3 former Bears named Hall of Fame semi-finalists

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3 former Bears named Hall of Fame semi-finalists originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Three former Bears have a chance to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year. The list of 25 semi-finalists was announced on Tuesday, and among them are special teams superstar Devin Hester, and pass rushers Julius Peppers and Jared Allen. This is Peppers’ first time on the Hall of Fame ballot, the third for Hester and fourth year as a HOF semifinalist for Allen.

Simply put, Devin Hester is the best return man in NFL history. Hester burst onto the scene with three punt return touchdowns, two kick return touchdowns, and one remarkable score returning a missed field goal in his rookie season in 2006. He was an integral part of the team’s Super Bowl run that season. He made NFL history that year, too, when he became the first (and still only) player to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

It didn’t take long for opposing teams to kick around him, but it didn’t matter much. Throughout his career, Hester found ways to score. And if teams kicked it out of bounds to avoid him, the offense got to reap the benefits of working with a shorter field.

Hester turned special teams plays from an opportunity to grab a beer into can’t-miss TV. And he made NFL history several times over. Including the playoffs, and that one missed field goal attempt he returned for a score, Hester’s 21 combined return touchdowns are by far the most in league history. He twice led the league in punt return yards and kick return yards. He led the league in punt return scores three times, and kick return scores twice. He was named to four Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro three times.

Peppers joined the Bears in 2010 after a lengthy and productive career with the Panthers. He started his Bears career with a bang by notching a sack and a forced fumble in his first game with the team, and pretty much never slowed down from there. Peppers played for the Bears for…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-former-bears-named-hall-224824018.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2023-11-28 22:48:24

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