Passionate Safety Brian Dawkins Enters Hall Of Fame
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Weapon X is now a Hall of Famer.
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Brian Dawkins, one of the hardest-hitting and most versatile safeties in NFL history, has been inducted into the pro football shrine.
Dawkins stared at his bust and nodded his approval to the crowd.
An extremely popular player for 13 seasons in Philadelphia and another three in Denver, Dawkins guaranteed he would cry during his inductions speech. He was true to his word during a passionate oration that echoed his playing style.
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"The majority of success I have had has come on the back end of pain," he said noting he had suicidal thoughts when he battled depression. "On the other side of it, all of a sudden I became better. There's a purpose for my pain.
"I have grown leaps and bounds because of the things I went through. For those going through this now, there is hope on the other side. Keep moving, keep pushing through."
Dawkins was the leader of an Eagles defense that made four straight NFC championship games and one Super Bowl. Voted to the 2000s NFL All-Decade Team and a five-time All-Pro, Dawkins intercepted passes in 15 consecutive seasons and had 37 picks overall. He averaged nearly 100 tackles a year and spotlighted his versatility as the first player in NFL history to get a sack, interception, fumble recovery and touchdown catch (on a screen pass) in a game, against Houston in 2002.
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