"The Knock" | Tony Dungy Welcomes Dwight Freeney to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

hey guys he's here he is here and it's going to be Tony dunie the coach who drafted him who's going to be doing the big reveal breaking the good news get out of here Dwight welcome to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024 oh my God welcome to the family oh my goodness I knew something was up someone told me here for a photo shoot I'm like ah what's up man welcome to the family this is so awesome I cannot I couldn't hold it in I I just I cannot I cannot believe it oh my god wow this is awesome oh my God I still remember 2002 you rolling into the building oh awesome congratulations congratulations congratulations man [Applause] congratulations go dude wor about a good one I'm so happy for you man welcome to C appreciate it all conat oh my God I'm going be spraying that ball all over the place oh my goodness hard to hold it in we had to had to surprise you congratulations stunned I am I can't even D there are 378 members of the Hall of Fame that's it 378 of the millions and millions who have played this sport wow you're number 372 what's it like for you to bestow this Honor on him Dwight was our first draft pick ever and the Cornerstone of my time there we had some great players but he was the first player that we picked when I was there and to see that first pick become a Hall of Famer it it's just unbelievable I wouldn't be if it wasn't for him you already know that he took a chance oh mean no it wasn't a chance it was a chance unded you know I'm so happy for thank you thank you everything you've done on the field it's all going to come back in a different way now come a long way oh my go I remember like it was yesterday yeah man it was like it was yesterday like it's I can't it hasn't sunk in it hadn't registered yet wow you know me I come hey you never come in I trick you to get in I say you didn't want to come in and just think now you can say like we had somebody going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in these doors right now too you can just add to it too man I'm just say I'm glad he got in because I had to conso him last year oh it was last year said come on man it was rough can you believe it can you believe it I was say oh Lord yeah I believe it just be patient dog they're going to get you going get your turn got and he hadn't talked about it this year he was afraid to absolutely afraid not at all normally he talks about it what happens when guys like straight hand comes up oh you're guaranteed to get in this guy go you're guaranteed then you start thinking like I might have a chance and then when you don't do it it's like oh I can't I can't even tell you all the words you say hey oh my gosh oh man how am I going to hit the golf on of [Music] there what's it like knowing that he was the guy who brought you into the mix and now here you are together like you said at the top I mean full full circle you know it's it's truly a full circle moment I mean the way you know coach coached us you know it gave guys like me the opportunity to be who I could be he wasn't the the guy who put your handcuffs on and say you got to do this you got to do that he's just say go out there play the game how it's supposed to play and play Within this game and that's what I did and I remember telling Dwight when we drafted him this system is built for you we've got a great offense we're going to put points on the board people are going to have to try to score against us you're going to be the guy that slams the door and you're going to make a lot of plays for us the system set up for you and he took advantage of it when people talk about the great spin move they talk about Dwight Frey how does that register so I was on a high school field one day and I was like you know what what's the best craziest way I can make this guy look silly and in college I had a great dline coach Dee Pard and Dee just said do what you want to do son he didn't care you know he care let me do what I wanted to do and it kind of developed and then I got lucky having John turling as a dline coach coach Sterling was like Hey I don't care if you do a backflip somersault cartwheel as long as you get there and that's kind of how you know it developed but he worked at it too I mean and individual period drills on the bags perfecting that spin spin left spin right and it wasn't something that just happened out on the field what's the one thing that you're going to reflect back on and say man I really appreciate this the most for helping me get here it's the family it's the friends it's the tribe that's helped you get here and you know this this young kid from Bloomfield Connecticut you know who you you don't have a lot of guys coming from where I was from um getting to this level uh NFL nevertheless the Hall of Fame you know it takes [Music] everybody yeah Mom I'm I'm a Pro Football Hall of Famer whoa I know I know oh my God congratulations thank you so much thank you oh my Lord my son we prayed we prayed we prayed and that came true that's what they call football Heaven [Music] okay Hall of Fame 2024