“In this, my 10th year of eligibility, I walk into the hall as a member of this ’22,” Young said, his voice cracking. “2022. 22.” Young’s voice broke even more when he talked about how his son, diagnosed at age 13 in 2014, bravely handled the news after being told in 2016 that the cancer had spread and treatments were no longer working. It was a powerful moment that had the crowd giving Young a standing ovation. “Colby got a sense of where things were going,” Young said. “He did not fear death so much as the process of dying. Would it be painful? Will they remember him? “Colby… you live in our hearts… We will always say your name.” 2 Related Young’s speech was the most moving moment of the evening. Joining Young in the Hall are offensive tackle Tony Bocelli, wide receiver Cliff Branch, safety LeRoy Butler, linebacker Art McNally, defensive back Richard Seymour and coach Dick Vermeil. Young was a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro and a member of the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team. He was also the 1999 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after leading the 49ers with 11 sacks to to go along with 20 quarterback pressures in his return from a broken leg. Boselli was a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and a member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team before his career was cut short by a shoulder injury. He was the first pick in Jacksonville Jaguars history in 1995 (second overall) and is the first player in franchise history to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He summed up that honor with the first four words he said: “Well, this is amazing. “… Being the first Jacksonville Jaguar to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a profound honor.” Branch, who died on August 3, 2019, won three Super Bowls in his 14-year career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He was a three-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler. His sister, Elaine Anderson, spoke on his behalf and said she felt her brother was here in spirit along with two other Raiders Hall of Famers. “Today is bittersweet because we miss our beloved Clifford and sweet because she is now history,” he said. “I want to tell you there’s a sweet spirit in this place today. Clifford, No. 21, wouldn’t be missing for anything. He longed for this day and 21 sits front and center with Al Davis and John Madden. “ Butler played 12 seasons in Green Bay, won a Super Bowl and was a four-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. A member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team, he is also credited with creating one of the most iconic touchdown celebrations in NFL history: the Lambeau Leap. He battled foot problems as a kid — he was in braces or a cast and at times confined to a wheelchair — to go on to play more games than any defensive back in Green Bay history. “When you play for the Green Bay Packers, it opens a lot of doors,” Butler said. “You win a Super Bowl, all the doors open. When you make the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens.” McNally is the first official to enter the Hall. He is considered the “Father of Instant Replay” after the replay system was introduced to the NFL in 1985, and the league’s command center in Manhattan is named after him. “That’s the biggest thing I need in an employee: Get the job done [and] We hope no one will even know you were alive,” McNally said via video. “He makes the calls as they should: With a heavy dose of common sense.” Mills began his professional football career in the USFL before signing with the New Orleans Saints in 1986. Despite being only 9 feet tall, Mills quickly established himself as one of the league’s best players, making five Pro Bowls and being named All- Pro three times. Mills died of bowel cancer in 2005, two years after his diagnosis. His widow, Melanie Mills, said her husband’s motto of “Keep Pounding” — adopted by the Carolina Panthers after he signed as a free agent in 1995 — was something he lived on off the field as well. “He was more than just a great football player,” Melanie Mills said. “He was a father, friend and husband and a leader who always hit hard, no matter the odds. “Keep hitting, everyone. That’s what Sam would have you do.” Seymour spent eight seasons with the New England Patriots and four with the Oakland Raiders. He made seven Pro Bowls and was voted to the All-Pro team three times. He won three Super Bowls and was a member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade team. “I’m humbled today, not by what this moment says about me, but by what this moment says about us and what we can do together,” Seymour said. “I’m overwhelmed today with gratitude because I didn’t get here alone. None of us did. None of us could have, class of 2022. They say you can judge a man by the company he keeps. I couldn’t be among in better company than you. “It’s a privilege to have my name forever linked with yours in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” Vermeil, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl and the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title, he was named NFL Coach of the Year twice by The Sporting News and once by the Associated Press. The man known to wear his emotions on his sleeve gave the longest speech of the day. He spoke for more than 20 minutes and thanked a long list of players, coaches, mentors, friends and family members. “I wish I had time to go through them all,” he said. Vermeil said the only thing that will make him feel better is seeing coaches Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan and Tom Coughlin come on board. “Believe me, if I deserve it, so do they,” he said.