Reggie White Enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame

In a Hall of Fame induction ceremony that on Sunday, featured the best induction class in recent memory with Troy Aikman, Coach John Madden, Rayfield Wright, Harry Carson, and Warren Moon, one name stood out above all the other great players. That man was Reggie White. The late "minister of defense" and the second most NFL all-time sacks leader was enshrined by his wife Sarah in one of the most emotional speeches ever given at the Canton,Ohio hallowed grounds. While the other superstars had their time on the podium, the day was certainly one that belonged to Reggie White. There are very few players that have ever played pro sports that you can't help but like no matter what team they play for. Ripken, Gretzky, Stockton, are some of the athletes that fall into this very exclusive class. However, few of even those athletes can match White's likeability. Spending the majority of his career on my hated Eagles, he was one of those guys you always wanted to do good, even after he jumped ship in Green Bay to play for the also hated Panthers, Reggie's charisma on the field and positive message and example he preached to youth all over the country is one truly spoken from the heart of a true champion in every sense of the word. I like to think that if Reggie wouldn't have spent the first two years playing for the Memphis Showboats of the USFL, which his wife mentioned in the speech on Sunday, that we would be easily the NFL's all time sacks leader. Reggie White wasn't scared of the physical world that was the NFL, he also wasn't afraid to take controversial stands on issues that weren't always the "politically correct" thing to stand for. That's one of the things I always respected about him no matter how much I hated the Eagles and the Panthers. People, especially athletes, should take a lead from Reggie White and see the way not only defense was supposed to be played, but the way life was supposed to be lived.