Football was life for Cris Carter. Upon reaching the highest honor the game has to give, however, Carter spoke very little about playing it.
He didn’t talk catches or toe taps. He didn’t reflect on individual touchdowns. He had no championships to reflect on. Instead, he passionately outlined the path it took for him to achieve greatness, which wasn’t as simple as a workout routine or practice regimen. It was navigating life, real life, that made Carter’s journey to the Hall of Fame so intriguing and improbable.
Carter actively chose to honor those along the way that helped him. Those, like his brother Butch, that taught him how to man up and take care of those he cared about. His wife that put her dreams on hold because she believed in his. His coaches in college and in the pros, including Buddy Ryan who had to cut Carter after a troublesome beginning to his professional career in Philadelphia. He thanked a member of the Vikings ownership for putting him in touch with a friend that was able to get him sober, and keep him sober, from the moment he landed in Minnesota. He thanked all of you, and said he is in debt to Vikings Nation, for making him feel comfortable and wanted in his time here. He thanked Reggie White for being the first man ever, when Carter was 22 years old, to tell him he was loved.
The speech was incredible. It was emotional and passionate.
In fact, the only thing wrong with it is that it was given about five years later than it should have been.
Thank you, Cris. And well done, sir.
View Comments
BEST HANDS EVER - CRIS CARTER, MINNESOTA VIKING, HALL OF FAME
yeah, great speech. later than we would've liked, but he's in now. congratulations to cris carter, and thank you so much for all the great years we got to enjoy having you in purple. his story is one of renewal and reclamation, which transcends football, and makes it very special
Well said Cal. Like Adam said...5 years late, but better late than never. Need Mick Tingelhof and Jim Marshall in! I just hope it ain't too late so these great players can enjoy it!
Congrats to Chris Carter. He is very deserving of this honor.
One can only imagine what kind of tangent Jeff Dugan will go off on when he is inducted into the HOF
The latest rumor I heard is that he has narrowed the field of who will introduce him to Fidel Castro, that Dalai Lama guy or Nancy Reagan. Truth is, I'm kinda bummed out about this introduction thingy.
Overall a good day. Carter into the NFL Hall of Fame and my grandson turned 6 years old, Special.
I always wanted to play WR, even after I was on the DL, all because of CC. Wonderful memories as a young Vikings fan! SKOL
So glad to see he finally made it.
Well deserved Mr. Carter
Way to go CC! You deserve it bud. I was surprised he didn't mention Denny Green? Did they have some kind of fued that I don't remember?
Come to think of it, that does seem kind of weird huh?
Nice tribute to CC Adam.
To be honest, the guy isn't even close to being my favorite Viking (Paul Krause) but he sure provided some great memories and that was a really top-notch acceptance speech.
Glad he finally made it in.
By the way, has anyone here been following the Daily Norseman's blog on training camp? I know we all wish Adam or Brett could be the guy there doing the reporting but this Arif Hasan guy has been doing a pretty bang-up job.
Apparently, he's a bit low on funds and has created a donation page. I sent him $20 because I've really liked his stuff.
Wasn't sure if it's cool to paste his web site here, but if it is Adam, I'd really like to see some more VT guys maybe help this guy out.
Yes, feel free to post a link and donate! Arif provides some great content from the battle zone in Mankato, and he seems like a great guy.
Ok, here it is;
http://www.dailynorseman.com/2013/8/4/4588046/daily-norseman-training-camp-fundraiser-arif-hasan-coverage
I donated thru PayPal, but Arif also provided a couple other ways to get some $ to him. You'll see the links on the above link.
Arif Hasan is a featured columnist covering the Vikings for BleacherReport.com
I have been checking out his camp notes on Daily Norseman also. Good writer.
I didn't know about the Bleacher report. The guy can get a bit long winded at times but he seems to have some great access in Mankato and writes some pretty good stuff.
He does a nice job. Puts a lot into it...
He's no Joe Webb, but Freds thinks he's deserving. Kind of a prick, but a damn good receiver. Come to think of it, Freds is kind of a prick.... too bad he can't catch like CC.