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The 7 most memorable Pro Football Hall of Fame speeches in the last 20 years

Hall of Fame speeches are fun and also sad sometimes.

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This weekend, eight new members will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Every year at the enshrinement ceremony, the new inductees in attendance are slated to speak. And every year, most speeches begin the same way — they thank God, their family, the team owners, and fans. But after that, each induction speech is different from the next.

From goofy to heart-warming to tear-jerking, there are a number of great Hall of Fame induction speeches and moments. I picked the most memorable ones from the last 20 years, starting with my absolute favorite speech.

And the 2019 Hall of Fame class isn’t lacking in personality — including players like Champ Bailey and Ed Reed — so this list could have another addition come Saturday night.

1. Ray Lewis , Class of 2018

The only real answer to the question of “What is the best Hall of Fame induction moment?” is the entirety of Ray Lewis’ nonsensical monologue . His enshrinement speech felt like it lasted 12 years but only went on for 33 minutes, somehow, with his personality falling somewhere in between an inspirational speaker and a Southern Baptist preacher on Easter Sunday.

For all the theatrics, Lewis made some serious points throughout his speech. He went out of his way to thank his coaches and teammates, with both the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Hurricanes. He praised his mother for being there and raising him alone, while saying that he continually tries to be the father he never had.

He also said he still kisses his kids on the mouth, to which both his sons aggressively shook their heads.

As Lewis said , “Don’t hate.”

2. Brett Favre , Class of 2016

One of the most emotional Hall of Fame speeches in recent memory is Brett Favre’s from 2016.

“This is tougher than any third-and-15, I can assure you,” Favre said as he got especially choked up sharing stories of his family throughout his life .

Early in the speech, the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback recounted an adorable story about how he and his future wife, Deanna, started dating when he was 14. He also gave a shoutout to Deanna’s mom : “My mother-in-law who for 33, 34 years has been by far my biggest fan. I have never thrown an interception that has been my fault, according to my mother-in-law, Ann.”

(No one tell Ann that Favre actually threw 336 interceptions, the most in NFL history .)

3. LaDainian Tomlinson , Class of 2017

LaDainian Tomlinson’s Hall of Fame speech was nothing short of inspirational . He delivered a powerful message about unity and noted, “My story is America’s story.”

But the former Chargers running back also brought the laughs. He said that told his mom at 6 years old that he would go to the NFL. At 7 years old, he asked for a weight set for Christmas because he “needed to get bigger if he was going to make it to the NFL.”

That’s the most football guy thing I’ve ever heard. This man was meant for Canton.

4. Joe Montana, Class of 2000

Joe Montana originally had another speech planned. He said that before the Hall of Fame weekend in 2000, he felt like he was already in the coffin with dirt thrown on him, at just 44 years old. “I saw the Hall of Fame as an ending point,” Montana said .

Then, he spent time with his fellow inductees and came to a realization that his enshrinement didn’t mean death. After going his entire life hopping from team to team — from Pop Warner, to high school, to Notre Dame, to the 49ers , and to the Chiefs — he was part of yet another new one.

“I’ve now seen the light that this is not an ending point. This is a beginning point. This is the beginning of the rest of my life, post-career with a new team. Take a look at these guys [pointing to other Hall of Famers behind him] — what a team it is.”

Sometimes, it’s all about the proper perspective.

5. Jerry Rice, Class of 2010

Hall of Famers are just like us. 49ers legend Jerry Rice wore one black and one blue sock to his enshrinement ceremony in 2010 and jokingly asked the crowd to lend him a black sock.

His speech got more sincere as he went on . Rice first joined the football team his sophomore of high school after sprinting away from his principal to avoid getting in trouble. In turn, the principal told the football coach about Rice’s speed and he was offered a position on the team — he had been running ever since.

“There are no more routes to run, no more touchdowns to score, no more records to set. That young boy from Mississippi has finally stopped running. Let me stand here and catch my breath. Let me inhale it all in one more time.”

There’s a reason he’s considered the GOAT.

6. John Elway, Class of 2004

Coach Wade Phillips once called John Elway the “Lou Gehrig of quarterbacks” — which is both quite a large name to live up to and an amazing compliment. Elway said it was his proudest moment as Broncos quarterback because, “I didn’t always have a great game, nor was I always healthy, but my teammates knew that I’d always show up.”

During his enshrinement speech, Elway spent a few minutes talking about all the things his dad, who was also his coach when he was younger, taught him. The most important was: “When you go out with your offensive linemen, you pick up the tab.”

Elway’s father passed away a few years before his son’s induction, but his lessons will live on.

7. Cris Carter, Class of 2013

Cris Carter didn’t have an easy path to Canton . Carter was selected by the Eagles in the supplement draft, but battled drug and alcohol abuse until he turned things around with the Vikings , where he played for 12 seasons. He also had to wait until he was elected to the Hall of Fame, finally getting in during his sixth year of eligibility.

When he got there, he didn’t waste any time, sharing his passion and appreciation right off the bat.

He ended it the same way : “I love football. I love this game. It gave me an identity. It gave me a sense of purpose. For an African American man, it’s a great opportunity in America to be able to play football.”

He should’ve been inducted earlier, but at least he made his speech worth the wait.

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With honors: Best Hall of Fame induction speeches

From Canton to Cooperstown to Springfield, the Hall of Fame honors the elite in football, baseball, and basketball. And on induction day, heartfelt speeches are given, typically to thank those most influential to the inductees.

While some speeches take a more serious tone, just about all of them are sure to include a knee-slapper or two. But, like athletes, some Hall of Fame speeches simply rise above the rest.

And here are the finest, including the one by Brett Favre in 2016.

Walter Payton (1993)

Speech summary : Payton talked about how football is a team game and that it takes everyone on the team to make a Hall of Famer. He was emotional as he apologized to his wife and children for not always being there for them while he was playing and said he was motivated to make sure their lives would always be happy and fulfilled. He finished his speech by saying that everyone is a role model in our lives, whether positive or negative, and that we can learn something from everyone. He was introduced by his 12-year-old son Jarrett, the youngest presenter ever.

Memorable quote : "I am going to close by saying life is short, it is oh so sweet. There are a lot of people that we meet as we walk through these hallowed halls, but the things that mean the most are the friendships that you meet and take along with you."

Funniest line : "When I was growing up, I was the baby, and when they [Payton's brother and sister] had to clean the house on Saturdays and do things when Mom went to work and said, 'I want this house clean when I get back,' hey, I was the baby, I didn't have to do that. So these guys beat me up. That's the reason why I had the moves that I did, because when you have an angry sister and angry brother chasing you with a broom and a wet dish rag, you tend to pick up moves you never had before."

Deion Sanders (2011)

Speech summary : Sanders thanked everyone from his former coaches to Jerry Jones to Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. He explained how much football taught him, including how to be a man. His speech was a touching tribute to his mother, the inspiration for "Prime Time" and his drive for everything he did on the field. He said that he was inspired to make enough money so that his mother would never have to work again.

Memorable quote : "I don't know if you figured it out by now, but I just gave you Prime. I just gave you the formula in who was really standing before you because I was trick or treating, and it wasn't even Halloween. Because all the things that you really thought I was, and some of the things you didn't like, you didn't love, you didn't want to accept, I was doing it for my mama."

Funniest line : "And I said, 'Mama' -- because I was tired of seeing her go to work and come home all tired -- I said, 'I'm going to be rich one day. Mama, I'm going to make a lot of money, and you will never have to work another day of your life.' My mama said, 'That's fine, but until then, you get that lawnmower and go out there and cut that grass.'"

Shannon Sharpe (2011)

Speech summary : Sharpe dedicated a large portion of his speech to his older brother, Sterling, even saying he hoped the Hall voters would consider his accomplishments next time they voted. Sharpe also talked a lot about his grandmother and grandfather raising him and how much they meant to him. He said that growing up poor drove him to want to be able to provide a better life for his family, and that determination, dedication and discipline were key.

Memorable quote : "My big brother, Sterling, I'm the only player of 267 men that's walked through this building to my left that can honestly say this: I'm the only pro football player that's in the Hall of Fame, and I'm the second-best player in my own family."

Funniest line : "John [Elway] had never heard of Shannon Sharpe or Savannah State, but not only did he embrace me, he chose me as his go-to guy. In my first game starting at tight end, they put me in motion the entire game. As I would motion past John, he would turn around and tell me what I had to do -- block the end, block the linebacker, run the out, run a corner. We won the game. I'm standing on the sideline, and I can see John walking toward me. Instead of being angry and upset with me, he walks up to me and he says, 'I think next week we need to learn the plays.' Thanks, John, for teaching me how to be a pro."

Curtis Martin (2012)

Speech summary : Martin spoke about his tough childhood and how he was so grateful to his mother for all the sacrifices she made for him. He admitted that he never really wanted to play football but knew that he was playing for a bigger purpose than himself. He said that it's not what you achieve that matters the most, but the person you become that is most important.

Memorable quote : "No, you're laughing, but this is the truth. I turned around and said, 'I don't want to play football. I don't even know that I like football enough to try to make a career out of it.' My pastor at the time was a guy by the name of Leroy Joseph, and I'm so glad he was there to talk some sense into me. He says, 'Curtis, look at it this way, man.' He said, 'Maybe football is just something that God is giving you to do all those wonderful things that you say you want to do for other people.' I tell you, it was like a light bulb came on in my head. That became my connection with football. I don't know if he wouldn't have said that to me if football would have gotten out of me what it got out of me. I definitely wouldn't be standing here. And ever since he said that, I knew the only way I was going to be successful at this game called football was if I played for a purpose that was bigger than the game itself, because I knew that the love for the game just wasn't in my heart."

Funniest line : "We're playing the Raiders one day. My fullbacks knew the rule was if you see me lying on the ground because I usually pop right back up after I get hurt; if you see me laying on the ground, I'm probably dazed or knocked out or something. Come pick me up and shake me. So we're playing the Raiders and I get hit downfield. I pop up, but I realize everything is black. I'm like, oh, my gosh. I'm kind of knocked out. So I'm trying to hold on to people. I finally make my way back to the huddle. I'm standing in the huddle for a while, and I just have my hands on my hip. The guy turns around and he says, 'What are you doing?' And I, like, looked again. I was in the Raiders' huddle. I thought that I was just, I thought that it was just black because I hadn't come to yet. But I was in the Raiders' huddle."

Brett Favre (2016)

Speech summary : Favre thanked all of his family members, coaches and teammates, paying many compliments to his wife, Deanna, who introduced him. He explained that his reason for wanting to make the Hall of Fame was to honor his father and acknowledge how important he was in his life. Favre said how much he loved playing football and that he didn't have any regrets.

Memorable quote : "So a new goal had entered into my mind then and there, and I said to myself, 'I will make it to the Hall of Fame; that I would make it to the Hall of Fame so I could acknowledge the fact of how important he [Favre's father] was.' This is tougher than any third-and-15, I can assure you. So I could acknowledge the importance of him and in my career and my life, which he was a tremendous part of my life. He taught me toughness. Boy, did he teach me toughness. Trust me, there was no room for crybabies in our house. He taught me teamwork, and by all means no player was ever more important than the team. ... So then and there in that moment on that plane, I was determined for selfish reasons to get to this point to acknowledge how important he was. I would not be here before you today without my father. There is no doubt whatsoever."

Funniest line : "My mother-in-law who for 33, 34 years has been by far my biggest fan. I have never thrown an interception that has been my fault, according to my mother-in-law, Ann."

Honorable Mention : Michael Irvin (2007) ; Mike Ditka (1988) ; Mike Singletary (1998) ; Joe Montana (2000) ; John Elway (2004) ; Jerry Rice (2010) ; Cris Carter (2013) ; Jerome Bettis (2015) ; LaDainian Tomlinson (2017)

Ted Williams (1966)

Speech summary: Williams is known for advocating for Negro League players to be included in the Hall of Fame during his speech. He spoke about how hard work, not luck, leads to success. He also reflected on how fortunate he was to play the greatest game and the game he loved -- baseball.

Memorable quote: "I hope that someday the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way could be added as a symbol of the great Negro players that are not here only because they were not given the chance."

Funniest line: "I'm awfully glad to be with him [Casey Stengel] on his big day. I also know I'll lose a dear friend if I don't stop talking 'cause I know I'm eating into his time."

Bob Uecker (2003)

Speech summary: Uecker mixed in plenty of jokes, telling his story from birth to becoming a baseball player to making a career in the Brewers' broadcast booth. He poked fun at everything from his .200 career batting average to setting a record for passed balls. Although he was honored for his broadcasting career, he joked that he should have gone into the Hall for his accomplishments as a player.

Memorable quote: "And to all of you baseball fans around America and any place else, for your letters, your thoughts, your kindness, for all of these years, it's been a great run, but No. 1 has always been baseball for me. No matter what else I ever did, baseball was the only way I ever wanted to go."

Funniest line: "I did not have a lot of ability as a kid, and my dad wanted me to have everything that everybody else had. I think the first thing that he ever bought me was a football. And I was very young. He didn't know a lot about it, he came from the old country. I mean, we tried to pass it and throw it and kick it, and we couldn't do it. And it was very discouraging for him and for me. Almost, we almost quit. And finally we had a nice enough neighbor came over and put some air in it, and what a difference."

Dennis Eckersley (2004)

Speech summary: Eckersley gave an emotional speech, talking about overcoming alcohol addiction and his demons and thanking those who helped him along his journey. He also reminisced about how he enjoyed playing at iconic stadiums like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

Memorable quote: "I knew I had come to a crossroads in my life. With the grace of God, I got sober and I saved my life. I was a new man, a renewed man. It took a great deal of acceptance to come to terms with being an alcoholic, but acceptance was the key to my sobriety. If I had not gained acceptance at that time in my life, I would not be standing here today. My career would not have taken me this far."

Funniest line: "There's no place like Wrigley Field. Great place to hit. Bad place to pitch. I mean, I even hit three home runs at Wrigley Field, tell me about it."

