Former Rams RB Faulk enters Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio -- Prime Time has come to Canton -- with an extra touch of gold. And a black do-rag.

Deion Sanders strutted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night sporting a pair of gold shoes to go with the gold jacket emblematic of the special company he has become a part of.

At the end of his riveting acceptance speech, he placed his ubiquitous do-rag on his hall bust.

Neon Deion indeed.

"This game," Sanders repeated dozens of times, "this game taught me how to be a man. This game taught me if I get knocked down, I got to get my butt back up.

Marshall Faulk speaks Saturday during his induction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. (TONY DEJAK ~ Associated Press)

"I always had a rule in life that I would never love anything that couldn't love me back. It taught me how to be a man, how to get up, how to live in pain. Taught me so much about people, timing, focus, dedication, submitting oneself, sacrificing.

"If your dream ain't bigger than you, there's a problem with your dream."

Sanders joined Marshall Faulk in entering the hall in their first year of eligibility. Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter and Ed Sabol also were enshrined before an enthusiastic crowd of 13,300 -- much smaller than the usual turnout. Fawcett Stadium was half full partly because today's Hall of Fame game was a victim of the 4 1/2-month NFL lockout.

Not that Sanders needs a big audience.

The dynamic cornerback and kick returner ran off a list of people who influenced him as smoothly as he ran past opponents, whether running back kicks or interceptions -- or even catching passes when he appeared as a wide receiver, or dashing around the bases in the major leagues, including one World Series appearance.

He spoke of promising his mother she could stop working in a hospital when he became a success, and of how he created the Prime Time image at Florida State -- then turned it into a persona.

A Hall of Fame persona.

"What separates us is that we expect to be great," he said. "I expect to be great. I expect to do what had to be done. I expect to make change."

Just as Sharpe expected to change his life as a kid who went to college with two brown grocery bags filled with his belongings.

When Sharpe headed to Savannah State, all he heard was how he was destined to fail.

"When people told me I'd never make it, I listened to the one person who said I could: me," Sharpe said.

Failure? Sharpe went from a seventh-round draft pick to the most prolific tight end of his time. He won two Super Bowls with Denver and one with Baltimore, and at the time of his retirement in 2003, his 815 career receptions, 10,060 yards and 62 TDs were all NFL records for a tight end. Three times he went over 1,000 yards receiving in a season -- almost unheard of for that position. In a 1993 playoff game, Sharpe had 13 catches against Oakland to tie a record.

Sharpe patted his bust on the head Saturday before saying, "All these years later, it makes me proud when people call me a self-made man."

In a captivating acceptance speech, Sharpe passionately made a pitch to get his brother, Sterling, who played seven years with the Packers, considered for election to the shrine. Sterling, who introduced his younger brother for induction, wept as Shannon praised him.

"I am the only player who has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and am the second-best player in my family," Shannon said.

Faulk was the running back of running backs for much of his 12-season career.

As versatile and dangerous a backfield threat as the NFL has seen, Faulk was voted the NFL's top offensive player in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and was the NFL's MVP in 2000. He was the league's scoring leader in 2000 and 2001, made seven Pro Bowls and was the first player to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage in four consecutive years.

Faulk, the second overall draft pick in 1994 when was offensive rookie of the year, played five seasons in Indianapolis, then his final seven for St. Louis. He helped the Rams to their only Super Bowl victory in 1999.

"Boy this is pretty special," he said through tears. "I am glad to be a part of it. This is football heaven.

"I am a football fan just like all of you. I have always, always been a fan and had an abiding passion and love and respect for this game of football, even when I was a kid selling popcorn in the Superdome because I couldn't afford a ticket.

"It's tough going from the projects to the penthouse."

Dent was a dynamic pass rusher on one of the NFL's greatest defenses, the 1985 NFL champions. He was the MVP of that Super Bowl and finished with 137 1/2 career sacks, third all-time when he left the sport.