CANTON, Ohio — Dwight Freeney was playing soccer in high school when the football coach took him off the field.
It was a life-changing move.
Freeney, a three-time All-Pro defensive end with the Indianapolis Colts, was the first player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame among seven members of the Class of 2024 on Saturday.
“My parents are both Jamaican, so soccer was in my blood,” Freeney said. “If it wasn’t for my high school coach, Jack Cochran, pulling me off that soccer field and convincing me to play this great game, I wouldn’t be on this stage today. Your invaluable lessons in work ethic have stayed with me for my entire life. You also taught me what it takes to become a champion.”
The other players to be inducted Saturday were Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis.
The ceremony was delayed nearly two hours because of heavy rain and lightning at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Similar weather on Thursday night forced the preseason opener between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans to be stopped with 18 minutes remaining in the game.
Colts owner Jim Irsay, who is recovering from a fall, introduced Freeney in a video message. Irsay then was brought on stage in a wheelchair to help unveil Freeney’s bronze bust.
Former NFL player Dwight Freeney, second from right, and his presenter Jim Irsay, lower left, unveil Freeney’s bust during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
“He arguably was the best Colt defensive player in our 60-plus year history,” Irsay said.
Considered too small by some analysts and a reach when the Colts selected him No. 11 overall in the 2002 draft, Freeney quickly proved doubters wrong and thrived in coach Tony Dungy’s Tampa-2 defensive scheme.
He lasted 11 seasons in Indianapolis and played 16 total, registering 125 1/2 sacks, many using his signature swing move. He forced 47 fumbles, made seven Pro Bowls and earned one Super Bowl ring.
In his speech, Freeney apologized to his mother for scaring her when he jumped out of a babysitter’s second-story window at age 2.
“Maybe that daredevil helped me create my spin move,” he joked.
Dungy, former Colts assistant Bruce Arians and Hall of Fame Colts quarterback Peyton Manning were among those who came out to celebrate Freeney’s induction. Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan also was part of Freeney’s party. Freeney plays golf with Jordan.