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About an hour ago
Alan Faneca had known for about two weeks that he would be part of the 2021 promotion of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Keeping that knowledge a secret could have been more difficult than crimping a 325-pound defensive lineman. Especially since the former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro goalie had missed the cup the previous five years.
Until the result was revealed on national television on Saturday night, Faneca had to keep his election close to the vest.
“Keeping track of the lies,” Faneca said with a laugh when asked about the wait on Sunday. “What lies have I told this person? The moment I say something to someone, I think to myself, ‘If they’re smart, maybe they can understand’. It was a lot on tiptoe.
In his sixth year as a finalist, Faneca was one of five modern-era finalists selected for the August induction in Canton, Ohio. He’s part of a squad that includes quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, goaltender John Lynch and cornerback Charles Woodson. They will be joined by senior candidate Drew Pearson, coach candidate Tom Flores and voter contributor Bill Nunn, the late Steelers scouting and staff guru.
The ceremony will take place August 6-9 and will be held in conjunction with the induction of the Class of 2020, which has been delayed due to the pandemic.
One person Faneca informed was Steelers president Art Rooney II. He called Rooney Friday night. Rooney said he was half asleep and hoped the phone call was more than just a dream.
“It was a nice and pretty cool time to hear directly from him to give me this news,” Rooney said.
Under normal conditions, the 15 modern-day finalists are flown to the Super Bowl site. On the eve of the match, the chosen few receive a knock on the door of their hotel room by the president of the Hall of Fame, David Baker.
This year, due to the pandemic, the ballot was held in January by remote conference call involving the 48-member voting committee. With the finalists determined, Baker and a film crew traveled to each chosen player’s hometown with a surprise knock on the door.
– Alan Faneca (@ afan66) February 7, 2021
Baker’s trip to Faneca’s home in Louisiana was coordinated with the help of Faneca’s wife, Julie.
“He’s a guy I’ve been looking to kiss for six years,” Baker said. “Now, because of social distancing, all we can do is punch.”
Baker said some of Faneca’s family had driven five hours to be a part of the moment, with some entering the house from the back as he knocked on the front door. When Faneca looked out the window, he could see a boom microphone, which informed him that Baker was at his door.
“Being surprised is definitely better than waiting in the hotel room, that’s for sure,” Faneca said. “They got me. It was a really nice surprise.
However, not all of Faneca’s family were on site and he kept his selection a secret until Saturday night. Like the other newly formed Hall of Famers, Faneca traveled to Tampa for the announcement, and it will be featured during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
“I have family here in Tampa,” Faneca said. “Julie and I went to see the show with them. I hadn’t told them yet. I was going to tell them before it was announced and Julie said, “Let’s do it now. We popped some champagne and I was making a little toast thanking them for having me and I said, ‘Whatever happens later, it doesn’t matter because I’m already in it.’
Faneca said the hall was overjoyed.
“Everyone did a double take and then started jumping up and down,” he says. “It was great to share it with the family and to surprise them. It was a great night. “
NFL Network will air a 30-minute show at 8 p.m. on February 11 that shows plenty of footage of Baker arriving at every Hall of Famer’s house and knocking on the door.
Joe Rutter is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Joe by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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Sports | Steelers / NFL
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