Rickey Henderson (2009)

Speech summary: Henderson talked about how his dream was originally to play football for the Raiders, saying he was "tricked" into getting out of bed with doughnuts and hot chocolate to go play baseball. He also said his high school counselor encouraged him to play baseball, promising him a quarter for each hit, run scored or stolen base. Henderson thanked everyone, including his minor league coach who helped him develop his baserunning and sliding skills, and said he was very humbled to be entering the Hall.

Memorable quote: "When you think of me, I would like you to remember that kid from the inner city that played the game with all his heart and never took the game for granted. Thanks everyone here for making my dream come true today."

Funniest line: "As a kid growing up in Oakland, my heroes were Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson. What about that Reggie Jackson? I stand out on the ballpark in the parking lot waiting for Reggie Jackson to give me a[n] autograph. Reggie used to come out all the time and I'd say, 'Reggie, can I have a[n] autograph?' He would pass me a pen with his name on it. He never gave me a[n] autograph."

Ken Griffey Jr. (2016)

Speech summary: Griffey thanked all the members of his family individually and paid a touching tribute to his dad, noting some of the father-son feats they accomplished, including hitting back-to-back home runs. He talked about being a 19-year-old in the majors surrounded by famous players who were like big brothers to him and who took care of him. Griffey concluded by saying that even if he made it look easy, he worked hard and that he was very proud to be a Mariner.

Memorable quote: "To my dad, who taught me how to play this game, but more importantly he taught me how to be a man. How to work hard, how to look at yourself in the mirror each and every day, and not to worry about what other people are doing. See, baseball didn't come easy for him. He was the 29th-round pick and had to choose between football and baseball. And where he's from in Donora, Pennsylvania, football is king. But I was born five months after his senior year, and he made a decision to play baseball to provide for his family, because that's what men do. And I love you for that."

Funniest line: "Trey (Griffey's son), you're my little man, my partner in crime. And one day, sitting there on the couch, you took a bat and hit the TV. And your mom got mad at you and then got mad at me and asked me why I was not mad, and I said, 'Girl, you can't teach that swing.' So I got up and bought a new TV."

Honorable mention: Kirby Puckett (2001) ; Hank Aaron (1982) ; Billy Williams (1987) ; Tommy Lasorda (1997) ; Ryne Sandberg (2005) ; Cal Ripken Jr. (2007) ; Andre Dawson (2010) ; Pudge Rodriguez (2017) ; Bert Blyleven (2011)

Michael Jordan (2009)

Speech summary: This speech is famous for a couple of unorthodox reasons. The tone of the speech was more competitive than your typical Hall of Fame speech, as Jordan detailed some testy incidents with coaches and front-office personnel (namely former Bulls GM Jerry Krause) in which he was "correct." It also was the source of the "Crying Jordan meme," which has been used on social media incessantly over the past few years.

Memorable quote: "[Krause] said, 'Organizations win championships.' I said, 'I didn't see organizations playing with the flu in Utah, I didn't see them playing with a bad ankle.' Granted, I think organizations put together teams, but at the end of the day, the team has to go out and play."

Funniest line: "Bryon Russell came over to me and said, 'You know what, man, why'd you quit? Why'd you quit? You know I could guard you. If I ever seen you in a pair of shorts, if I ever see you in a pair of shorts.' ... So when I decided to come back in 1995 and we played Utah in '96, I'm at the center circle and Bryon Russell is sitting next to me, and I look over to Bryon and I said, 'Do you remember this conversation in 1994, or when you said, 'I think I can guard you, I think I can shut you down, and I would love to play against you? Well, you're about to get your chance.'"

Dennis Rodman (2011)

Speech summary: Emotion fueled Rodman during his playing career, so it was no surprise that his Hall of Fame speech was emotional and scattered at times. Rodman intertwined thanks to teammates and coaches in his career to being hard on himself for many of the choices he made, repenting to his mother, wife and children for not being a better son, husband and father. Rodman used his honor to help get closure on some things in his life.

Memorable quote: "You know, I could have been anywhere in the world. I could have been dead. I could have been a drug dealer. I could have been homeless -- I was homeless. And a lot of you guys here that's been here and a lot of you guys here in the Hall of Fame know what I'm talking about; living in the projects and trying to get out of the projects and, ah, I did that. But, but it took a lot of work and a lot of bumps -- bumps in the road."

Funniest line: "Phil Jackson asked me to come to Jerry Krause's house and he asked me, he said, 'Dennis, you know, we'd like you to come play, but you gotta do one thing for me, you gotta go into the kitchen and tell Scottie Pippen you're sorry.' I said, 'You know what? OK, I'll do that.' So he asked me another question: 'Dennis, would you like to be a Chicago Bull? I said, my exact words were, 'I don't give a damn.' And Phil Jackson said, 'Welcome to the Chicago Bulls.'"

Reggie Miller (2012)

Speech summary: Known for being brash during his 18-year career with the Pacers, Miller was quite humble in his speech, as he went out of his way to credit his teammates and coaches, along with being gracious toward opponents. Miller also went out of his way to praise his family, especially older sister Cheryl Miller -- a Hall of Famer herself and who is recognized as one of the top women to ever play basketball.

Memorable quote: "There's one lady that deserves the biggest recognition, probably, of everyone as to why I'm here. Cheryl, you've ... a lot of people wish that they could be in a house with the greatest of anything. I just so happened to live across the hall from absolutely, positively, the greatest women's basketball player ever. I am proud to say that I'm not on this stage if it wasn't for you, Cheryl."

Funniest line: "Greg Anthony, my compadre on NBA TV, I don't know if he's here or not, but I'm sure he'll get word of this. I gotta say it; in 1995, as you saw in the video, yeah, I pushed. I'm sorry. The ref didn't call it, I went with it. Like Magic [Johnson] says, 'By any means necessary.' So I apologize. I've never said that publicly. So, Greg, I shoved you and kept you down."

Allen Iverson (2016)

Speech summary: He wasn't talking about practice, man. Iverson delivered a memorable Hall of Fame speech, thanking everyone from his family to his coaches to his teammates to the fans -- and musicians Notorious B.I.G., Redman, Jadakiss, Tupac Shakur and Michael Jackson. Iverson's speech had it all, and he delivered his address with compassion and humor as he took the audience on a trip through his entire life. The focus was supposed to be on him for his accomplishments in basketball, but he made it about everyone else and how they helped get him where he is.

Memorable quote: "You want to be fast like Isiah and you want to shoot like Bird, you know, rebound like Barkley, pass like Magic, be dominant like Shaq ... but, man, I wanted to be like Mike."

Funniest line: "I remember the first time I played against him [Michael Jordan], and um, I walked out on the court and I looked at him, and for the first time in my life a human being didn't look real to me. ... I don't know if y'all watching 'Chappelle's Show,' but he talked about a certain incident where he seen, somebody seen Rick James, and, like, I literally seen his aura. Like, it looked like he was glowing, and I'm sitting there and I'm saying to myself, like, 'Man, that's Mike.' And I'm looking at him, and I can't stop looking at him, like, I'm looking at his shoes, and I'm like, 'Man, he got on the Jordans.'"

Shaquille O'Neal (2016)

Speech summary: Humor was the prevailing theme in Shaq's speech. O'Neal flashed his famous grin throughout, joking about his Buick commercial where he had $3 million reasons to find a way to squeeze himself into the seat of the car and also thanking family, teammates, coaches, fans and even NBA commissioners while offering playful jabs along the way.

Memorable quote: ''My father, Sgt. Harrison, was a disciplinarian. He was firm, but fair. He realized that I was going to be a big guy, and I remember he made me memorize three names that he would quiz me on. In his eyes these three guys were gods of the game: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ... I know Wilt and my father are in heaven smiling down upon us. If I know my father, he's up there arguing with Wilt Chamberlain right now, trying to convince him that his son is the most dominant big man that ever played the game.''

Funniest line: Thanking his teammates with the Lakers, Shaq saved the best for last. "Last but not least, the great Kobe Bryant, a guy that would push me. Kobe Bryant, a guy who would push me and help me win three titles, but who also helped me get pushed off the team and traded to Miami."

Honorable Mention: Charles Barkley (2006) ; David Robinson (2009) ; Oscar Schmidt (2013)

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Top 5 NBA Hall of Fame induction speeches ever

A retired NBA player can only hope for the day they are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Every player spends a lifetime thinking only and only about their game. Every night and each morning thoughts of winning, thoughts of championships keep these players motivated.

Top five NBA Hall of Fame induction speeches ever

After giving their all to the league and the sport, only a handful of players are ever believed to be worthy of being enshrined amongst the greats in Springfield. so, the moment an NBA player is inducted into the Hall of Fame is special not just for him but also for all the fans who witnessed this event worldwide.

In light of the dreams and aspirations that go behind every player's journey to this fabled hall, we list the top five Hall of Fame induction speeches ever.

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#5 Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan only played for Spurs during the entirety of his NBA career

In fifth position stands the most recently inducted member of this memorial - Tim Duncan . Duncan played for the San Antonio Spurs all his life. An elite center, he dedicated his career to winning championships and outperforming every player and team.

The five-time NBA champ was notorious for his reticent personality. In his 19 years in the NBA, he very rarely addressed crowds or reporters for more than a few minutes but during his Hall of Fame induction speech, the tight-lipped Timmy let loose. In his 12-minute long speech, Duncan made the crowd laugh, cry and live his journey.

"It was an honor sharing the court with you guys. Thank you for everything." - Timmy on @manuginobili and @tonyparker #TDHoF | #20HoopClass pic.twitter.com/K1RI8cdYk8 — San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 15, 2021

Perhaps the most emotional moment of the speech came when The Big Fundamental thanked the two players he'll always be remembered alongside. In his show of gratitude to Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker , Duncan had the following to say:

To look to your left and look to your right and have the same guys there year in, year out is unbelievable. It’s a blessing beyond what I can put into words.

#4 Shaquille O'Neal

Arguably the greatest NBA big man of the early 2000s and perhaps the whole of the league's history, Shaquille O'Neal was a beast amongst men. He was a man capable of pushing the league to change the rules of basketball, a man capable of accomplishing a threepeat his teammate Kobe Bryant .

Fact For The Day...Ex-Basketball Hall Of Fame Shaquille O'Neil missed a total of 5,317 Free-Throws in his professional NBA career 🏀 #basketball #shaquilleoneal #shaq #freethrows #factoftheday pic.twitter.com/6cRPfbAhow — TheTalkingMoose (@TalkingMooseUK) September 6, 2021

During his speech, Shaq's overt humor was on full display. One of the best moments from his speech described how he imagines his father arguing with Wilt Chamberlain in heaven.

"If I know my father, he's up there arguing with Wilt Chamberlain right now, trying to convince him that his son is the most dominant big man that ever played the game," Shaq shared with the world.

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#3 Dennis Rodman

Rodman's NBA career is loaded with achievements

Dennis Rodman was the NBA's oddball. As the most flamboyant basketball star ever, every bit of Rodman oozed confidence and a strong sense of identity. He followed no one but did only what he believed needed to be done. The Chicago Bulls' star rebounder and trash talker was not only an off-the-court icon, but an on-court one as well.

Dennis Rodman's career has been as eclectic as the hairstyles. All-around Hall of Fame game.Happy 59th to the Worm 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GETZlnC1I0 — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 13, 2020

His game antics separated him from everyone and so did his style of play. So it should not come as a surprise that his Hall of Fame speech was also very different from your usual NBA journey stories.

In between his eccentric recapatulations, there was a moment in his speech where we could see a glimpse into the internal and external conflict that followed Rodman around in his early life.

You know, I could have been anywhere in the world. I could have been dead. I could have been a drug dealer. I could have been homeless -- I was homeless. And a lot of you guys here that's been here and a lot of you guys here in the Hall of Fame know what I'm talking about; living in the projects and trying to get out of the projects and, ah, I did that. But, but it took a lot of work and a lot of bumps, bumps in the road.

#2 Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson is one of the craftiest ball handlers in the history of NBA

Allen Iverson was one of the most entertaining NBA players to watch. His on-court charisma was like none other. His moves, his fashion, his taste for larger-than-life moments, it made every 90s kid fall a little more in love with the game of basketball.

NBA aspirant players to this day study AI to improve their ball handling and game creativity. In 2000s, everyone wanted to be like AI but as a kid AI wanted to be like Mike. The following excerpt is one of the greatest moments in the history of Hall of Fame induction speeches:

AI: "You want to be fast like Isiah and you want to shoot like Bird, you know, rebound like Barkley, pass like Magic, be dominant like Shaq ... but, man, I wanted to be like Mike."

#1 Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest NBA player

Everything Michael Jordan did in the NBA, all his achievements with the Chicago Bulls , and all his glory will always remain untouched, unbeaten. For decades more, people will look at a talented young player and compare him to Jordan because Jordan will always be the sky that emcompasses the world of basketball.

Michael Jordan Turned Down A $100M Offer That Only Took 2 Hours Of Work! https://t.co/kj46rfaK2U — Pro Sports Extra (@ProSportsExtra) September 5, 2021

There will never be anyone who can come close to his impact on the NBA , and so his Hall of Fame induction speech is without a doubt the best ever. In his speech, Jordan primarily discusses his competitive spirit, but while discussing the impact of media and their incessant comparisons, he had the following to say:

And then we had all those media nay-sayers. Oh ‘scoring champion can’t win an NBA title.’ Or ‘you’re not as good as Magic Johnson, you’re not as good as Larry Bird – you’re good, but you’re not as good as those guys.’ You know, I had to listen to all of this – and that put so much wool on that fire that it kept me – each and everyday, trying to get better as a basketball player. Now I’m not saying that they were wrong – I may have looked at it from a different perspective. But at the same time, as a basketball player I’m trying to become the best that I can, you know, and for someone like me who achieved a lot over the course of my career you look for any kind of messages that people may say or do to get you motivated to play the game of basketball at the highest level, because that is when I feel like I excel at my best.

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Ranking the best hall of fame speeches, share this article.

