Tackle Roaf elected to Hall of Fame
INDIANAPOLIS — The New Orleans Saints will be represented at the Pro Football of Fame Induction Ceremony for the second time in three years this summer after tackle William Roaf, who starred for the team from 1993-2001, was elected to the Canton, Ohio, shrine on Saturday.
Roaf, a former Louisiana Tech star who was the Saints’ top draft pick in 1993, was chosen by a 44-person Hall of Fame Selection Committee in his second year of eligibility. He was a finalist in 2011 as well, but didn’t get the necessary votes to be included in that class.
Roaf joins linebacker Rickey Jackson, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, as the only players in the pro football shrine to spend the majority of their careers with the Saints.
Roaf, who played his final four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, will be officially enshrined on Aug. 4 along with Jack Butler, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy and Curtis Martin.
Kennedy, a former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle who was the 1992 NFL defensive player of the year, also has ties to the Saints as a consultant to the front office for several years.
A native of Pine Bluff, Ark., Roaf was elected to 11 Pro Bowls during his 13-year NFL career. That tied him with Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz and Jonathan Ogden for the most selections by a tackle in league history.
A dominant offensive lineman throughout his long career, Roaf was a four-time first-team All-Pro selection by The Associated Press — earning that distinction with the Saints in 1994 and ’95.
He also was chosen to seven of his Pro Bowl berths as a Saint, which is a club record, and was a member of the All-Decade teams of the 1990s and 2000s. Roaf started 131 regular-season games and two playoff games with the Saints, including their first postseason win in 2000.
“We’re glad to congratulate William Roaf on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Saints owner Tom Benson said in a team news release. “He meant a great deal to our team during his career with us.
“He was the best player on our team during his entire tenure with us, one of the top players in the history of our franchise, and one of the NFL’s greatest at his position.”
“Willie had an outstanding career and definitely belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said former Saints coach Jim Mora said in a statement from the team. “He possessed exceptional physical talent and a great work ethic. He was blessed with high-quality character and a team-oriented attitude.”
Roaf, who was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, joins 15 other members of the state hall in Canton.
The list includes fellow Louisiana Tech alums Terry Bradshaw and Fred Dean as well as Jimmy Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, Mel Blount, Willie Davis, Jackie Smith, Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, Charlie Joiner, Marshall Faulk and Jackson.
This will be the third consecutive year, and fourth time in five years, that a Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer has been inducted into the pro hall as Dean went in 2008, followed by Jackson in 2010 and Faulk last summer.