Last week, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors finalized who will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, this upcoming August. The Class of 2022 was announced at NFL Honors on Thursday, February 10. The honorees include former coach, Dick Vermeil, wide receiver Cliff Branch, offensive tackle Tony Boselli, defensive back LeRoy Butler, defensive tackle Richard Seymour, defensive tackle Bryant Young, linebacker Sam Mills and officials supervisor Art McNally.
Dick Vermeil coached the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976-1982 and later the St. Louis Rams (1997-1999) and Kansas City Chiefs (2001-2005). Vermeil took over a Philadelphia football team that was far from successful, and by his third year at the helm in 1978, guided the Eagles to their first playoff appearance in 18 years. In 1979, Vermeil was named NFL Coach of the Year by Pro Football Weekly and Sporting News. Vermeil’s Eagles won an NFC East Division title in 1980, advancing to Super Bowl XV where they were defeated by the Oakland Raiders.
In total, Vermeil led the Eagles to the playoffs in four of his six full seasons as head coach. After an extended break from coaching, Vermeil returned to the NFL in 1997 with the St. Louis Rams. After back-to-back losing seasons in 1997 and 1998, Vermeil coached the Rams to a 13-3 campaign in 1999, culminating with a Super Bowl XXXIV victory over Tennessee that saw Kurt Warner named MVP. For his efforts, Vermeil was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Maxwell Club, Sporting News and the Associated Press.
Tony Boselli, a standout offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is also headed to Canton. Boselli is the first Jaguars player to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 2nd overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, Boselli played with the Jaguars through 2001, earning three straight first-team All-Pro selections from 1997-1999. Similarly, he was named to the Pro Bowl in five consecutive seasons from 1996-2000. A member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and the Pride of the Jaguars (Jacksonville’s Hall of Fame), Boselli was named the NFL Alumni Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1998. Boselli was a collegiate standout at Southern California as he was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in three straight years from 1992-1994, as well as a first-team All-American during that span. In 1994, he was awarded the Morris Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-10 Conference as selected by his fellow collegiate players. Boselli was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
LeRoy Butler played the entirety of his 12-year NFL career from 1990-2001 with the Green Bay Packers. As Green Bay’s starting strong safety for nearly a decade, Butler was named to four Pro Bowls (1993, 1996-1998). In all four of those seasons, Butler was also selected as first-team All-Pro. He finished his career with 989 tackles, 38 interceptions and 40.5 sacks. A member of the Packers Hall of Fame, Butler was also named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. Butler led the Packers in interceptions in five different seasons. In 1993, he posted a career-high six picks, recording 89 total tackles. Butler had five picks in consecutive seasons from 1995-1997. For the 1996 season, Butler had 6.5 sacks, a career-best, to go along with 87 tackles. That year, he helped Green Bay to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, where the Packers defeated the New England Patriots, giving Butler a championship ring. Known for his versatility at the safety position and combining sound tackling techniques with the ability to lock down the opposing team’s receivers, Butler was the first defensive back in the history of the league to record both 20 sacks and 20 interceptions in his career.
Richard Seymour played 12 years in the NFL, primarily with the New England Patriots (2001-2008) and later the Oakland Raiders (2009-2012). Seymour was among the most dominant defensive tackles of his day and also played defensive end during his career. He helped turn New England into a dynasty in the early 2000s as a member of three Patriots-winning Super Bowl teams (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX). Seymour was named to seven Pro Bowls in his career, five times with the Patriots (2002-2006) and twice with Oakland (2010-2011). He earned first-team All-Pro honors in three straight seasons from 2003-2005 and, in 2006 and 2011, was named second-team All-Pro. Seymour is a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team and the Patriots All-2000s Team. Similarly, he was also included on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team roster. A first-round selection out of Georgia in the 2001 NFL Draft, Seymour recorded 496 tackles and 57.5 sacks during his time in the league.
Bryant Young spent his entire NFL career from 1994-2007 with the San Francisco 49ers.He was named to the Pro Bowl four times in his career (1996, 1999, 2001, 2002), earning first-team All-Pro honors in 1996. Young was also selected as second-team All-Pro for the 1998, 1999 and 2001 seasons. Young won NFC Rookie of the Year honors from United Press International in 1994 and also that year helped San Francisco win Super Bowl XXIX over the San Diego Chargers. During the 1998 season, Young went down with a knee injury that ended his year prematurely. However, he bounced back nicely in 1999, posting 11 sacks on the year, a performance that won him NFL Comeback Player of the Year accolades. During his career, he recorded 89.5 sacks and 618 tackles in 208 games played. Named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade team, Young is also a member of 49ers Hall of Fame.
Cliff Branch won three Super Bowls at wide receiver with the Oakland Raiders during his career from 1972-1985. Sam Mills was a five-time Pro-Bowler at linebacker with the New Orleans Saints (1986-1994) and Carolina Panthers (1995-1997) and Art McNally served as the NFL’s supervisor of officials from 1968-1991.SportsSpeakers 360 has been providing companies and organizations with access to thousands of athletes in all major sports for close to 25 years, including many of the newly inducted Hall of Famers. If you’d like to book Bryant Young, secure a LeRoy Butler appearance or Dick Vermeil speaking engagement among others, please contact Sports Speakers 360 today!