The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held on Saturday in Canton, Ohio. All of the honorees delivered excellent speeches. Here’s how they ranked.

8. Robert Brazile

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Overview: Getting into the Hall of Fame was a longtime coming for the all-time great Oilers linebacker, who in a low-key address expressed gratitude for being recognized. “After all these years,” he said, “I’m at home!”

Presented by: Robert Brazile Sr.

Key quote: “When I told my wife Brenda that I didn’t know how to start this speech, she looked at me and said, ‘I don’t think starting the speech will be your problem.'”

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Read LaDainian Tomlinson’s Stirring Hall of Fame Speech: ‘My Story Is America’s Story’

L aDainian Tomlinson, former NFL running back for the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5, 2017. During his acceptance speech, he detailed his career — from a weight set his mother bought him, to attending Emmitt Smith’s football camp before his teens, to his time at Texas Christian University and his success in the NFL. He thanks his family, God, his idols, his teammates and his coaches. Often, this is where these speeches end. But in his conclusion, Tomlinson pushed further and finished with a message that has received praise in the days that have followed. He told the story about how his great great great grandfather arrived in America on a slave ship and how that cruelty led him and his family to where they are, and he explained the lessons he hopes Americans can learn from his story and those like it.

Good evening. It’s a privilege to be here tonight, to share my honor and story with you. Football has given me so much. On this day it is truly humbling to share it with you. To the TCU fans, San Diego fans… thank you for your love and support. Jet fans and all fans, your cheers inspire me to always dig deeper, and run harder. At the same time you inspired me, I hope I inspired you with the passion I play with. This great honor provides me the opportunity to acknowledge and express my gratitude first to God, my dear family, and all who have inspired me, supported my dreams, taught and trained me. Without all of you and the hundreds of others, I won’t have a chance to mention, I wouldn’t have been able to fulfill my vision of playing in the National Football League. All the men on this stage who played this great game understands our responsibility extends beyond the football field. We don’t merely represent ourselves, we represent the game, our team, our community. To play in the NFL is an honor, a privilege, not simply a right. I grew up watching, idolizing and dreaming about running the football like the legendary Jim Brown, the late Walter Payton and the all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith. Today, I stand on the shoulders of these great men, and with all of you on this stage tonight. Before speaking about those who supported and guided me, the principle reason is God, who gave me my ability, my purpose. I’ve had a very personal relationship with God. There are so many examples in my life where I envision something before it happened or knew the experience I was about to have would change my life and knew this insight came from God. For example, at six, I actually told my mother I was going to play in the NFL. At seven, I asked her to buy me a weight set because I needed to get bigger if I was gonna make it to the NFL and that next Christmas, one was sitting under our tree. Twelve, I knew the youth football camp I signed up for would change my life. At 14, my pastor offered me a prophecy that said, if I continue to honor him, God would take me places I could never imagine. Something I never imagined, standing on this stage in Canton, Ohio. God gives all the ability to envision and achieve our destiny. My blessing was knowing this at an early age and recognizing it came from him. In the small town of Marlin, Texas where my family is originally from, high school football was our NFL. As an 8 year old I fell in love with football because my older cousin Broderick Lowe was a high school football wide receiver. I sat on the fence outside the field watching him. Broderick, not only were you my inspiration, but a father figure throughout my life. People ask me, who do you get your worth ethic from? It was my mom. I was motivated to work hard by watching her constantly confronting and conquering life’s challenges. Seeing her get up early, go to work, come home late, work two jobs, making sure we were clothed and fed. That’s what I saw, never a complaint. Mom, thank you for your love, honestly, strength, and belief in me. You taught me to listen to others, and treat everyone with respect. It was my mom’s sacrifice that led me to my first meeting with one of my football idols. When I was 12 and seriously lacking any self-confidence as an athlete, I spotted a flyer at the Boys and Girls Club. It had Emmitt Smith’s picture on it. I thought it was Emmitt’s football camp, actually it was the great Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek’s camp and Emmitt and other great Cowboys were scheduled to attend. I rushed home and said mom, Emmitt Smith is having a football camp, I have to go. She looked at the flyer and replied, that’s too much money baby, I don’t know if we can make that happen. A couple of months later mom called me into the room and said, Remember that Jay Novacek camp you wanted to go to? I said yes ma’am. She continued, well I saved the money and you’ll be able to go. Wow. That’s where I first saw Michel Irving, Emmitt, Jay, Darrell Johnson, and other Cowboys’ greats. I vividly remember the first practice. We were learning a hand-off drill and I lined up with all the other running backs. Emmitt suddenly jumps in the line and hands the ball off to me. Then later that evening I was heading upstairs to dinner when Emmitt was coming downstairs and literally ran me over. I began to fall, but he held me up and asked, are you alright kid? I answered, yeah I’m fine, but the truth was, I wasn’t. I was awestruck because of two astonishing moments with my idol, a 12-year-old kid lacking self-confidence as an athlete, left on top of the world feeling he could truly fulfill his dream to play in the National Football League. I began my high school football career playing in Marlin, playing varsity as a freshman. When I was a sophomore we moved back to Waco. The first thing I did was visit my new school to meet the head football coach LeRoy Coleman. I thought I was the best thing since sliced bread. So when he asked me, what position do you play, I answered proudly with my chest puffed out, I play running back and outside linebacker. He looked at me and replied, no you don’t. We have enough running backs, you’re going to play fullback. That was an important lesson to be selfless. I played fullback and outside linebacker for the next two years. Thank you to all my teachers, coaches, teammates and classmates at Weco University High, including my running backs coach Walter Brown who was another father figure in my life and helped prepare me for college at TCU. Thank you. At TCU I began as an 18-year-old teenager and left a young man. What made TCU so special was that it provided academic rigor with combined Christian values and family values. My college career got off to a really rough start, the team won just one game and the coach who recruited me was released. I first thought I should transfer, but when I shared this with my mother she said, don’t quit on your teammates, be part of the solution, be part of the change. Anything worth having, is worth fighting for. Another life lesson. I stayed, and the new coaching staff lead by head coach Dennis Franchione and defensive coordinator GaryPatterson, now head coach of the Horn dogs, led us to 3 straight bowl games. To my teammates at TCU, you were my teammates on the field, in the locker room, and are my teammates for life. Those of you who are here today, I would like you to stand for a second. Thank you guys. Thank you to the Spanos family. Dean, your family gave me my first opportunity in the NFL and now as your special assistant, my most recent. My friendship with you, Susie, John, and AG is one of the most important in my life. When I got to the NFL, it seemed all I worked for and dreamed about for 15 years had come true. And I was so focused and determined to succeed and excel, almost to a fault. Initially, all I did was practice, study and train to be the best football player I can be. I spent 9 years with the San Diego Chargers . Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer was the best coach I ever had as we won 5 division titles. Marty, will you and your wife Pat please stand to be acknowledged. I was honored to play alongside many outstanding players, like the late Junior Saya, Drew Brees, Rodney Harrison, Kurtis Conway, Terrell Fletcher, Doug Flutie, and my first fullback Fred McCrery. After Fred’s departure from the Chargers, my presenter tonight Lorenzo Neil became out fullback. A selfless player always clearing the way so others could shine. He taught me what it meant to be a teammate. I had a special bond with our offensive line during the run we had in 2006. Much of my success was due to their commitment and sacrifice. Would all my Charger teammates please stand. Love you guys, thank you. Now to the Jets. Woody Johnson you gave me the opportunity to play two more years and they were two of the most meaningful of my career and gave me the opportunity to come full circle to mentor some of the young talented athletes coming into the organization just as so many great Charger champions had mentored me. Would all my former teammates and team staff members please stand to be recognized. Come on get up you guys deserve it. You guys deserve it. Thank you to the scores of trainers, physical therapists and medical teams that were integral to my football career. I was fortunate to play 11 years and never underwent one surgery due in part to the team of therapists who worked with me. Alex Guerrero, thank you. A special thanks to Todd Durkin, my personal trainer. Your passion in training challenged me to achieve my full potential. In 2012 I joined the NFL Network, you’ve been amazing during my transition from playing the game to analyzing the game. Earlier I shared the important influence TCU had on my life, but most importantly, if it wasn’t for TCU I wouldn’t have met my beautiful bride Torsha. She came to the University as a freshman and we fell in love. During my first two seasons in San Diego, Torsha continued at TCU. She has always known my heart and has had the confidence, integrity and maturity to both be patient with me to speak directly when necessary. We knew we were destined to be husband and wife. Once we married, she moved and completed her education at the University of California, San Diego. I soon realized I had dual commitments. One was to be the best football player I could be. The other was learning to be there for my wife as she was always there for me. Her love and commitment were already there when I began my career with the Chargers. She is my Queen. We have been together for 17 years, virtually half our lives and together we’re raising amazing children. Our beautiful son and daughter, Daylen and Dayah. Daylen and Dayah, our love for you in infinite. You inspire me every day to be the best dad, the best man I can be. As my father told me, I give you a good name. You represent the next generation of this great name. Respect it and be proud to share it. Torsha’s parents, Robert and Tory, are truly a God-sent. Throughout my career they were there to ease my burdens. You’re still intimately involved in our lives, as is my mother, as grandparents and residents, I cannot imagine my life without you. I have a birth brother and sister, LaVar and Londria Tomlinson and a half-sister Felicia as well as three half-brothers Terry and his wonderful wife Sharon, Charles and the late Ronald McClain. Thank you for a lifetime of love and support. To all my family, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, cousins and those I haven’t mentioned, thank you for your love and support. To my late father, Oliver Tomlinson for supporting his entire family, he has such a big heart. Everyone who knew him talked about how much he always gave to everyone. No question, I inherited his heart. I also want to acknowledge my late stepfather, Herman Chappell who came into my life when I was 9. A hard worker and great provider. Thank you for bringing Herman Jr, Michael, Lonnie and my niece Stephanie into my life. Thank you for your love, guys. Earlier I spoke about had God has placed people in my life at critical moments, here are a few more… Rose and Emmitt Hughes, you aren’t just a part of my family, you are my family period. Clarence Shelmon, my Chargers running back coach, you taught me how to wear the mantel of professionalism. And lastly, two people very important to my family, our CPA and financial advisor, John Palguta and our personal family assistant Mark Almato. Both of you play a huge part in the success of our lives personally and professionally. If this was my last day on earth, and this my final speech, this is the message I’ll leave with you. The story of a man I never met, my great great great grandfather George. One-hundred-and-seventy years ago, George was brought here in chains on a slave ship from west Africa. His last name Tomlinson was given to him by the man who owned him. Tomlinson was the slave owner’s last name. What extraordinary courage it must have taken for him to rebuild his life after the life he was born to was stolen. How did he reclaim his identity, his dignity, when he had to freedom to choose for himself? I grew up on the land of a former slave plantation, and although I didn’t know this as a child, it’s where my great great great grandfather tilled the soil. A few years ago, I visited that same plantation in central Texas with my family and stood in the slave quarters where he lived. It’s now named Tomlinson Hill. My name began with the man who owned my great great great grandfather, now it’s proudly carried by me, my children, my extended family. People stop me on the street because they know me as LT the football player, but after football, people have begun to recognize me as LaDainian Tomlinson. Not simply for what I did as a football player, but for who I am as a man. The family legacy that began in such a cruel way, has given birth to generations of successful, caring Tomlinsons. I firmly believe that God chose me to help bring two races together under one last name, Tomlinson. I’m a mixed race, and I represent America. My story is America’s story. All our ancestors, unless we’re American Indian, came from a different country, another culture. Football is a microcosm of America. All races, religions and creeds living, playing, competing side by side. When you’re a part of a team, you understand your teammates. Their strengths and weaknesses and work together towards the same goal to win a championship. In this context, I advocate we become Team America. In sports, were evaluated on our desire, ability and given a chance to compete. America is the land of opportunity. Let’s not slam the doors on those who may look or sound different from us. Rather, lets open it wide for those who believe in themselves that anything is possible and willing to compete and take whatever risk necessary to work hard to succeed. I’m being inducted into the Hall of Fame because my athletic ability created an opportunity for me to excel in the sport I love. When we open the door for others to compete, we fulfill the promise of “one Nation under God with liberty and justice for all. On America’s team, let’s not choose to be against one another. Let’s choose to be for one another. My great great great grandfather had no choice, we have on. I pray to dedicate ourselves to be the best team we can be, working and living together, representing the highest ideals of mankind. Leading the way for all nations to follow. One of the most eloquent orators of our time said it best in his farewell address. Paraphrasing and humbly building upon what President Obama said, we all have to try harder, show up, dive in and stay at it. I am asking you to believe in your ability to bring about change to hold fast to faith and the idea whispered by slaves, yes we can. Thank you very much. Thank you for this honor. God bless you.

Watch Tomlinson’s speech here .

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2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement | New class waits out delay then enjoys moment

CANTON — Welcome to Enshrinement Saturday.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement for the Class of 2024 features seven former NFL standouts — five defensive players, one wide receiver and one return specialist/receiver. The weather made them wait for their moment, just over 90 minutes, but they enjoyed it just the same when they each took center stage to speak.

Here's everything you need to know about the Enshrinement and how it unfolded through our live updates.

Andre Johnson wraps up Hall of Fame Enshrinement as final speaker

The 2024 Enshrinement ends with Andre Johnson being the final class member to speak . He made seven Pro Bowls in a career spent mostly with the Houston Texans, surpassing 100 catches in a season five times and 1,000 yards receiving in a season seven times. Johnson led the league in catches twice and receiving yards per game three times.

More on Andre Johnson's enshrinement: Game-changing decision put NFL Hall of Famer Andre Johnson on track to a successful career

J.J. Watt at Enshrinement for Andre Johnson

J.J. Watt has a few years to wait before his inevitable enshrinement. But the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is in Benson Stadium for Class of 2024 Hall of Famer Andre Johnson. Watt is in Johnson's family and friends section. Watt is eligible for the Hall's 2028 class.

