University of North Carolina Athletics
Lawrence Taylor Receives Pro Football's Ultimate Honor
August 7, 1999 | Football
August 7, 1999
By Rusty Miller
The Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- It's been six years since Lawrence Taylor ended one of the most successful pro football careers ever.
Now 40 years old, he said he has few regrets and has mellowed somewhat as he prepares for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this afternoon.
ut he still has moments when visions of prone running backs dance through his head.
I didn't miss playing the game of football at all, but during championship time and during the playoffs, you miss the excitement,'' he said. Sometimes I find myself dreaming of some of the games, reliving the games.''
The former New York Giants linebacker will be joined by running back Eric Dickerson, offensive guards Tom Mack and Billy Shaw and tight end Ozzie Newsome when the class of 1999 is enshrined today on the front steps of the hall.
Taylor -- who became the fearsome prototype of a rush linebacker during his 13 seasons -- never settled for second best from himself or his teammates.
When I came to work, I came to work planning on being the best,'' he said.
Taylor retired with two Super Bowl rings and a glittering stack of statistics. He had 142 sacks in his career and all but revolutionized his position with his athleticism and mental approach.
He was nasty. He's the nastiest kid I've ever been around,'' said Denny Marcin, the Giants' defensive line coach who also coached Taylor at North Carolina. If you were lying on the ground and he was going back to the huddle, he might kick you in the head.''
Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann said, If there ever was a Superman in the NFL, I think he wore number 56 for the Giants.''
Since retiring in 1993, Taylor has encountered legal, substance-abuse and financial problems. He referred to those who didn't vote for his induction as old phonies'' who had no business judging him. He has since said he spoke out of anger and now is thrilled to be entering the elite hall.
His induction fits neatly into his personal checklist.
We do things in packages as far as life goes: high school ball, college ball, you want to get in the pros, make All-Pro and finally you want to be in the Hall of Fame. That has finally happened. I have a complete package.''
Those joining him fit that same description.
Playing 11 seasons with four teams, Dickerson gained 13,259 career yards -- third-best behind Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. He said his induction is the ultimate compliment.
That'll be a proud moment for me,'' he said in a televised interview recently. I never made it to a Super Bowl. For me, this shows I did do something right in my sport.''
He topped 1,000 yards in each of his first seven seasons, including an NFL-record 2,105 in 1984, while showing the ability to run around, over or through defenders.
Mack, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound offensive guard, played all of his 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams -- going 184 games without missing a game due to injury or illness.
He had to wait 11 years to finally get the call to Canton, while Shaw -- a sterling offensive guard for the Buffalo Bills from 1961 to 1969 who was selected for induction by the veterans committee -- waited almost three times that.
There were only three guards in the hall. Now he and I make five,'' Shaw said. I can't explain to you why more guards haven't made it into the Hall of Fame. But it's an honor. It'll be fun going in with Tom.''
Newsome caught 662 passes in his 13 years -- all spent as a premier receiver and blocker with the Cleveland Browns.
He said he was happy that he had to wait four years for induction because it now dovetails with the advent of the new Browns franchise, which plays Dallas in Monday night's Hall of Fame exhibition game.
There was disappointment the first year, the second year and the third year when I got into the final six but didn't make it,'' he said. But to be going in at the same time those guys are going back on the field -- those orange helmets show up and football returns to the lakefront -- that makes it worth the wait.''
