He’s In. About Time!
We asked for it to happen a few weeks ago on our Seahawks blog. Now it has come true!
The Pro football Hall of Fame came calling today, and former Seattle Seahawks great Cortez Kennedy proudly answered that call. I hope the Hall has a size 60 gold men’s jacket ready!
He and four other linemen have made the class of the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with running back Curtis Martin, Chris Doleman, Willie Roaf, Dermontti Dawson, and senior selection Jack Butler.
Probably one of my favorite Seattle Seahawks lineman ever. The “TEZ” was a disruptive force inside, both as a run stopper and at getting after quarterbacks.
He won the 1992 Defensive Player of the Year, on a 1-15 Seahawks ball club.
He also made eight Pro Bowls, had 58 sacks, which I must say isn’t to shabby for a nose tackle, and we were privledged to watch him for his entire eleven year NFL career in the northwest.
He was a sought-after first-round draft choice in 1990, was a member of the NFL’s Team of the Decade for the 1990s and is the most-decorated defensive player in Seahawks franchise history.
Warren Moon who was sitting on the stage during the announcement today had this to say about Cortez.
Cortez Kennedy Pro Football Hall Of Fame Class of 2012. Here he comes Canton!
“I played with Cortez Kennedy for a couple of years in Seattle, and the way he dominated the game at the nose tackle spot … having 14 sacks in a season from that position, also has three interceptions in his career, believe it or not,” Moon said.
“The guy is just an all-around great football player. So he’s a guy I think is very deserving.”
A panel of 44 media members voted. The inductions are in early August in Canton, Ohio.
The other former greats not selected Saturday included Will Shieds, Jerome Bettis, Cris Carter, Bill Parcells, Tim Brown, Andre Reed, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Aeneas Williams, Edward DeBartolo Jr., and finally Dick Stanfel.
The “TEZ” was a finalist for the fourth consecutive year, and has now reached the sports mecca for retired players. He joins former Seahawks great Steve Largent as the only other Seahawks player to be honored with a bust in Canton.
We said in our TEZ article last month that sure other Hall of Famers Franco Harris, Carl Eller, Warren Moon, John Randle, and Jerry Rice all played for the Seahawks. We pointed out then that it’s just not the same. They all went in with different uniforms and all of them only played for Seattle for a short period of time at the end of their distinguished careers.
This time it’s different. This time he’s really one of ours.
What a thrill it will be to see Tez OFFICIALLY enter the Hall in late August. Congratulations my man on being elected today to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.