Cris Carter had an emotional reaction when he was announced as one of the class of 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame members.
The former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver joined Jonathan Ogden, Warren Sapp, Larry Allen, and Bill Parcells, as well as senior nominees Curley Culp and Dave Robinson as the seven people who made it into Canton this year. Carter broke down while speaking as one of the players selected for enshrinement.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s the most amazing thing that’s happened to me,” said Carter. “People told me when I didn’t get in the first year, and when I didn’t get in the second year … they told me that it would still be awesome (when I finally did make it). They weren’t lying.
“The process is what it is. These players are unbelievable. To be in a class like this … to play against these guys, my contemporaries — it’s unreal. It’s unreal that you’re going to end your career in Canton. For me, I’m forever humble. If you look at my career and how it started, for me to end up here? This is the happiest day of my life.”
The speech was a nice moment from Carter and it truly shows how important an honor like this is for a player.
Though we have disliked Carter as a TV analyst, we always respected him as a player and felt that he was a Hall of Famer. And why was Carter so emotional as he reflected on his career? He was a fourth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the supplemental draft, and he was a slow developer. He didn’t record his first 1,000-yard receiving season until his seventh season in the league. Once he did develop, he became a machine for the Vikings. Carter churned out eight-straight 1,000-yard seasons from 1993-2000, scoring 90 touchdowns in that span.
An eight-time Pro Bowler, Carter is ninth in career receiving yards (13,899), fourth in career receptions (1,101), and fourth in career receiving touchdowns (130). He was an extremely worthy inductee.
