As a teenager, Orlando Pace visited the Hall of Fame. He decided at that time to make it there himself.
Twenty-seven years later, and arguably one year later than he should have, Pace is now a Hall of Famer.
During the speech commemorating his induction, Pace said he never told anyone about what became the first goal of his life, but that it fueled everything he did as he climbed from high school football to Ohio State to the first overall pick in the draft of the then-St. Louis Rams in 1997.
Pace then thanked several family members, his Ohio State teammates (specifically the late Korey Stringer), his coach at Ohio State (John Cooper), his teammates with the Rams, his coach with the Rams (Dick Vermeil), and then his children and wife.
Like Marvin Harrison, Pace’s speech was long on thanks and acknowledgements but short on navel-gazing. That’ll likely come later tonight, when this year’s quarterback grabs the microphone and quite possibly doesn’t let go until he falls asleep at the podium.