By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: The Boston Globe
Former NFL Kicker and 4x Super Bowl champion Adam Vinatieri will be delivering his speech on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Vinatieri always dreamed of playing football ever since he can remember. One thing he never dreamed of was to become a Hall of Famer someday. It’s been long overdue. He was an elite field goal kicker. His performances helped teams win, like the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.
“To think that you’re one of the 387 guys that’s in the Hall of Fame, that’s absolutely amazing,” Vinatieri said.
Vinatieri first heard about him potentially being a Hall of Famer through the New England media during his final years there. New England fans are tough on players. Vinatieri played 14 seasons with the Patriots. He became a beloved figure in the city. By the time he retired, he had played 24 seasons. He spent the last ten seasons with the Colts.
Being a great teammate and leader made him respectable and likable among his teammates and fanbase. Many fans felt that he should’ve been a first-ballot Hall of Famer two years ago. The process of the Hall of Fame is strange. There have been athletes in the past that should have gotten in the first year, such as Terrell Owens and Bill Belichick.
“Everybody has their own story,” Vinatieri said. “I love talking to the fellas about their process. Morton Anderson told me when he didn’t go in initially. His wife ordered a sandwich, and the people knock on the door to present, to bring this and Morton, “OH MY GOD, I MADE IT,” opens the door, and it’s room service. He’s like, so he told his wife, “Never again will you order anything on that day,” Vinatieri said.
It’s a funny story about how Vinatieri shared about his fellow kicker, Anderson. He’s also one of the greatest field goal kickers of all time.
Vinatieri was selected as an AP first-team All-Pro three times and named to three Pro Bowl teams. He had stacked numbers such as 2,673 career points, 599 field goals made in 715 attempts, and 21 seasons with 100+ points.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
