Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities continued Friday in Canton, Ohio, leading up to Saturday’s enshrinement ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The Chicago Bears are well-represented with Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers part of the seven-man Class of 2024.
In the lead-up to Saturday’s big event, here’s a collection of sights, sounds, nuggets and vignettes involving the Bears.
Just one question
Let the record reflect that Tony Dungy’s Indianapolis Colts were the victors in Super Bowl XLI, defeating Lovie Smith’s Bears 29-17 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
More than 17 years later, Dungy has come to grips with getting asked far more often about his decision to open that game than about the final result.
“That is probably the first question I get asked,” Dungy told the Tribune on Friday morning after the Hall of Famers group photo in Centennial Plaza. “It’s not, ‘How did it feel when you won the Super Bowl?’ but, ‘What in the world were you thinking when you kicked off to Devin Hester?’”
Dungy wanted to set a fearless tone and immediately challenge the Bears All-Pro return specialist. And Hester made the Colts pay with an electric 92-yard touchdown that was the signature moment in his Hall of Fame career.
Dungy has talked openly about his thought process for years and has been asked to go down that road dozens of times this week as Hester takes his place in Canton. Dungy’s regret factor, of course, is lessened because his Colts rallied to beat the Bears and claim the Lombardi Trophy.
That victory was instrumental in Dungy reaching the Hall of Fame himself in the Class of 2016. He has been happy this week to express admiration for Hester as a playmaker — even if he has to repeatedly revisit that kickoff decision.
“Such a special player and a unique talent,” Dungy said. “I know there was a lot of talk back and forth (during the selection process) about, ‘Oh, he’s just a specialist.’ But when you’re the best at what you do in your era, you should be a Hall of Famer. And Devin was the best at what he did.”
Photos: Chicago Bears greats during Pro Football Hall of Fame weekend
‘Pure joy’
Bears rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze guesses he was about 5 or 6 years old, an energetic kid in Las Vegas, when he first stumbled across the YouTube video that ignited his passion for football.
It was 4 minutes, 46 seconds long. All Hester return highlights, accompanied by Lil Wayne and Jody Breeze’s “Catch Me If You Can.”
Watching a short segment of that montage recently, Odunze laughed out loud.
“Oh, yeah, man,” he said. “When I was a kid, watching that was pure joy. I would be smiling ear to ear. You’d sit there and watch what he was doing, combined with that soundtrack, man, and it was super inspiring. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.”
Odunze walked into Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday night wearing a navy Bears Hester jersey, an adult model of what he sported as a kid with the No. 23 he wore throughout his youth career.
Reppin' our Hall of Famers pic.twitter.com/BxyEIw5eer
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 1, 2024
It’s remarkable to think Hester’s electric playmaking and swagger helped inspire one of the organization’s current rising stars to break into the sport.
“Devin was my spark, honestly,” Odunze said. “In my mind, it was like, ‘Man, I want to go do that.’ And so I’m a kid wearing No. 23 … imagining that I’m my favorite player. And watching him do what he did gave me my own confidence and my own push to give it my all.”
‘This dude is different’
While Jarrett Payton has the honor Saturday of presenting McMichael for enshrinement, he also has close ties to Hester. Payton was a fifth-year senior running back at Miami in 2003 when Hester arrived on campus as an explosive freshman.
Payton’s first impressions were that Hester was a quiet kid with a sharp sense of style.
And then there was that speed.
“I have never seen anybody with my own two eyes that was that fast,” Payton said. “Like, I’ve never seen speed like that. And I was in a place that was built on speed at The U.”
Hester’s first return touchdown in college came in the Hurricanes’ Week 2 game against rival Florida, a 97-yard burst on the opening kickoff.
“When you hear somebody run past you and it makes a sound,” Payton said, “that’s when you know, ‘This dude is different.’ Just like, ‘Vrooooom!’ It’s the Road Runner. You’re not used to that.”
For years, Payton has told anyone who will listen that Hester complemented his explosive athleticism with diligent preparation habits, the secret sauce that took him from great to legendary.
“We all see how good he was and what he was like as an athlete,” Payton said. “But I don’t think we really appreciate how much he studied. I don’t think we really understand how much film he truly watched.
“Yeah, a lot of (returning) is about reaction and (playing off the) guys blocking for you. But behind the scenes, you have to watch people’s tendencies on special teams and where guys go and the lanes they take. It’s over and over again in watching cut-ups to get that edge.
“And then with the athleticism and the speed, once you watch it all over and over again, I think that’s what makes the football players I’ve been around and that I’ve seen and played with special. And he’s one of them.”
Paying it forward
As a group of Bears players and coaches toured the Hall of Fame this week, Hester gave them a short speech, reflecting on his career achievements and encouraging them to embrace their moments.
Hester’s reflections on his eight seasons in Chicago included a deep appreciation for the tight bonds that existed inside the Bears locker room. And that message resonated with Bears coach Matt Eberflus.
“You feel just how appreciative he is for his time with the Bears, how much he loved that time and the camaraderie he had with the guys,” Eberflus said Thursday night after the Bears’ weather-shortened victory in the Hall of Fame Game. “You can really feel that. He knows how lucky he is.
“What are there, 378 members now inside the Hall? And he’s one of those guys. And he really honors that. He’s excited to have that (distinction). And they can never take that away from him.”