Julius Peppers speaking 6th during Hall of Fame ceremony

A double-member of two all-decade teams, Julius Peppers is speaking sixth. He made nine Pro Bowls, starring for the Panthers, Packers and Bears. He's the first player drafted by the Carolina Panthers to make the Hall of Fame. He had 10 seasons with at least 10 sacks and made the NFL All-Decade teams in the 2000s and 2010s after being the second overall pick in the 2002 draft.

More on Julius Peppers' enshrinement: Grateful Julius Peppers aims for hall-of-fame talent to extend beyond football

A couple of @UNC_Basketball hoopers. #PFHOF24 pic.twitter.com/GWty9xBjwJ — NFL (@NFL) August 3, 2024

Patrick Willis next up on stage at Enshrinement

Patrick Willis speaks fifth Saturday. Thanks to his willingness to work hard , he needed just eight seasons with the 49ers to make seven Pro Bowls and be named All-Pro five times in earning a spot on the NFL All-2010s team.

More on Patrick Willis' enshrinement: Hardship and determination paved way to Hall of Fame for linebacker Patrick Willis

Bears kick return star Devin Hester speaks 4th at Enshrinement

Devin Hester becomes the first Hall of Famer to be enshrined primarily for his work as a kick and punt returner. Hester made NFL All-Decade Teams for the 2000s and 2010s for his work as a return man. Hester returned 20 kicks or punts for touchdowns to set an NFL career record, passing Deion Sanders , who had 19.

More on Devin Hester's enshrinement: Hall of Fame Enshrinement: Devin Hester never doubted ability to impact football games

Devin Hester shouts out Josh Cribbs for Hall of Fame induction

During his speech , Hester said while he may be he first return specialist in the Hall of Fame, he should not be the last. He mentioned both Josh Cribbs and Brian Mitchell as ones who should join him some day. Cribbs was an elite return man and kick coverage star for the Browns from 2005-12. Cribbs is on the NFL All-2000s and made three Pro Bowls.

Randy Gradishar takes the stage as Enshrinement's 3rd inductee of the ceremony

Randy Gradishar made his mark as a tackling machine for the Denver Broncos from 1974-83, leading their famed Orange Crush Defense. The 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year made seven Pro Bowls.

More on Randy Gradishar's enshrinement: Hall of Fame Enshrinement: Randy Gradishar thanks Archie Griffin for biggest day of his young life

Hall of Fame does special ceremony for Steve McMichael to unveil his bust at his home

Steve McMichael was unable to attend the ceremony or any of the festivities this week. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2020. ALS is a neurodegenerative disorder, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

With him unable to attend Saturday, the Hall shipped his bust to his home in the Chicago area where his wife Misty McMichael unveiled it for him , surrounded by his family, friends and former Bears teammates.

Misty McMichael represented her husband earlier this week in Canton is hoping to raise more awareness for ALS.

Steve McMichael starred in the 1980s with the Bears, an anchor up front of their ferocious defense, winning one Super Bowl together.

More on Steve McMichael's enshrinement: Hall of Fame: 'Football heaven' as the Bears' Steve McMichael endures the hell of ALS

Dwight Freeney speaking first, Michael Jordan at Enshrinement

Dwight Freeney spoke first . His family and friends section includes Michael Jordan today.

Freeney was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champ and a member of the NFL's All-2000s team.

Dwight Freeney opens Enshrinement: Battling adversity was a major theme of Dwight Freeney's Hall of Fame enshrinement speech

Enshrinement underway, as Class of 2024 is introduced and takes the stage

The seven-man Class of 2024 began being introduced at 1:36 p.m. ET, taking the stage as their names were called. With that, the Enshrinement is underway after a delay of 96 minutes.

Enshrinement getting set to start

After a delay of more than 90 minutes, the 2024 Enshrinement is expected to begin soon.

Gates open at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium for 2024 Enshrinement

At 1:12 p.m. ET the stadium gates opened for the Enshrinement. The start of the ceremony has been delayed more than an hour because of the storms Saturday morning.

Start of Hall of Fame Enshrinement remains delayed

The start Hall of Fame Enshrinement remains delayed . The earliest it could start, as of 12:50 p.m., would be at 2 p.m.

Enshrinement continues to be in delay and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium gates still at least half hour away from opening

Hall officials said lightning at 12:08 p.m. will delay the opening of the stadium gates at least another half hour, as the start of the Enshrinement continues to be on hold.

Severe Canton, Ohio weather will delay the start of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement

The Enshrinement's start will be delayed today, as several storms with heavy rain are moving through Greater Canton late Saturday morning.

The Hall tweeted out the following: "Due to heavy rain in the area, the start time for Enshrinement of the Class of 2024 will be delayed. More details will be provided as they become available."

Due to heavy rain in the area, the start time for Enshrinement of the Class of 2024 will be delayed. More details will be provided as they become available. pic.twitter.com/UlMyBBMeRx — Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 3, 2024

Michael Jordan is in Canton for the Hall of Fame Enshrinement

Iconic Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is in Canton today for the Enshrinement. The star of the Olympic Dream Team and six-time NBA champ is here in support of Class of 2024 enshrinee Dwight Freeney , who is a close friend.

The Rock, too, in Canton for the Enshrinement?

Michael Jordan might not be alone in the category of non-football icons attending the Enshrinement. The Rock, too, could be in attendance. The Rock — Dwayne Johnson — did play college football at the University of Miami (Fla.), but has gained far greater fame as a wrestler, actor and entertainer (among his many titles). Two players from The U are in the Class of 2024, Devin Hester and Andre Johnson. Both, though, starred there a decade after The Rock.

Enshrinees Gold Jacket Dinner: Ex-Browns among record number of Hall of Famers at dinner. Who drew biggest ovation?

2024 NFL Hall of Fame Class - Who will be enshrined Saturday?

The Class of 2024 features Dwight Freeney , Randy Gradishar , Devin Hester , Andre Johnson , Steve McMichael , Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis .

What channel is the Hall of Fame ceremony on?

Time: Noon, ET
Channels: ESPN, NFL Network ( Watch FREE with Fubo )

Here's what else you need to know about today's Enshrinement.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Enshrinement speech order

Dwight Freeney
Steve McMichael
Randy Gradishar
Devin Hester
Patrick Willis
Julius Peppers
Andre Johnson

Enshrinees are asked to keep their remarks to about 10 minutes each, similar to recent ceremonies.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 Enshrinement presenters

The presenters for each member of the Class of 2024 are:

Freeney – Jim Irsay , Indianapolis Colts owner & CEO
Gradishar – Tom Jackson , Randy’s former Denver Broncos teammate
Hester – Juanita Brown , Devin’s mother
Johnson – Gary Kubiak , Andre’s former Houston Texans head coach
McMichael – Jarrett Payton , Steve’s longtime friend and sports anchor
Peppers – Carl Carey , Julius’ longtime friend, mentor and agent
Willis – Ernicka Willis , Patrick’s sister

ESPN's Chris Berman is Hall of Fame Enshrinement master of ceremonies

ESPN personality Chris Berman will return as the master of ceremonies for the enshrinement, continuing a role in which he has served for more than two decades.

Pro Football Hall of Fame parade 2024 starts the day

The Canton Repository Grand Parade , which runs along Cleveland Avenue in downtown Canton, begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. The parade features the new enshrinees, returning Hall of Famers, 10 giant helium balloons, marching bands, more than a dozen colorful floats and dance troupes along the 2.2-mile route.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Parade: Everything you need to know about the 2024 Canton Repository Grand Parade

Just catching up on this year's Enshrinement festivities. Here's what you missed Friday.

Coach Prime in Canton: Devin Hester gets gold jacket from Deion Sanders

The Hall's Enshrinee Gold Jacket Dinner can be an emotional moment for the new Hall of Famers when they get their gold jacket. The emotions increase when legends are the ones presenting the jacket.

Just ask Devin Hester. The Class of 2024 enshrinee cried as Hall of Famer Deion Sanders hugged Hester before giving him the gold jacket. Sanders took a break from his job as Colorado football coach to be in Canton for Friday's dinner.

Hall of Famers take a walk in downtown Canton, break bread at Ray Nitschke Luncheon, meet with meda

The Pro Football Hall of Famer Walk & Photo Op opened the day Friday, as NFL legends started at the intersection of Market Avenue and Third Street S and proceeded to Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton.

Later, the new class attended their first Ray Nitschke Luncheon with returning Hall of Famers. Dwight Freeney the lunch "sensory overload" as he took in the scene, including seeing Ronnie Lott.

"I'm looking at his hand, trying to see if his pinkie is still there," Freeney said with a laugh. "I'm like, 'Oh, man, he's a beast.' You just see guys: Mean Joe Greene, Warren Sapp. I'm sitting there like, 'Man, I wish I had Warren Sapp as a D-tackle,' and (thinking about) how much havoc you can cause in the backfield."

Not long after that, the Class of 2024 filtered through the lobby of The Canton Repository to meet with media, many from out of town to cover the Enshrinement.

Andre Johnson said he was enjoying his time in Canton.

"It's been amazing," he said. "Everybody has made me feel very welcome. Other people have always told me how good things are here and I've had just a great experience this week."

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Julius Peppers thanks Packers fans during Hall of Fame speech, calls years in Green Bay 'three of the best' in his life

Gold looks good on Julius Peppers.

It did when he played for the Green Bay Packers and it did on Saturday as he sported his gold Hall of Fame jacket during his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio .

Peppers wore the green and gold for just three of his 17 years in the NFL — he's most known for his seasons in Carolina where he played 10 years across two stints — but that time on the back end of his career in Green Bay was meaningful to him.

Peppers, who showed he still had plenty of game left when he starred for three Packers playoff teams from 2014-16, acknowledged the state, team and fanbase in his Hall of Fame speech.

And if there would have been more Packers fans in attendance a "Go Pack Go" chant could have taken over with Peppers leading the charge.

"Thank you to the people of Wisconsin and Green Bay fans all over," said Peppers, who signed with the Packers after four seasons with the Chicago Bears. "Go Pack Go!"

After a brief pause, the dominant defensive end added: "That was three of the best years of my life."

Julius Peppers is legendary. pic.twitter.com/Sq6N4y2RcX — Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 3, 2024

Here's more about Peppers, one of seven players inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 . Longtime Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael , who played one season with the Packers in 1994, was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Julius Peppers Hall of Fame speech

Julius Peppers stats

Julius Peppers finished his Hall of Fame career fourth on the all-time sacks list with 159 ½ across 266 games in 17 seasons. His 52 forced fumbles are second most in NFL history.

Peppers' career stats include:

719 tackles
175 tackles for loss
186 quarterback hits
159 ½ sacks
52 forced fumbles
21 fumble recoveries
11 interceptions

Julius Peppers stats with the Packers

Peppers didn't miss a game with the Packers in his three seasons. He had 25 sacks and reached double figures (10 ½) in his second year in Green Bay.

He had two interceptions and two touchdowns in 2014. The two TDs were half of his career total.

The Packers made the playoffs in each of Peppers' three seasons, making two NFC title games and the divisional round in another.

Julius Peppers achievements

Peppers made the Pro Bowl nine times, including once with the Packers in 2015. He was a Pro Bowler in eight of his first nine years of his career.

A six-time All Pro (three first team and three second team), Peppers was recognized for his sustained excellence by making the NFL All Decade Team in the 2000s and 2010s.

He was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024

Dwight Freeney (defensive end/linebacker; career: 2002-17)
Randy Gradishar (linebacker; career: 1974-83)
Devin Hester (punt returner/kick returner/wide receiver; career: 2006-16)
Andre Johnson (wide receiver; career: 2003-16)
Steve McMichael (defensive tackle/nose tackle; career: 1980-1994)
Julius Peppers (defensive end; career: 2002-18)
Patrick Willis (linebacker; career: 2007-14)

Packers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Green Bay Packers have 28 members of their organization enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Early 'Curly' Lambeau, Don Hutson, Robert 'Cal' Hubbard, Johnny 'Blood' McNally, Clarke Hinkle, Mike Michalske, Arnie Herber, Vince Lombardi, Tony Canadeo, Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Herb Adderley, Willie Davis, Jim Ringo, Paul Hornung, Willie Wood, Henry Jordan, James Lofton, Reggie White, Dave Robinson, Ron Wolf, Brett Favre, Jerry Kramer, Bobby Dillon, Charles Woodson and LeRoy Butler.

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2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony: Time, TV channel, streaming, where to watch, what to know

Everything you need to know about saturday's ceremony.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will increase its membership to 378 when they formally induct seven new members during Saturday's ceremony from Canton, Ohio.

Of the Hall of Fame's 371 current inductees, only 89 were selected during their first year of eligibility. On Saturday, that number will increase to 90 as one of this year's inductees received enough votes to be inducted after just one year on the ballot.

Each inductee will be introduced by a presenter before giving their induction speech. Each Hall of Fame inductee will receive an induction ring, a gold jacket and a bronze bust that will rest eternally in the Hall of Fame.

Here's how you can follow the action, along with a rundown of each member of this year's induction class.

How to watch

Date: Saturday, Aug. 3 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio)
TV: ESPN/NFL Network | Stream: fuboTV ( click here )

Here's a look at the seven players who make up this year's induction class.

