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Michael Strahan (92) had 141 ½ sacks in 15 seasons with the Giants. He corralled the Patriots’ Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII. Doug Mills/The New York Times
A supersize smile that revealed a wide gap between his two front teeth made Michael Strahan appear to be a friendly giant roaming the fields of the N.F.L. in his 15 seasons with the Giants. But to opposing quarterbacks, he was far more menacing, registering 141 ½ sacks, including a single-season record 22 ½ in 2001.
Strahan was recognized as one of the greatest to play the game, being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night along with Derrick Brooks, a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Walter Jones, an offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks; Andre Reed, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills; and Aeneas Williams, a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals. Also elected were the senior candidates Ray Guy, a punter for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, and Claude Humphrey, a defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons.
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Strahan, who spent part of his childhood in Germany, did not play football until his senior year of high school, but he took to the game quickly and was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1993 draft. A versatile end who could defend the run as well as he rushed the passer, Strahan was the heart and soul of the Giants defense that upset the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Still an effective player, Strahan retired after the Super Bowl victory, choosing instead to purse what became a successful broadcasting career. In 2012, he was named as Regis Philbin’s replacement as co-host of the morning show “Live! With Kelly.â€
While Strahan’s election, in his second year of eligibility, was somewhat expected, the announcement of the Hall of Fame class was a relief to Guy, who waited 23 years before being elected.
Nearly universally regarded as the game’s greatest punter, Guy had become a cause célèbre among the game’s specialists. In 1973, he became the first punter to be drafted in the first round, and now he is the first to make the Hall of Fame. Historically averse to enshrining specialists, the Hall currently has only three place-kickers: Lou Groza, Jan Stenerud and George Blanda, Guy’s former teammate with the Raiders.
A six-time All-Pro in 14 seasons, Guy led the league in punting three times — averaging more than 40 yards a punt in all but one season — and was a vital member of three Super Bowl-winning teams.
“You just don’t know what the feeling means at this time,†Guy said. “It’s been a long time. It’s been a lot of frustration.â€
He said that John Madden would present him at his induction, and that he hoped his election would be a good thing for all specialists.
“Now what I think is going to happen is it’s going to give the younger generation of punters and kickers and snappers hope,†Guy said. “There is a place for us.â€
Humphrey, who like Guy was a senior candidate after falling off the regular ballot, was a five-time All-Pro, and had an unofficial 122 sacks in 14 seasons. He was in his 28th year of eligibility.
Brooks did not have to wait nearly as long as Guy or Humphrey, gaining election in his first year on the ballot. In 14 seasons, all for Tampa Bay, Brooks was named an All-Pro nine times. He was the N.F.L.’s defensive player of the year for the 2002 season when he helped guide a ferocious defense to a win in Super Bowl XXXVII. He finished his career with 1,715 tackles in 224 games and was a member of the N.F.L.’s All-Decade team for the 2000s.
Jones, also elected in his first year on the ballot, was one of the most versatile and reliable tackles the game has seen. Named to seven All-Pro teams partly for his work clearing paths for Ricky Watters and Shaun Alexander, Jones was brutally efficient as a pass blocker. He was beaten for a sack only 23 times, and was called for holding only nine times in 12 seasons.
“When I came into the league, all I wanted to do was get here,†Jones said. “For me to be here now, and for the team that I started with and finished with to be in the Super Bowl, is icing on the cake.â€
Reed, overlooked in recent seasons as modern offenses have made his statistics seem more humble, was a linchpin of the K-Gun offense led by Jim Kelly that took the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994. He finished his career with 951 receptions for 13,198 yards and 87 touchdowns. Williams, who played for the Cardinals and the Rams for 14 seasons, recorded 55 interceptions, returning nine for touchdowns, and once returned a fumble 104 yards for a score.
The official inductions will take place at a ceremony at the Hall in Canton, Ohio, in August.
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