The wait is over for former Buccaneers standout John Lynch. The hard-hitting safety has been voted into the Hall of Fame on his eighth try, getting the nod in the same season his old team, the Buccaneers, are a win away from another Super Bowl title.
Lynch was a catalyst behind Tampa's other Super Bowl title, in 2002. He had six solo tackles in the NFC title game that year. But more than the stats, it was Lynch's menacing presence in defensive backfields that gave his teams an edge during an era before constraints were placed on vicious tackling.
After 11 seasons with the Bucs, Lynch finished with four years at Denver, where he helped the Broncos come a game from the Super Bowl in 2005.
He was an AP All-Pro twice and made it to nine Pro Bowls. Over his last 11 seasons, he played on only two losing teams. He is now general manager of the 49ers. Lynch will become the fifth member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Buccaneer ties, joining Lee Roy Selmon, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Tony Dungy.
The Buccaneers released a statement from Co-Chairman Bryan Glazer saying, "John was one of the greatest Buccaneers of all time and our family is so proud of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is a class act on and off the field and is truly deserving of this honor. It is only fitting that he will be acknowledged in front of fans for the first time as a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2021 on the same field where he developed into an NFL legend.”
Peyton Manning is also heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an all-but-preordained honor for a quarterback who helped redefine offense in the 21st century.
The Colts and Broncos QB held or shared 12 NFL passing records when he retired in 2015 after winning his second Super Bowl title. One of those records - his 55 touchdown passes in 2013 - still stands as the league's single-season record.
His five MVP awards have also not been matched, and his 71,940 yards and 539 touchdown passes have only been surpassed by Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
Manning spent his first 14 years in Indianapolis, where he won his first Super Bowl. Then, after a series of delicate neck surgeries, he made a comeback in Denver.
If Tom Brady lifts Tampa Bay to a win in the Super Bowl on Sunday, he would join Manning as the only other quarterback to lead two franchises to a championship.
Manning's was the final name announced for the hall on the NFL Honors awards show Saturday night.
Charles Woodson, the Heisman Trophy winner who spent 18 seasons prowling defensive backfields for the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers, joins Manning and Lynch in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Woodson finished his career with 65 interceptions and led the league in that category twice. His 13 defensive touchdowns are tied for the career record.
He played his first eight and last three years in Oakland, sandwiched around seven years in Green Bay, where he won his only Super Bowl title.
He and Marcus Allen are the only players to win a Heisman, the AP Rookie of the Year, AP Player of the Year and a Super Bowl.
Calvin Johnson, the receiver better known as "Megatron," has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
In nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, Johnson made six Pro Bowls. He caught 731 passes and scored 84 touchdowns. He was an All-Pro three times and his 1,964 yards receiving in 2012, for an average of 123 yards a game, still stands as the NFL single-season record.
Much like another Lions Hall of Famer, Barry Sanders, Johnson retired unexpectedly in the prime of his career - at age 30 - leaving fans wondering if he had left too soon.
The Hall of Fame committee didn't think so, and ultimately, Johnson's status as a pre-eminent playmaker - he had five games with 200-plus yards receiving - got him into the hall on the first try.
Alan Faneca, the sturdy guard who spent years opening holes open for Jerome Bettis and protecting Ben Roethlisberger, is the fifth and final member of this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
In 10 seasons with Pittsburgh, two with the Jets and one more in Arizona, Faneca missed a grand total of one game.
He was selected to six All-Pro teams and nine Pro Bowls.
His best days came with the Steelers, who had a top-10 rushing attack in all but one of his seasons there, and won the Super Bowl in 2006.