Brown talks for 31 minutes, Seau’s daughter wins the day
Tim Brown wasn’t about to cut himself short, not after such a long wait to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The former Oakland Raiders receiver needed six years to earn induction.
He took 31 minutes and 27 seconds to recount his career Saturday night, apologizing several times for the length of his speech. Only Jerome Bettis’ speech, which went 33:32 to wrap up the night, was longer.
“I can’t wait to enjoy this for the rest of my life,” Brown said.
Brown mentioned 69 people by name in his nine-page transcript, including the 19 quarterbacks he caught passes from during his NFL career.
Brown, a Woodrow Wilson graduate, became the first player from the Dallas Independent School District to gain enshrinement. He gave a shout-out to the Wildcats and his former coach, Leon Hamilton, who attended the ceremony Saturday night.
Brown went on to Notre Dame and ended up the sixth overall pick of the Raiders in 1988, the year after he became the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy.
He caught 1,094 passes for 14,934 yards and 100 touchdowns in 17 NFL seasons. But his mother, Josephine, who was against him playing football, always kept him grounded, Brown said.
“I have to tell you guys a story, because, I believe, it changed my life,” he said. “I won the Heisman Trophy, and I played my rookie year, and I make the Pro Bowl. I come home, and there’s a big banner outside that says: Welcome home, Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Bowler Tim Brown.
“She said, ‘Hey, you see the sign?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘You know why the sign is here outside?’ I said, ‘No.’ She said, ‘Because all this is going to stay outside my house. When you come inside my house, you’re not going to be this person. You’re going to be Timmy.’ For the rest of my career, that’s who I was. I was Timmy.”
Seau steals show
Terrible Towel-waving Steelers fans won the day, dominating the crowd of 21,755, but Sydney Seau stole the show.
After controversy over the late Junior Seau’s induction, and whether the Pro Football Hall of Fame would allow his daughter and presenter, Sydney, to speak, she answered one question from an NFL Network reporter with a 3-minute, 12-second answer that drew a standing ovation.
Junior Seau committed suicide in 2012, resulting in the family’s wrongful-death lawsuit against the NFL after his diagnosis of a degenerative brain condition.
“I think my father would be completely overwhelmed and honored to be inducted into the class with the most elite athletes and professionals,” Sydney Seau said. “First and foremost, he would thank the seven buddies [fellow inductees] out on stage with him tonight. I know this isn’t my speech to give; it’s his. He spent 20 years with them in the league, and he deserves this moment. All I can do is humbly attempt to thank the people within his life and career that made this induction possible.”
She went on to thank Seau’s family, pausing twice, overcome with emotion.
“Dad, you gave us your time, your presence, your love, but most of all you gave us your heart,” she concluded, “and I know at times, it seemed as if everything you accomplished in life wasn’t enough, but today and every day since you’ve held me in your arms for the first time, you were more than just enough; you were everything. I hope this induction can exemplify the fact that you are more than Junior Seau, No. 55. You are a light.
“I want nothing more than to see you come on stage, give the speech you were meant to give and tell me you love me one last time. But that isn’t our reality. I know his athleticism and talent made him extraordinary enough to make it into the Hall, but it is his passion and heart that make him truly legendary and deserving of this tremendous honor. ... Dad, I love you, and I miss you. Congratulations! You made it.”
Charean Williams, 817-390-7760
This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Brown talks for 31 minutes, Seau’s daughter wins the day."