Dwight Freeney , LB (2002-17): Freeney's devastating spin move led to 125.5 career sacks and a Super Bowl ring with the 2006 Colts . He led the NFL with 16 sacks during the 2004 season.
Andre Johnson , WR (2003-16): The greatest offensive player in Texans history, Johnson was named to seven Pro Bowls and led the NFL in receiving on two occasions. He is 11th in NFL history in both career receptions (1,062) and receiving yards (14,185).
Devin Hester , returner (2006-16): Arguably the greatest returner in NFL history, Hester is now enshrined in Canton after returning 20 kick/punt returns for touchdowns during his 11-year career. He is also the only player to return the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl for a touchdown, as he did so for the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Randy Gradishar , LB (1974-83): He led the Broncos ' famed "Orange Crush" defense that spearheaded the Broncos ' first AFC championship in 1977. A complete linebacker, Gradishar won Defensive Player of the Year the following season after recording three interceptions, three sacks and four fumble recoveries.
Patrick Willis , LB (2007-14): Willis packed a lot into an eight-year career. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and is a member of the Hall of Fame All-2000s Team. Willis twice led the NFL in tackles and was among the leaders of the 49ers ' 2012 NFC championship squad.
Steve McMichael , DT (1980-94): "Mongo" played in a whopping 227 games (including a franchise-record 191 games with the Bears ) and was an integral part of a Bears defense that led Chicago to the franchise's first Super Bowl win at the end of the 1985 season. His 95 career sacks rank fourth all-time for defensive tackles, and he led the Bears in sacks seven times.
Julius Peppers , DE (2002-18): A first-ballot inductee, Peppers also has the distinction of being named to two All-Decade teams after terrorizing opposing quarterbacks from 2002-2018. He had 10 seasons with at least 10 sacks, with his first and last double-digit sack seasons coming 15 years apart.

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Remembering that time Rush's Alex Lifeson trolled the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the most ridiculous awards speech ever

"Blah blah blah, blah blah-blah-blah-blah, blah blah, blah blah-blah!"

Rush at the 2013 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Awards shows can be a tiresome old thing. We sit for hours on end, watching celebrities be wheeled out one after the other to give carefully scripted introductory speeches, before handing awards to their celebrity mates, who give carefully planned, endlessly long speeches of their own, thanking everyone they've ever met in their decades of existence, before finally walking off with a gong that'll inevitably end up in a draw or on a toilet shelf somewhere.

Alright, maybe that's a little over the top - when done right, awards shows can be a legitimate and emotional way to pay tribute to our heroes - but whether it's an overly sanitised Brit Awards or a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that can't seem to go a year without pissing off a fanbase or two, it certainly feels like, for the most part, when it comes to awards, we've just seen it all before.

It's perhaps why legendary Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson decided to take matters into his own hands when Rush were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. The induction was widely accepted in the rock community as a huge victory for prog music, and a moment of vindication for a band who had often been treated snidely by certain corners of the rock media and fanbase.

This didn't stop Lifeson, however, deciding to undermine the whole shindig in the most hilarious way possible. Following warm, eloquent and heartfelt speeches by his Rush bandmates, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart , the guitarist proceeded to spend no less than two and a half minutes 'blah blah blah'-ing into the microphone.

We're not being facetious. He literally spends his entire speech saying 'blah' in more ways that we ever thought possible, from imitating instruments to pretending to have a phone call and, most brilliantly of all, mocking the teary-eyed acceptance speeches of many an awards show gone by.

As it dawns on the star-filled audience that this isn't merely an opening gag, Lifeson's bandmates look on in amusement, and a ludicrous moment of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame history is born.

Years later, Lifeson would comment on the speech, telling Rolling Stone: "Well, it just seemed like a good idea at the time. I had a speech written and I was trying to memorize it and I couldn't remember it. And I thought I might as well just [go] 'blah blah blah.' And I thought, 'Well, that's a good idea.' And so I thought it would tell the story of our history and how we got to that stage without using any words. And the interesting thing is that everybody remembers my speech."

Classic Rock Newsletter

Watch the iconic moment below.

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.

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Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael, who has ALS, enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ceremony at his home

Misty McMichael, wife of former NFL player Steve McMichael, left, unveils his bust during an induction ceremony from their home, on the video screen at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 poses after receiving their gold jackets during the gold jacket dinner in Canton, Ohio, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. From left to right, Andre Johnson, Patrick Willis, Devon Hester, Misty McMichael for her husband Steve McMichael, Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar and Julius Peppers. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Former NFL player Dwight Freeney speaks during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Former NFL player Dwight Freeney, second from right, and his presenter Jim Irsay, lower left, unveil his bust during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Misty McMichael receives the gold jacket for her husband Steve McMichael, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024, during the gold jacket dinner in Canton, Ohio, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Former NFL player Devin Hester poses with his bust during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Former NFL player Devin Hester speaks during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Former NFL player Julius Peppers poses with his bust during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Former NFL player Julius Peppers speaks during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Former NFL player Randy Gradishar poses with his bust during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Former NFL player Andre Johnson speaks during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Former NFL player Andre Johnson, left, and his former coach Gary Kubiak, right, unveil a bust of himself during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Former NFL player Patrick Willis speaks during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Canton, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Former NFL player Patrick Willis, right, and his sister, Ericka Willis, left, pose with a bust of himself during an induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

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Steve McMichael couldn’t make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so the ceremony came to him.

Battling ALS and bedridden in the advanced stages of the neurological disease, the 66-year-old two-time All-Pro defensive tackle was the second player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame among seven members of the Class of 2024 on Saturday.

Surrounded by several of his Chicago Bears teammates and his wife, Misty, at his home in Homer Glen, Illinois, McMichael wore his gold jacket, and his bronze bust was unveiled live in a touching tribute.

“You are on a team that you can never be cut from and never be released from. When you die, you’ll always be on this team. Welcome home, Steve. You’re in football heaven forever,” Hall of Famer Richard Dent said, patting McMichael on the head.

Misty McMichael wiped tears as she turned her husband’s head toward the bronze bust.

“That’s you, baby, forever,” she said.

Jim McMahon, quarterback of the 1985 Bears Super Bowl championship team, watched the scene unfold on a video screen from the in-person event at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Many Bears supporters shed tears watching McMichael.

Nicknamed “Mongo” and known for his brash and boisterous personality, McMichael was the most feared player on one of the greatest defenses in NFL history. He became the fourth defensive player from the 1985 team to enter the Hall, joining Dent, Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton.

McMichael’s sister, Kathy, read a speech that she began working on with her brother before he lost his ability to move and speak.

“I want to thank the Chicago Bears and the fans, the best city to play football in,” Kathy McMichael said. “I played 15 years in the NFL and loved every minute of every down. I played with the greatest players and the greatest defense to this day.”

Jarret Payton, son of Bears Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, presented McMichael, who called Payton a “pseudo-son” in the speech read by his sister.

“The only thing bigger than his personality is his heart,” Payton said.

McMichael played in a franchise-record 191 consecutive games from 1981 to 1993 and ranks second to Dent on the Bears’ all-time sacks list with 92 1/2. His final NFL season was with Green Bay in 1994.

The ceremony in Ohio was delayed nearly two hours because of heavy rain and lightning. Similar weather on Thursday night forced the preseason opener between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans to be stopped with 18 minutes remaining.

Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis also were enshrined, raising the total members of the Hall of Fame to 378.

Freeney, a three-time All-Pro defensive end with the Indianapolis Colts, was playing soccer in high school when the football coach took him off the field. It was a life-changing move.

“My parents are both Jamaican, so soccer was in my blood,” Freeney said. “If it wasn’t for my high school coach, Jack Cochran, pulling me off that soccer field and convincing me to play this great game, I wouldn’t be on this stage today. Your invaluable lessons in work ethic have stayed with me for my entire life. You also taught me what it takes to become a champion.”

Colts owner Jim Irsay, who is recovering from a fall, introduced Freeney in a video message. Irsay then was brought on stage in a wheelchair to help unveil Freeney’s bronze bust.

“He arguably was the best Colt defensive player in our 60-plus year history,” Irsay said.

Freeney played 11 seasons in Indianapolis and 16 total, registering 125 1/2 sacks, many using his signature spin move. He forced 47 fumbles, made seven Pro Bowls and earned one Super Bowl ring.

In his speech, Freeney apologized to his mother for scaring her when he jumped out of a babysitter’s second-story window at age 2.

“Maybe that daredevil helped me create my spin move,” he joked.

Hester became the first player inducted primarily as a return specialist . He returned a league-record 14 punts for touchdowns and ran back five more kickoffs for scores during an 11-year career spent mostly with the Bears. Hester is the only player to return the opening kick of a Super Bowl for a TD.

“When I first exploded on the professional scene, there was a lot of negativity, because people didn’t respect the return game,” Hester said. “But eventually, it got to the point where they put in a new rule — the Devin Hester rule — to move the kickoff up, so it made it easy for the kicker to kick it out of the end zone, which eliminated me from getting a lot of returns.

“So I guess the NFL had started taking the return game seriously. I hope that me being here today opens up the door and brings some attention to other guys like Brian Mitchell and Josh Cribbs because I’m not the only returner who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Willis played only eight seasons in the NFL but made a major impact with the San Francisco 49ers as a do-it-all linebacker. He was AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2007, was a five-time All-Pro selection and made seven Pro Bowls.

Willis talked about growing up in the rural South living in a duplex trailer without running water until he was 8.

“Every day my siblings and I would carry empty five-gallon plastic buckets up the hill to get water from my grandparents’ house, then carry them back down,” Willis said. “I remember when I was carrying those buckets, I would tell myself, ‘If I can make it from here all the way to the house without stopping, I’m going to get stronger.’ No doubt I was getting physically stronger, but I didn’t know at the time that I was also building inner strength.”

Peppers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers, was a three-time All-Pro defensive end and made nine Pro Bowls in 17 seasons. He had 159 1/2 sacks — fourth most in NFL history — along with 52 forced and 11 interceptions.

“I’ve been blessed and fortunate to have many great people in my life, and those relationships, those friendships, are what’ll make you a success,” Peppers said.

Johnson, the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, is the first player in the Hall to begin his career with the Texans. He was a two-time All-Pro wide receiver, made seven Pro Bowls and finished with 1,062 catches for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns.

Johnson went last and received one of the loudest ovations with a huge contingent of the organization and fans in the crowd.

“You have shown me so much love since I came to the city,” Johnson said. “I was waking in the store the other day and a lady I didn’t know said: ‘I’ll see you in Canton.’ I love you guys and I couldn’t do what I did if I didn’t have you cheering me on.”

The 72-year-old Gradishar had the longest wait of the new class, becoming the first member of the Denver Broncos’ famed “Orange Crush” defense to join the Hall, 41 years after he last played in the NFL. The seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.

“Don’t work for status, power, wealth, materialism, or people’s recognition — all of that is temporary, but in all you are and do, work for God’s glory because he will give you an inheritance as your reward,” Gradishar said, paraphrasing Scripture.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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10 famous speeches in history that continue to stand the test of time

A great speech is something that combines persuasive writing, a comfort with public speaking , and a meaningful message to create an impression greater than the sum of its parts. There’s no one set of rules to govern the ideal speech, and plenty of people struggle with them even with teams of experts to help them out — just see the majority of speeches given by politicians. But once in a while, a truly great speaker and a truly great speech come together to create something that stands out and withstands the test of time, carrying meaning with it through generations even to those who weren’t yet born when it was given.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Demosthenes, queen elizabeth i, george washington, abraham lincoln, chief joseph, winston churchill, john f. kennedy, barack obama, more famous speeches to inspire you.

Great speeches are more than just rhetorical flourish or impressive performance — they’re also calls to action, able to persuade and embolden the listener. These speeches can be inspiring, informative, and instructive, whether you’re interested in learning more about history or working on a speech of your own .

We’ve rounded up 10 of history’s greatest speeches, including excerpts so you can learn about how the power of a great speech can last for years.

1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. ‘s I Have a Dream speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, is one of the finest pieces of oratory in human history. It blended masterful, rich language with the oratorical technique of repetition and it was utterly fearless.

King would be dead by an assassin’s bullet less than five years after delivering his most famous speech. His words were no mere rhetoric; they were an affirmation of the value of human life and the expression of a cause for which he would give his own.

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’ … “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

341 BCE ‘Third Philippic’

Though you may not have heard of the Athenian orator Demosthenes, consider the fact that one of history’s most famed speakers of all time, Cicero, cited his ancient forebear 300 years later. Demosthenes’ Third Philippic , so-called because it was the third speech he gave devoted to convincing his fellow Athenians to take up arms against the encroaching forces of Phillip of Macedon, literally led men to war. At the end of his speech, delivered in 341 BCE, the Athenian Assembly moved at once against their rival, spurred on by lines damning the past inaction of his fellow citizens:

“You are in your present plight because you do not do any part of your duty, small or great; for of course, if you were doing all that you should do, and were still in this evil case, you could not even hope for any improvement. As it is, Philip has conquered your indolence and your indifference; but he has not conquered Athens. You have not been vanquished, you have never even stirred.

1588 ‘Spanish Armada’ speech t o the troops at Tilbury

In 1588, English monarch Queen Elizabeth I gave one of the manliest speeches in history, even at one point, putting down her own body for being female. As the “mighty” Spanish Armada, a flotilla of some 130 ships, sailed toward Britain with plans of invasion, the queen delivered a rousing address at Tilbury, Essex, England. As it turned out, a storm and some navigational errors took care of the Spanish warships for the most part. Still, it was a bold speech that helped bolster a nation. This speech also made Queen Elizabeth famous for the armor she wore in front of her troops.

“I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm: To which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.”

1783 Resignation speech

To grasp the true power of George Washington ‘s resignation as the commander-in-chief of the U.S. military (then known as the Continental Army) on December 23, 1783, you have to go beyond the words themselves and appreciate the context. Washington was in no way obliged to resign his commission, but did so willingly and even gladly, just as he would later refuse a third term as president of the nation, establishing a precedent honored into the 1940s and thereafter enshrined in law. Despite being the most powerful man in the fledgling military and then becoming the most powerful man in the United States, the staid and humble Washington was never hungry for power for himself; he just happened to be the best man for the job(s).

Even in his last address as leader of the nation’s armed forces, Washington made it all about America, and not about himself:

“Happy in the confirmation of our Independence and Sovereignty, and pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States of becoming a respectable Nation, I resign with satisfaction the Appointment I accepted with diffidence. A diffidence in my abilities to accomplish so arduous a task, which however was superseded by a confidence in the rectitude of our Cause, the support of the Supreme Power of the Union, and the patronage of Heaven.”

