Atlanta in January 2000. Lewis was also fined $250,000 by the NFL.
Dawkins spent most of his 16-year career in Philadelphia, earning five first-team All-Pro selections. He became the first player in NFL history with a sack, interception, fumble recovery and touchdown catch in the same game against Houston in 2002.
Five offensive linemen were among the 15 finalists, with tackle Joe Jacoby getting eliminated in voting that reduced the candidates to 10, and tackle Tony Boselli, guards Alan Faneca and Steve Hutchinson, and former Jets center Kevin Mawae getting cut in the next round of voting.
Terrell Owens finally made it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility.
Year after year he and others have been angry about his snubs. No one needs to fight for a spot for T.O. anymore — he’s in now. The former receiver immediately shared an Instagram that said, “CONGRATS to the HOF CLASS OF 2018.
We’re GOLDEN!”
Then, Owens got many congrats from the NFL world, including players and media. One of the messages he got on Twitter was from Fox Sports 1‘s Jason Whitlock.
Whitlock, who often makes questionable statements, has said that Owens has disrespected the Hall of Fame and that he would have no problem with Owens being snubbed again. But, after this year’s class was announced, Whitlock congratulated Owens on Twitter, even though he “wasn’t a supporter.”
Owens was not having any of it. He told Whitlock to “kick rocks.”
Kick Rocks. — Terrell Owens (@terrellowens) February 3, 2018
I guess Owens heard everything else Whitlock said about him and the Hall of Fame.
Here are other congrats the receiver got on Twitter:
@terrellowens Yeah buddy. Congratulations my dude, let’s celebrate at McDonald’s — Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) February 3, 2018
I’m happy for @terrellowens!! Better late than never. Congrats on finally getting your HOF nod — Lance Moore (@LanceMoore16) February 3, 2018
Read more about the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame class at USA TODAY Sports.
Elsa/Getty Images
Longtime NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens announced Saturday he's been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its 2018 class.
Owens confirmed his selection with an Instagram post:
The official announcement will come during Saturday night's NFL Honors broadcast on NBC.
Owens rose to stardom during an eight-year run with the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft out of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
The 44-year-old Alabama native, who became known for his outspoken approach, also made stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals during a 15-year NFL career.
His antics more so than his numbers were probably why Hall of Fame voters passed him over twice before voting him in Saturday. Owens told Pete Prisco of CBS Sports earlier in the week he passed the statistical thresholds "with flying colors," making it clear something else was being considered.
"But obviously when it comes to me—when it comes to T.O.—there's all the hurdles that have to be hurdled ... in order to get in," Owens said. "So, whatever they are, I don't know what it is, but I think everybody has mentioned it enough to the point that something needs to be changed. What that is I have no idea..."
In all, Owens made 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns in 219 career games.
His resume also includes six Pro Bowl selections and five First Team All-Pro nods.
CLOSE Terrell Owens, 2018 Hall of Famer, referred to it as the 'Hall of Shame' earlier this week in an interview with USA TODAY Sports on Radio Row. USA TODAY Sports
Terrell Owens celebrates on the sidelines during the fourth quarter as the Eagles were clinching a playoff spot in the their win over the Giants. (Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)
MINNEAPOLIS – Terrell Owens’ Hall of Fame wait is finally over.
The former 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bengals and Bills receiver was elected to the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday after being snubbed the past two years.
Owens’ on-field credentials made him appear like a lock for Canton, with 1,078 career receptions, 15,934 yards and 156 touchdowns in his 16-year career. But Owens’ case was complicated, given his contentious relationships both in the locker rooms where he played and with the media that covered him.
“He should be in. Period,” Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley told USA TODAY Sports this week about his former teammate.
After being shut out the past two years, Owens appeared to be preparing himself this week for another disappointing phone call. Earlier this week, while appearing in a video with USA TODAY Sports on radio row at the Mall of America Bloomington, Minn., Owens jokingly referred to the Hall as the “Hall of Shame.”
"I'm still smiling, aren't I?" Owens said when asked about not making the cut on his first two years as a finalist.
The wide receiver also irked some when he said he wouldn't want to be affiliated with the 49ers when going into the Hall of Fame, even though players don't have to choose such a designation.
"I have my reasoning behind that," Owens said this week. "There are certain situations that the fans aren't privy to. If I'm upset for a certain reason, let me be upset."
Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.
PHOTOS: Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2018
