CANTON, Ohio — Brian Dawkins is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, and you're going in with him.
All of you.
Eagles fans from South Jersey, from South Philly, from Bucks County. From Delco, from the Northeast, from Monto.
Every fan who has proudly worn a Dawk No. 20 jersey, who has stood and cheered after one of his thunderous hits or huge interceptions, who's supported him since he joined the Eagles as an unknown 22-year-old second-round draft pick ...
Dawk is taking you with him.
Thousands and thousands of Eagles fans swarmed this sleepy Northeastern Ohio town for a weekend, and Dawk made it clear on Friday that it’s those fans — the thousands who are here and the tens of thousands back in Philly that make this weekend so special.
That make becoming a Hall of Famer special.
NFL
“They heard me and I think they believed when I said, ‘When I make it, they make it,’ so they’re here to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, so we’re going to enjoy our time together.
“We’re going to enjoy this weekend together. So enjoy yourself, Eagles fans. You deserve it.”
It’s safe to say Brian Dawkins is the most popular Eagle ever.
He said he’s planning to speak about his relationship with Eagles fans Saturday night in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech (see story).
It’s a fascinating thing, how Dawkins, through his style of play and the way he carried himself, won over the toughest fan base in sports in a way very few athletes ever do.
“How I played the game with passion, how I played the game with emotion,” he said. “I think the other thing that they recognize is that I don’t make excuses. I never did, I never will.
“If I make a mistake I was not going to be a repeat offender of that mistake, so you can boo me for that one mistake but you won’t have to boo me again because I won’t make that mistake again.”
An aside: Dawk was never booed. Ever.
He continued:
“I gave everything that I had,” he said. “And not only did I give everything I had, I gave everything I really had. Because I was sleeping, I was eating right and I was getting my rest, so I can actually give you 100 percent of what I have. Not 100 percent of 70 percent because I was out doing stupid stuff.
“I was giving you 100 percent of 100 percent every game and I was a physical player and I didn’t back down from anybody on the football field. So they saw that I’m that type of blue-collar worker-type cat that doesn’t make excuses.
“If the job needs to get done, I’m going to do the dirty work to get it done.”
Dawk was asked Friday when he realized that his relationship with Eagles fans was something special.
That it went beyond the typical player-fan relationship.
“When fans start talking about the last thing that their loved one said was, ‘They (wanted to be buried) wearing a Brian Dawkins jersey, that hit home. That’s something real.
“So my love for them increased even more so I was going to go even harder to make sure they were pleased every time they came and saw me play. Make sure they were pleased.”
That’s one thing Dawk never had to worry about.
More on the Eagles
- T.O. reminds us he’ll never get what football is all about
- After winning Super Bowl, what’s biggest motivation for Eagles players?
- Dawkins: 'He's not coming, it's T.O. … it makes sense'
- Dawkins’ Hall of Fame speech will be just like how he played
- How Dawkins created a generation of Philly sports fans