1863 ‘Gettysburg Address’

There’s a reason many people consider the Gettysburg Address to be the best speech in American history: It probably is. In just 275 words on November 19, 1863, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln managed to express the following sentiments:

America is both a place and a concept, both of which are worth fighting.
Fighting is horrible, but losing is worse.
We have no intention of losing.

Ironically, one line in Lincoln’s speech proved to be laughably inaccurate. Midway through the speech, he humbly said: “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.” In fact, the world continues to remember his brief yet very stirring address.

“In a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract …

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.”

1877 Surrender speech

On October 5, 1877, Nez Perce tribe leader Chief Joseph delivered a short, impromptu, and wrenching speech that many see as the lamentation of the end of an era for Native Americans and the lands that were stolen from them. Overtaken by the United States Army during a desperate multi-week retreat toward Canada, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Howard with this bleak, moving message:

“I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are — perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”

1939 ‘Luckiest Man’ speech

No one wants a deadly disease named after them, but that’s what happened to baseball legend Lou Gehrig , who died at 37 after a brief battle with ALS, commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” Following a career in which the Hall of Fame player earned many of baseball’s top honors and awards, Gehrig delivered one of the most touching speeches of the 20th century, a speech in which he brought comfort to those mourning his illness even as his health fell apart.

In essence, Gehrig told people not to worry about one dying man, but instead to celebrate all life had to offer as he listed all the wonderful things that occurred in his own life. In so doing, he brought solace to many and created a model of selflessness. Gehrig delivered this short speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939.

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans … “So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”

1940 ‘We Shall Fight on the Beaches’ speech

Winston Churchill delivered many superlative speeches in his day, including the 1946 address that created the term “Iron Curtain” to describe the boundary of Britain’s recent ally, the Soviet Union, and a 1940 speech praising the heroism of the British Royal Air Force in which he uttered the line: “Never was so much owed by so many to so few.”

But it was his bold and bolstering speech delivered on June 4, 1940, to the British Parliament’s House of Commons — commonly referred to as We Shall Fight on the Beaches — that most exemplifies the famed leader. These were more than just words — these were a promise to his nation that they were all in the fight wholeheartedly together and it was a heads-up to the Axis powers that attacking the Brits had been a bad idea.

“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

1961 inaugural address

Much of President John F. Kennedy ‘s pithy 1,366-word inaugural address, delivered on January 20, 1961, was well-written and meaningful, but as often happens, his speech has stood the test of time thanks to one perfect phrase. Amidst an address filled with both hope and dire warnings (“Man holds in his hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life,” the latter being a clear reference to atomic weapons), he issued a direct appeal to Americans everywhere to stand up for their country. You know the line:

“And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”

2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address

When our future president – then a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois – Barack Obama delivered a 17-minute speech on the evening of July 27, 2004, at the Democratic National Convention endorsing presidential candidate John Kerry, the personal trajectory of one man and the history of an entire nation shifted dramatically. Already an up-and-coming politician gaining traction in his home state of Illinois, Obama’s keynote address that night transformed him into a national figure and paved the way for his journey to becoming the first POTUS of color. What was it about the speech that so moved the country?

Partly, it was simply the excellent writing, most of which Obama handled himself. Perhaps more so, it was the message of the speech, which spoke to the “abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation.” In short, Obama reminded us of who we were supposed to be as citizens of this nation. And for a flickering moment, many of us heard him.

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America. There’s not a Black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America … “We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?”

While we’ve taken an in-depth look at some of history’s most famous speeches, the list goes much further than those 10. Here are a few more great speeches that helped shape history that still have the power to inspire.

1941 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – Day of Infamy speech – Roosevelt’s address to Congress on December 8, 1941, came the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It’s best known for its opening line: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” The speech spurred Congress to declare war on Japan and thrust the U.S. into World War II.
1933 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – First Inaugural Address – Considering FDR served four terms during the end of the Great Depression and through World War II, it stands to reason that he would have some pretty famous speeches. His first inaugural address from 1933 is also remembered for one powerful line. As he discussed his plan to pull the country out of the Great Depression, he uttered this iconic line: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is … fear itself.”
1986 – President Ronald Reagan – Address to the Nation on the Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger – when Reagan addressed the country on the night of January 28, 1986, the U.S. was reeling from seeing the Space Shuttle Challenger explode, just seconds after launch, killing the crew, which included Christa McAuliffe, who was to be NASA’s first teacher in space. Reagan was to have delivered his State of the Union speech to Congress that night but canceled it in the wake of the Challenger disaster. The speech included these memorable words of condolence: “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.'”
2001 – President George W. Bush – Address to the nation after 9/11 – The morning of September 11, 2001, Bush was at a Florida elementary school to meet with children. He would have no idea that the day would end with him addressing the country after the horrific terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon. That night, Bush gave the country words of hope, saying that the attacks did nothing to damage the American spirit. “Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts,” Bush said. “The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.”

We hope you’re feeling more inspired and determined to make your own history after perusing this list. For more historical inspiration, check out ten of our favorite Black History films , a list of fantastic history books to read , a group of iconic photographs of people who changed history , and seven amazing books documenting LGBTQ+ history — not to mention the importance of historical heroes who have been often overlooked . However you intend to change your present and future, we wish you nothing but the best of luck.

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Alright, fellas, gather 'round and listen up. Golf Pride is bringing back a real classic — the V55 Heritage grip — and this time, it's available in both corded and rubber options.

That's right; you can relive the glory days of the V55 with the grip that's been trusted by champions and amateurs alike for years. But there's a catch: It's only available for a limited time.

It used to be you didn't want to click on an email or link because it was a scammer pretending to be a prince trying to give away their money. Now, you never know if the meme or video you are about to click on is going to be someone trolling you into hearing Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up. If you haven't been Rickrolled yet, tell us your secret. Embracing the iconic nature of the song, Rick Astley re-recorded the jam, but with a twist aimed at bringing awareness to a good cause.

There's animation, then there's Pixar. The animation studio owned by Disney revolutionized computer-generated entertainment in the late 1990s, and it has never looked back since. While Disney is known for bringing magic to the movie screen, Pixar's thematically rich stories and ultra-fleshed-out characters transcend the medium, making critics aware of the greatness that lies within CGI imagery. Pixar's reputation relied more on creativity and abstract, yet relatable concepts in its early years, while it's resided on the sequel content more in recent times. Whether you like one of the company's franchises or its standalone films more, you've surely been touched by the ethereal and effervescent style of Pixar. Here are the 10 best Pixar movies, ranked.

TheSportster

Wwe hall of fame: the 5 best (& 5 worst) induction speeches.

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Every Look Of Bubba Ray Dudley's Wrestling Career, Ranked

10 wwe & wcw stars from the monday night war who wouldn't succeed today, 10 wrestlers we don't want to see return to wwe.

Not only is the WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony one of the most awaiting evenings of the WWE years, it’s also one of the most emotional. Nostalgia reigns supreme as the fans and today’s stars pay homage to the superstars of yesteryear. It’s giving plenty of these legends one last time to bask in the spotlight and the fans one last time to give them the respect they deserve.

Related: Hall Of Fame: Batista’s 10 Greatest Matches, Ranked

Thankfully, the WWE Universe is always respectful and let’s each inductee tell their story, no matter how great or terrible they might be. Here are the 5 best and 5 worst WWE Hall Of Fame induction speeches.

10 BEST: Bobby “The Brain” Heenan

It had been far too long since the wrestling world got to hear from the G.O.A.T. He was inducted as part of WrestleMania XX weekend. He roasted his fellow inductees, had the crowd in stitches and touched everyone’s hearts when he longed for his friend Gorilla Monsoon to be there.

The Brain had everyone on their feet when he rattled off nearly every animal that was part of the WWE in the '80s. Every fan knows that Bobby is the greatest, and this speech just cemented it.

9 WORST: Mr. T

We all love our mothers, don’t we? But Mr. T. really loves his mother. He loves his mother so much that he repeatedly thanked her during his speech to the point of self-parody.

Related: Hall Of Fame: 10 Wrestlers You Forgot Were Members Of The nWo

He would still be thanking her to this very day if the Big Red Machine hadn’t come out to put a stop to the proceedings. It was, to date, this was only the second time anybody ever was interrupted to end their Hall Of Fame speech.

8 BEST: Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Thanks to years of falling flat on his face and finally working with Diamond Dallas Page to save his life, each and every fan knew that Jake's induction would be an emotional induction and it was.

Jake the Snake, the prodigal son, had worked so hard to get his life back. Much like the rest of his career, when Jake spoke, the world didn’t just listen; it sat under the learning tree of the best promo guy in the business. As he always did, Jake took the fans on a journey that captured the imagination.

7 WORST: Hillbilly Jim

For all intents and purposes, it seems that the big man from Mudlick might be one of the nicest guys in the business. Thing is, listening to Hillbilly Jim’s manner of speaking coupled with a 35 minute Broadway-length speech was a little plodding.

But if you can make it through the speech, it will teach you about listening to opportunity and knowing when to say "Yes" to them, because if you say no, opportunity will find the next guy. At least we got that moral lesson from such a meandering monologue.

6 BEST: “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes With Dustin And Cody At The Hall Of Fame

While there have been many great promos over the years from all kinds of performers, very few if any can be summarized what the promo was about: “Hard Times.” After the raucous and crowd pleasing induction speech by his sons Cody and Dustin. As the Motor City cheered him on, Big Dust' once again delivered and closed the show.

The entire Rhodes family and WWE Universe listened as Dusty razzed his friends and spoke about the passion as he once again spoke to hard times, and how it’s the wrestlers' duty to give the crowds good times. As far as we're concerned, Dusty delivered a good time as promised.

5 WORST: Goldberg

The WCW legend has his career share of critics throughout his peers and fandom. And yet, he was still able to carve a path of destruction and he dominated the competition in the likes of which the wrestling world has never seen. Goldberg wanted to be a role model for the kids and, in a way, he was.

But “Da Man” was never a good promo to begin with, and his ability to captivate a crowd with his words still wasn’t there for his Hall Of Fame speech. Even the usually participative crowd didn’t know when to laugh, cry, or cheer while Goldberg was up there. Goldberg speaks better through actions, and this showed up at the worst possible time.

4 BEST: The Fabulous Freebirds

By 2016, it had practically become a running gag that the ‘Birds were never going to get their just due. But there couldn’t have been a better spot than in Dallas, not far from the world famous Sportatorium, home of World Class, where the Fabulous Freebirds got their start.

Michael P.S. Hayes and Jimmy Jam Garvin rocked out and rambled on, paying tribute to not just their fallen fellow 'Birds, via the sons of Bam Bam and Buddy Jack Roberts. They also paid homage to the stars of WCW and praised the future of the industry.

3 WORST: Donald Trump

Note: This has nothing to do with politics, so leave those thoughts at the door.

Donald Trump and his partnership with WWE goes all the way back to WrestleMania IV and V which, to date, are the only back-to-back ' Manias to take place in the same place. Simply put, the Donald has always been a friend to WWE so this kind of makes sense.

However, listening to him get booed out of New York City should've be an indication that his ability to deliver a speech wasn’t very good. Basically, he just gave a recap of what he did with the company plus some introductions for his family. The ceremony was about legendary wrestlers, not him, but he found a way to put himself in the center of attention.

2 BEST: Beth Phoenix

The Glamazon was one of the revolutionary woman that helped to bring forth the Women’s Evolution. Beth Phoenix, even to this day, is still showing the WWE Universe and the world that she’s one of the best performers in Women’s Wrestling history.

Related: Hall Of Fame: Every Female Inductee, Ranked As she took the stage and her rightful place in the Hall Of Fame, she spoke to her Hart family inspirations , gave props to her husband, Edge, and spoke to the hilarious issues married wrestlers might have (“Are these his Zubaz or mine?”). She also has words of inspirations for her daughters: Accept the wonderful differences in people and it will help make your dreams a reality.

1 WORST: Drew Carey

Being “forced” into competing in the 2001 Royal Rumble eventually paid off years later with a Hall Of Fame induction for Drew Carey . While he is a beloved comic and TV star, his induction was a bit of a joke. It seemed that even he knew it was a puff induction.

All he did was praise the superstars for their contributions and how much they put their bodies on the line. This was nothing no fan already knew and admittedly, the whole ceremony could've done without Carey. If you ask him, he'd probably agree.

NEXT: WWE Hall Of Fame: 10 Members With The Fewest Accolades

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Poll: Harris jumps to a small national lead over Trump

Domenico Montanaro

Left: U.S. Vice President Harris arrives for an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22 in Washington, D.C. Right: Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump holds a rally at the Van Andel Arena on July 20 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Bill Pugliano/Getty Images hide caption

Vice President Harris has upended the presidential race and has now built a 51%-48% lead over former President Trump, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll .

That result is 4 points better than just after Harris got into the race two weeks ago when President Biden bowed out. Harris maintains a 3-point lead (48%-45%) when third-party choices are offered, too.

Fueling her rise are Black voters, white women with college degrees and women who identify as political independents. She is doing 20 to 30 points better with them than when she first got in, leading to improvement in the suburbs and with white voters overall.

On the issues, the negative views of the economy are not sticking to Harris the way they did Biden. Trump is still more trusted on the economy, but only by 3 points over Harris (51%-48%), compared to 9 points over Biden (54%-45%) in June.

Harris is also seeing improvement on how she would handle immigration, though Trump is still more trusted on that topic by 6 points (52%-46%). Harris’ best issue is handling abortion rights. She has a 15-point advantage on that.

The survey was conducted from Thursday through Sunday, before Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate. Marist interviewed 1,613 adults via cellphone, landline and online research panels in English and in Spanish. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points, meaning results could be roughly 3 points higher or lower.

Women, Black voters and independents have all moved toward Harris

Because of Harris’ gains with certain groups, she’s also improved her standing in the suburbs and with white voters overall.

But there’s now a 22-point gender gap , which is wider than the margin between Trump and Biden in July. Harris now leads by 13 points with women (55%-42%), but is losing men by 9 points (54%-45%). Considering the margin of error, those are close to the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to exit polls .

