Former Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko waited a long time for this, too long in his opinion.
He earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday 30 years after first becoming eligible.
Klecko thought it might never happen but always held out hope it would.
“I’ve been waiting 30 years to give this speech,” Klecko said at the start of his 14-minute, 11-second acceptance.
Part of the Jets’ iconic New York Sack Exchange, Klecko made 78 sacks in his 11 seasons with the Jets, with 54 of them coming before 1982 when defensive sacks were made official. An NFL-leading 20.5 of those came in 1981, when the Sack Exchange set a franchise record with 66 sacks.
“I had a great career and I had a wonderful ride,” Klecko said. “I pray that I have treated everyone with respect. I wanted to be remembered as a player who gave it his all. I wanted to win every down and every battle. I always felt that if you’re not mad at yourself, if you lost one battle, you didn’t belong on a football field. And if you didn’t lose one, what were you going to do to never lose that battle again? I’ve always said, ‘That’s how you play the game.’
“You know, I’m in a lot of Hall of Fames. I’m in the Jersey Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Temple Hall of Fame, and hell, I’m even in the Polish Hall of Fame. Now, there’s only one Hall of Fame I have left. That’s His [as he points to the sky]. I know God knows how much I love him, and every blessing in our lives is because of him.”
Klecko then let Fireman Ed have the last say as the super fan in the audience led Klecko and fans in the team’s “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!” battlecry.
