CANTON, Ohio — Devin Hester’s Hall of Fame enshrinement montage began where a Chicago Bears fan might expect.
The footage on the big screen at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday afternoon showed cameras flashing for the opening kickoff of the 2007 Super Bowl — and Hester stunning the country as he caught the football amid a downpour and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts at what is now Hard Rock Stadium.
Although, as Hester, a Miami Hurricanes star from 2003-05, explained as he started his speech in his gold jacket, opening a game with such a return maybe wasn’t all that stunning, even if the Indianapolis Colts kicking the ball to him was.
From the time he was a child, Hester, who graduated from Riviera Beach’s Suncoast High School, always started games with such theatrics, he said. It was how he knew that the game of football, which made him one of the most beloved players of all time in Chicago, was meant for him.
“I felt like football chose me,” Hester said.
On Saturday, nearly 10 years after he scored his NFL-record 21st return touchdown, Hester officially became among the chosen few to be called Pro Football Hall of Famers. He is the first primary return specialist to make it into the Hall, and though he waited a couple of years longer than he would have liked for the call — and an extra hour on the day of the enshrinement — it was a big celebration for him and the Bears, who had many notable representatives in attendance, including former coach Lovie Smith.
“You didn’t know what you were getting yourself into,” Hester said to the Bears. “But you believed you had something special coming your way.”
Thunderstorms soaked the Canton stadium about an hour before the enshrinement was about to begin, and the field and stage setup had to be temporarily abandoned because of lightning. Festivities ultimately were delayed about 90 minutes and then hurriedly started before fans finished streaming in the entrances.
As host Chris Berman kicked off the ceremony, he asked a navy-and-orange-spotted crowd — which even had Michael Jordan in attendance to support friends and Hall of Famers Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers — “Are we in Chicago?”
A large Bears contingent turned out to honor a trio of revered stars.
Photos: Chicago Bears greats during Pro Football Hall of Fame weekend
Hester, the greatest return man of all time. Steve McMichael, the tough defensive lineman and bombastic personality at the front of the 1985 Bears defense. Peppers, the 17-year pass rusher who drew the love of Bears fans in just four seasons in Chicago.
They joined Freeney, Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis in bringing the grand total of Hall of Famers to 378.
Hester, along with the others, received his gold jacket Friday night, tearfully embracing his idol, Deion Sanders, who helped him slip it on. And on Saturday, with his mother, Juanita Brown, by his side and much of his family seated at a stage-front table, he unveiled his bust.
Brown — with the help of Hester’s three sons — introduced Hester in the video montage, which she ended with announcer Jeff Joniak’s famous catchphrase: “Devin Hester, you are ridiculous.”
Hester spent most of his 17-minute speech offering heartfelt thanks and expressions of pride to his family — his mother, father, stepfather, siblings, wife and sons. And he went down a long list of Bears staff to show appreciation for the team that drafted him in the second round in 2006 and helped him become a star over his first eight seasons.