Harris’ biggest boost is coming with Black voters. She has gone from a 23-point lead with Black voters over Trump a couple of weeks ago, when many voters moved into the undecided camp, to a 54-point lead now. Harris is moving closer to territory where Democrats need to be with Black voters.

Some Black voters, who appeared to be considering Trump, have moved away from him, as he’s dropped 10 points with them.

Harris is also now winning independents, something Biden was not doing. Harris is up 9 points with independents (53%-44%). She was down 14 points with them last month. And in early July, Trump was beating Biden by 4 points with the group.

Harris has also improved with white voters overall. Harris has gone from 40% with white voters overall to 46% in this survey, which is closer to where Biden was, and that’s very high for a Democrat. In fact, no Democrat has scored that high with white voters in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Biden got 41% in 2020, Barack Obama in 2008 won 43%.

That improvement is mostly because of college-educated white women. White voters without degrees, a core Trump base group, are heavily in Trump’s favor and their margin is unchanged. Two-thirds of college-educated white women, though, are now in Harris’ camp, which would be far higher than the percentage that sided with Biden in 2020.

She’s also winning with older voters. Harris is leading Trump by 11 points with baby boomers (55%-44%), for example.

Latinos have also moved in Harris’ favor. Fifty-eight percent say they would vote for her now, compared to 51% last month. That’s still below the 65% Biden won in 2020 .

Harris is not where she needs to be with voters under 45 at this point. Biden won them in 2020 by 14 points. Harris and Trump right now are tied with the group. Where Harris does far better than Biden with the group, though, is retaining them when third parties are introduced.

Biden was seeing double-digit drop-offs with Gen Z/millennials, for example. Harris, on the other hand, maintains and slightly expands her margin when respondents have a choice of candidates other than the two major-party picks.

Harris is benefiting from a boost in enthusiasm with core Democratic voter groups

Black, Latino and younger voters are saying they’re more fired up to vote now that Harris is in the race.

Black voters, Latinos and Gen Z/millennial voters have all jumped double-digits in saying they’re definitely voting.

In July, just 71% of Black voters, 68% of Latinos and 65% of Gen Z/millennials said they were definitely voting, among the lowest of any groups.

But now, that’s up to 81% with Black voters, 84% with Latinos and 80% with Gen Z/millennials, closer to being on par with white voters than in previous surveys.

Third parties seeing their lowest marks of the election

With Harris in the race, people appear to be moving away from third parties.

All of the third-party candidates are seeing their worst scores since Marist started asking about them in April. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., running as an independent, is down to just 5%. Professor Cornel West, also running as an independent, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Chase Oliver are all polling at or below 1%.

Kennedy still does best with those who have an unfavorable opinion of both Trump and Harris, pulling in about a third of those voters.

People are split on who they think will win, but far more say Harris will than they said of Biden

Last month, respondents were 20 points more likely to say Trump would beat Biden (59%-39%). Now, they’re split (48%-48%).

Notably, independents have flipped from 58% thinking Trump would win to 52% now saying they think Harris will.

People are also more satisfied with their choices , though only 47% say they are compared to 50% who say they are not. In June, there was a 10-point difference between people satisfied (42%) and those who were dissatisfied with their choices (52%).

Being honest and trustworthy is the most important quality for a president

While trustworthiness was the most important quality for Democrats and independent voters, a plurality of Republicans said a “strong leader” was most important to them.

All signs continue to point to a close election — not just in the presidential but also for Congress

Forty-seven percent said they want to see Democrats in control of Congress, while 45% said Republicans. That 2-point advantage is unchanged from June.

Democrats traditionally need a wider advantage in that score to make significant gains — in 2022, when they denied Republicans from winning a wave of House seats, they had a 4-point edge in the Marist poll; in 2020, it was 8, but Democrats lost House seats; they were +6 in 2018 and made significant gains, however; in 2014, when Republicans won seats, Republicans were +5 on the question.

The congressional ballot and the change in numbers of seats don’t always correlate cleanly because of where the most competitive seats are that cycle. In this cycle, for example, many are in suburban areas in New York, California and around Philadelphia, where Democrats have advantages in presidential years because of higher turnout among their core voter groups.

Biden’s approval is up

Now that Biden has dropped out of the race, his approval rating is seeing a bounce.

His approval is now 46%, which is the highest since February of 2023 and up 5 points since last month.

election 2024

A UC Berkeley linguist explores what Kamala Harris’s voice and speech reveal about her identity

"When we talk about Kamala Harris as a modern candidate, she is in some ways embodying all of the ways the country has moved on from the idea that you can only be one thing at once."

By Jason Pohl

Kamala Harris speaking at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, with a crowd of people cheering behind her.

Lawrence Cooper/Sipa USA via AP

August 6, 2024

Every now and then, a scholar’s niche expertise lines up with a cultural or political moment and finds an audience hungry for the details. Nicole Holliday is having one of those moments.

Holliday is an acting associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley who studies what politicians say, how they speak and what their speech reveals about their identity. Perhaps more than any other scholar, Holliday has spent years examining the speaking style of a politician who is also having a moment: Kamala Harris.

What does Harris’s enunciation of vowels say about her California roots? How do a few choice words on the debate stage speak to her background as a Black woman? And how does that all change when she’s working a crowd in Georgia or delivering a policy statement in Washington?

“I’m really interested in what happens with the voice, with the body, to inhabit these different parts of a person’s style,” said Holliday, who has also researched Barack Obama’s speaking style. “Politicians are the best people to study this on because you know what their motivations are — they’re all trying to get elected, or they’re trying to get money, or they’re trying to get voters.”

Journalists and the general public have become increasingly interested in Holliday’s work ever since President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and Harris soared to the top of the ticket as the Democratic presidential nominee. Holliday’s TikTok videos describing the science of Harris’s tone, style and word choice have gone viral, as have her explanations on why linguistically it’s problematic when people intentionally mispronounce her name. (It’s “comma-la.”)

Individuals shifting how they speak based on their goals isn’t reserved for politicians, and it shouldn’t be viewed as inauthentic, Holliday said. Regular people vary their tone and word choice from their workplaces to their homes. Those variations fascinate Holliday.

“Most of the stuff that I’m talking about happens way below the level of consciousness,” Holliday said, “It would be really hard to control, even if you were trying.”

Berkeley News asked her what her research on Harris says about Harris’s culture and identity, why it matters that some people — including Donald Trump — continue to mispronounce her name, and what language can teach us about the current political moment.

Berkeley News : Can you give me the 30,000-foot assessment of what your research has found especially interesting or special about the way Kamala Harris speaks?

Nicole Holliday: She has a really unique style that reflects her biography. She sounds like an African American woman. She sounds like she’s from Northern California. She sounds like a charismatic political figure. But these are different identities that one person would have to inhabit all at once, and they’re traditionally seen as in conflict.

Our stereotype of a persuasive politician is not a Black and Indian woman. If you ask somebody to draw a picture of an American politician, they’re not drawing Kamala Harris. So she’s got to be a politician and, at the same time, sound like herself: a woman and Black and Indian American. And rep her hometown because she is a hometown girl, which can be a little bit of a liability for her now on a national stage because of the way that California is painted.

But damn, she is so California.

Kamala Harris speaking at a podium at the California Democratic State Convention in 2019

Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

Say more. As a linguist, what do you hear in her speech that signals her California roots?

When people describe the features that are geographically unique to California in the linguistic literature, they focus on a few things. There is this thing called the California vowel shift , where the back vowels move forward, and this is something that we see Harris do.

@mixedlinguist VP Harris is sociolinguistally awesome, and fortunately I already wrote a paper about that! #linguisttok My website with all my research: https://nicolerholliday.wordpress.com ♬ original sound – Nicole Holliday

She doesn’t say “cool.” She says “kewl.” She doesn’t say goat. She says “gewt,” with the tongue far forward in the mouth. This is also a change that’s been in progress across America, so a lot of young people, even in the Midwest, will pronounce their back vowels far forward like this. But it started in California. It would be very strange if she had those vowels and she was her age and she was from New York. This is not something that they do over there.

Another example: She has this interesting thing going on with what we call the low back vowels. Her low back vowels are distinct, which is not the case for most Californians, but they’re both kind of shifted up.

What that means is that words that are like “cot” and “caught,” those for me, a person from Ohio, are the same. But for her, they’re slightly distinct, but higher than we would expect. That’s a really interesting interplay, because I think that has to do with her being a Black woman from California.

If she were a white woman, or if she were a Black man, we might not see this exact pattern.

You also say she’s embodying what’s called African American English. What do you mean?

I looked at her debate speech from when she was running as a primary candidate for the 2020 nomination. And when she talks about things that have to do with her biography, specifically about race or about immigration — these things that she can speak on from personal experience — she uses a set of tones that is more what we would characterize as an African American charismatic style. So she kinda sounds more like Obama.

When she talks about things like the economy or gun control or the climate, she uses a more typical, average white politician style, in terms of her tone. It is very interesting. And in this situation, it’s not a function of talking to different audiences, because she’s just in the same debate. It’s really what she’s talking about.

Lastly, she has this very occasional strategic use of casual features that are, for white Americans, just seen as really casual, but can also be what we call “camouflaged features of African American English.” This is my favorite thing. African American English is stigmatized. People call it “bad English.” They say it’s “improper.” All of this kind of stuff. But as a result, middle class and upper middle class Black people have found a way to kind of index their Blackness — highlight this part of their identities — without getting chastised for using “bad grammar.”

And she does this even in the super formal debate speech.

She uses “gotta” and “gonna” in these particular ways. And of course, yes, white people say “gotta” and “gonna.” Everybody in America says “gotta” and “gonna.” But in a debate context, that is a little bit surprising, given how formal the rest of her style is.

Is there an example of her doing this that comes to mind?

My favorite quote from her is from Oct. 15th, 2019, in the fourth primary debate. She said, “This is a crisis of Donald Trump’s making, and it is on a long list of crises of Donald Trump’s making. And that’s why dude gotta go.”

When she has these strong zingers, particularly against Trump, they tend to go viral. Nicole Holliday, UC Berkeley

“Dude. Gotta. Go.” Not “Dude’s gotta go.” No. For a while, her primary campaign was selling T-shirts that said, “Dude gotta go.” It became a catchphrase. When I say that she’s doing this as part of a stylistic performance, that’s what I mean. Maybe it wasn’t premeditated. She didn’t think about it ahead of time. But that became a zinger, a one-liner. And when she has these strong zingers, particularly against Trump, they tend to go viral.

The last one is with “I’ma,” which is actually the most distinctively African American of these features. She says, “Cause I’ma tell you as a prosecutor” and “I’ma tell you what I saw.”

We hear her do it now, too, once in a while. This is her being able to be like, “Look, look, look. I have these fancy degrees and I’m a prosecutor. And yes, I’m the vice president of the United States. But don’t forget that I’m from Oakland, and I’m Black.”

How much of this is conscious? And how much of this is just the deeply ingrained way we speak that’s been honed from decades of talking?

@mixedlinguist Is Kamala Harris code-switching? What do we even mean by that? #linguistTok #kamala My website: https://nicolerholliday.wordpress.com ♬ original sound – Nicole Holliday

Political figures have debate coaches, speech coaches, things like that. But my sense is that the stuff that she’s doing in this case would be really hard to control. Maybe you can make a little argument about the “I’ma” and the “gotta.”

But the vowels? I’m a professional linguist, and if someone was like, “Make your vowels more California,” I don’t think I could do that. Especially not when I’m trying to, like, deliver a policy position. The cognitive load is too high.

That holds even more for what I’m saying about the stuff that she does with her tone. It’s not really possible to do this at the level of consciousness. We choose our words, for sure, but even those in a debate kind of context are a little bit difficult. Those are the things you prep.

But your speech coach is never gonna be like, “All right, so you need to raise the pitch by exactly 50Hz on the first syllable of prosecutor.” It doesn’t happen. It may be that she has a style in mind, but controlling the specific features that are attached to it is not really possible,

I could see some people with a cynical reading of all of this being like, “Nothing is real, everything is prepared, they’re all politicians, and they’re all trying to manipulate us.” It sounds like you’re saying, “Yeah, maybe.” But also that it’s unlikely because of the more technical parts of speech that linguists spend their careers studying.

I would actually maybe turn that on its head and say, “Yeah, that’s every human.” We notice them doing it because we know that they’re selling something to us.

And this isn’t just her. This is Trump. This is J.D. Vance. This is Pete Buttigieg. It’s everybody who has that job, because selling the brand is part of the job. That’s how they keep their jobs.

Do you think that highlighting your New York-ness if you call the New York DMV is going to get you further than if you sound like you’re from California? Sure it is. And nobody had to tell you that. It’s not a conscious process. But arguably, we all do it.

It’s just that with the politicians, because we know what they want, it’s clearer that they’re doing it. And the line between a politician doing something as a cynical ploy and doing something that really is part of their biography that I actually connect with as a voter is very fine.

As a linguist, what do you make of the deliberate mispronunciations of “Kamala” that have continued, despite her being a prominent national politician for many years now?

The right way to say anyone’s name — anyone’s name — is how they tell you to say their name. Period. That’s the first point.

@mixedlinguist What’s up with the differences in how people say “Kamala”? Her name has become a shibboleth that tells us about the speaker’s alignment! #linguistTok #kamala ♬ original sound – Nicole Holliday

I know a guy named Christopher. People call him Chris. He doesn’t want to go by Chris. It’s disrespectful. The third time that he tells you, “My name is not Chris,” and you keep doing it, unless you have some kind of really good excuse, it’s disrespectful.

For years, Kamala Harris has been putting out videos saying, “My name is Kamala,” and the stress is on the first syllable.

Yes, there are many reasons that regular people can get it wrong in conversation, especially if you’re a person that hasn’t heard her name very much, you’ve only read it. Some people have trouble hearing stress differences. If English isn’t your first language, that might be interfering with your ability to hear the way that she’s pronouncing her name with the stress. I’m not at all saying that your pronunciation of her name as an everyday person is an indication of your politics. I’m not making that claim.

What I am saying is, if you’re the former president of the United States, or a U.S. Senator, or a media personality with extensive training who’s had to say her name thousands of times in your life and you’ve never bothered to try to say it the way that she says it, that’s on purpose.

You’ve also studied Maya Rudolph’s portrayal of Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live. What makes that parody so good?

My first published Kamala Harris paper was about Maya Rudolph. She takes literally the exact phrases and the tone of those phrases that Kamala Harris uses, and then she dials them up to 11. I’m sure that Maya Rudolph doesn’t actually know how to do this the way that I would coach her as a linguist. She’s not looking at the waveform and the pitch up and down and being like, “All right, well, I need to raise myself by 50Hz here.” We don’t do that. But it’s like she really hears what Kamala Harris is doing. She internalizes it. And then when she goes to put on the Kamala Harris costume, it’s like a caricature.

This is why parody is funny. Everybody that plays a politician on SNL does this to varying levels of effectiveness. But I would argue that Maya Rudolph is just a really skilled comedian anyway. I’m so glad that they just announced that she’s going to play Kamala Harris for the next year. I was really worried that we wouldn’t get more Maya Rudolph.

But now I have to write another paper.

There are going to be a lot of speeches in the months ahead. There are going to be a lot of campaign stops. What’s next on your list of things to study?

What I didn’t have in the earlier analysis was her in different situations. Now, I hear her being different in Atlanta than in Philadelphia than in Los Angeles. And I want to know: Where is the California-ness? Where is the Black woman-ness? Where is the politician? I think she’s doing all of these things all the time. But I’m also interested in how people respond to her.

What’s your sense of that response, so far?

Speaker Mike Johnson said to members of Congress that they should not leverage racist and sexist attacks against her, that it would not help their cause. And they cannot seem to stop doing it.

I’m interested in how she responds… She’s got a really fine line to walk. Nicole Holliday, UC Berkeley

So if she gets portrayed as inauthentic by her opponents, I’m interested in how she responds. Does she shift something about her language in that response, or does she not? Maybe she shouldn’t. Maybe the way is to just let this roll off. I’m not a political consultant. But I do think she’s got a really fine line to walk.

And there’s something really challenging for her, too. With Barack Obama, he did get the criticism that he wasn’t really Black. But in his case, the only other option was that he was white, and that didn’t work. His opponents were not going to go around saying he was white.

For her, because she has all of these identities at the same time — she is Indian American, she is Black American, she’s Jamaican American — there can be a little bit of a whack-a-mole where everyone will always accuse her of not being X enough.

This is disconcerting because it comes from a cultural and linguistic assumption that people can only ever be one thing. But that’s not the world we live in. So when we talk about Kamala Harris as a modern candidate, she is in some ways — with her biography, her ethnicity, her gender — embodying all of the ways the country has moved on from the idea that you can only be one thing at once.

So I’m very interested to see how she manages to stay true to herself to respond to those never-ending critiques, and what she does with different audiences.

What Kamala Harris has said so far on key issues in her campaign

As she ramps up her nascent presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is revealing how she will address the key issues facing the nation.

In speeches and rallies, she has voiced support for continuing many of President Joe Biden’s measures, such as lowering drug costs , forgiving student loan debt and eliminating so-called junk fees. But Harris has made it clear that she has her own views on some key matters, particularly Israel’s treatment of Gazans in its war with Hamas.

In a departure from her presidential run in 2020, the Harris campaign has confirmed that she’s moved away from many of her more progressive stances, such as her interest in a single-payer health insurance system and a ban on fracking.

Harris is also expected to put her own stamp and style on matters ranging from abortion to the economy to immigration, as she aims to walk a fine line of taking credit for the administration’s accomplishments while not being jointly blamed by voters for its shortcomings.

Her early presidential campaign speeches have offered insights into her priorities, though she’s mainly voiced general talking points and has yet to release more nuanced plans. Like Biden, she intends to contrast her vision for America with that of former President Donald Trump. ( See Trump’s campaign promises here .)

“In this moment, I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation: one focused on the future, the other focused on the past,” she told members of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta at an event in Indianapolis in late July. “And with your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.”

Here’s what we know about Harris’ views:

Harris took on the lead role of championing abortion rights for the administration after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. This past January, she started a “ reproductive freedoms tour ” to multiple states, including a stop in Minnesota thought to be the first by a sitting US president or vice president at an abortion clinic .

On abortion access, Harris embraced more progressive policies than Biden in the 2020 campaign, as a candidate criticizing his previous support for the Hyde Amendment , a measure that blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions.

Policy experts suggested that although Harris’ current policies on abortion and reproductive rights may not differ significantly from Biden’s, as a result of her national tour and her own focus on maternal health , she may be a stronger messenger.

High prices are a top concern for many Americans who are struggling to afford the cost of living after a spell of steep inflation. Many voters give Biden poor marks for his handling of the economy, and Harris may also face their wrath.

In her early campaign speeches, Harris has echoed many of the same themes as Biden, saying she wants to give Americans more opportunities to get ahead. She’s particularly concerned about making care – health care, child care, elder care and family leave – more affordable and available.

Harris promised at a late July rally to continue the Biden administration’s drive to eliminate so-called “junk fees” and to fully disclose all charges, such as for events, lodging and car rentals. In early August, the administration proposed a rule that would ban airlines from charging parents extra fees to have their kids sit next to them.

On day one, I will take on price gouging and bring down costs. We will ban more of those hidden fees and surprise late charges that banks and other companies use to pad their profits.”

Since becoming vice president, Harris has taken more moderate positions, but a look at her 2020 campaign promises reveals a more progressive bent than Biden.

As a senator and 2020 presidential candidate, Harris proposed providing middle-class and working families with a refundable tax credit of up to $6,000 a year (per couple) to help keep up with living expenses. Titled the LIFT the Middle Class Act, or Livable Incomes for Families Today, the measure would have cost at the time an estimated $3 trillion over 10 years.

Unlike a typical tax credit, the bill would allow taxpayers to receive the benefit – up to $500 – on a monthly basis so families don’t have to turn to payday loans with very high interest rates.

As a presidential candidate, Harris also advocated for raising the corporate income tax rate to 35%, where it was before the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump and congressional Republicans pushed through Congress reduced the rate to 21%. That’s higher than the 28% Biden has proposed.

Affordable housing was also on Harris’ radar. As a senator, she introduced the Rent Relief Act, which would establish a refundable tax credit for renters who annually spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent and utilities. The amount of the credit would range from 25% to 100% of the excess rent, depending on the renter’s income.

Harris called housing a human right and said in a 2019 news release on the bill that every American deserves to have basic security and dignity in their own home.

Consumer debt

Hefty debt loads, which weigh on people’s finances and hurt their ability to buy homes, get car loans or start small businesses, are also an area of interest to Harris.

As vice president, she has promoted the Biden administration’s initiatives on student debt, which have so far forgiven more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million borrowers . In mid-July, Harris said in a post on X that “nearly 950,000 public servants have benefitted” from student debt forgiveness, compared with only 7,000 when Biden was inaugurated.

A potential Harris administration could keep that momentum going – though some of Biden’s efforts have gotten tangled up in litigation, such as a program aimed at cutting monthly student loan payments for roughly 3 million borrowers enrolled in a repayment plan the administration implemented last year.

The vice president has also been a leader in the White House efforts to ban medical debt from credit reports, noting that those with medical debt are no less likely to repay a loan than those who don’t have unpaid medical bills.

In a late July statement praising North Carolina’s move to relieve the medical debt of about 2 million residents, Harris said that she is “committed to continuing to relieve the burden of medical debt and creating a future where every person has the opportunity to build wealth and thrive.”

Health care

Harris, who has had shifting stances on health care in the past, confirmed in late July through her campaign that she no longer supports a single-payer health care system .

During her 2020 campaign, Harris advocated for shifting the US to a government-backed health insurance system but stopped short of wanting to completely eliminate private insurance.

The measure called for transitioning to a Medicare-for-All-type system over 10 years but continuing to allow private insurance companies to offer Medicare plans.

The proposal would not have raised taxes on the middle class to pay for the coverage expansion. Instead, it would raise the needed funds by taxing Wall Street trades and transactions and changing the taxation of offshore corporate income.

When it comes to reducing drug costs, Harris previously proposed allowing the federal government to set “a fair price” for any drug sold at a cheaper price in any economically comparable country, including Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Japan or Australia. If manufacturers were found to be price gouging, the government could import their drugs from abroad or, in egregious cases, use its existing but never-used “march-in” authority to license a drug company’s patent to a rival that would produce the medication at a lower cost.

Harris has been a champion on climate and environmental justice for decades. As California’s attorney general, Harris sued big oil companies like BP and ConocoPhillips, and investigated Exxon Mobil for its role in climate change disinformation. While in the Senate, she sponsored the Green New Deal resolution.

During her 2020 campaign, she enthusiastically supported a ban on fracking — but a Harris campaign official said in late July that she no longer supports such a ban.

Fracking is the process of using liquid to free natural gas from rock formations – and the primary mode for extracting gas for energy in battleground Pennsylvania. During a September 2019 climate crisis town hall hosted by CNN, she said she would start “with what we can do on Day 1 around public lands.” She walked that back later when she became Biden’s running mate.

Biden has been the most pro-climate president in history, and climate advocates find Harris to be an exciting candidate in her own right. Democrats and climate activists are planning to campaign on the stark contrasts between Harris and Trump , who vowed to push America decisively back to fossil fuels, promising to unwind Biden’s climate and clean energy legacy and pull America out of its global climate commitments.

If elected, one of the biggest climate goals Harris would have to craft early in her administration is how much the US would reduce its climate pollution by 2035 – a requirement of the Paris climate agreement .

Immigration

Harris has quickly started trying to counter Trump’s attacks on her immigration record.

Her campaign released a video in late July citing Harris’ support for increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and Trump’s successful push to scuttle a bipartisan immigration deal that included some of the toughest border security measures in recent memory.

The vice president has changed her position on border control since her 2020 campaign, when she suggested that Democrats needed to “critically examine” the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, after being asked whether she sided with those in the party arguing to abolish the department.

In June of this year, the White House announced a crackdown on asylum claims meant to continue reducing crossings at the US-Mexico border – a policy that Harris’ campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, indicated in late July to CBS News would continue under a Harris administration.

Trump’s attacks stem from Biden having tasked Harris with overseeing diplomatic efforts in Central America in March 2021. While Harris focused on long-term fixes, the Department of Homeland Security remained responsible for overseeing border security.

She has only occasionally talked about her efforts as the situation along the US-Mexico border became a political vulnerability for Biden. But she put her own stamp on the administration’s efforts, engaging the private sector.

Harris pulled together the Partnership for Central America, which has acted as a liaison between companies and the US government. Her team and the partnership are closely coordinating on initiatives that have led to job creation in the region. Harris has also engaged directly with foreign leaders in the region.

Experts credit Harris’ ability to secure private-sector investments as her most visible action in the region to date but have cautioned about the long-term durability of those investments.

Israel-Hamas

The Israel-Hamas war is the most fraught foreign policy issue facing the country and has spurred a multitude of protests around the US since it began in October.

After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late July, Harris gave a forceful and notable speech about the situation in Gaza.

We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. And I will not be silent.”

Harris echoed Biden’s repeated comments about the “ironclad support” and “unwavering commitment” to Israel. The country has a right to defend itself, she said, while noting, “how it does so, matters.”

However, the empathy she expressed regarding the Palestinian plight and suffering was far more forceful than what Biden has said on the matter in recent months. Harris mentioned twice the “serious concern” she expressed to Netanyahu about the civilian deaths in Gaza, the humanitarian situation and destruction she called “catastrophic” and “devastating.”

She went on to describe “the images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time.”

Harris emphasized the need to get the Israeli hostages back from Hamas captivity, naming the eight Israeli-American hostages – three of whom have been killed.

But when describing the ceasefire deal in the works, she didn’t highlight the hostage for prisoner exchange or aid to be let into Gaza. Instead, she singled out the fact that the deal stipulates the withdrawal by the Israeli military from populated areas in the first phase before withdrawing “entirely” from Gaza before “a permanent end to the hostilities.”

Harris didn’t preside over Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in late July, instead choosing to stick with a prescheduled trip to a sorority event in Indiana.

Harris is committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, having met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at least six times and announcing last month $1.5 billion for energy assistance, humanitarian needs and other aid for the war-torn country.

At the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Harris said: “I will make clear President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine. In partnership with supportive, bipartisan majorities in both houses of the United States Congress, we will work to secure critical weapons and resources that Ukraine so badly needs. And let me be clear: The failure to do so would be a gift to Vladimir Putin.”

More broadly, NATO is central to our approach to global security. For President Biden and me, our sacred commitment to NATO remains ironclad. And I do believe, as I have said before, NATO is the greatest military alliance the world has ever known.”

Police funding

The Harris campaign has also walked back the “defund the police” sentiment that Harris voiced in 2020. What she meant is she supports being “tough and smart on crime,” Mitch Landrieu, national co-chair for the Harris campaign and former mayor of New Orleans, told CNN’s Pamela Brown in late July.

In the midst of nationwide 2020 protests sparked by George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, Harris voiced support for the “defund the police” movement, which argues for redirecting funds from law enforcement to social services. Throughout that summer, Harris supported the movement and called for demilitarizing police departments.

Democrats largely backed away from calls to defund the police after Republicans attempted to tie the movement to increases in crime during the 2022 midterm elections.

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Who had the best HOF speech of all time?

Kurt Warner's was really a wild ride, as you can imagine.

IMO it's Terry Bradshaw's speech. Maybe the shortest.

Shannon Sharpe's was a tearjerker. He got pretty emotional talking about Sterling and how he is the only player in the HOF who wasn't the best player in his immediate family.

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