Chicago Bears

Was Bears' Devin Hester snubbed in Hall of Fame voting?

Published Feb. 11, 2022 8:28 p.m. ET

The newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced Thursday, and one name is notably missing.

Despite being chosen as one of 15 finalists, Chicago Bears record-breaking return specialist Devin Hester was not chosen as part of the 2022 class and will have to wait at least another year to be enshrined in the HOF.

The Class of 2022 includes former players Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Bryant Young and Cliff Branch, coach Dick Vermeil and the NFL's long-time director of officiating Art McNally.

It is the first time since 2012 that a first-time eligible finalist was not selected for enshrinement. Notable first-year eligible candidates alongside Hester were linebacker DeMarcus Ware and wide receiver Andre Johnson.

Hester took to social media following the announcement to express his "hurt" for not being on the first ballot.

Hester previously spoke about why being a first-ballot Hall of Famer was important to him, telling Sports Illustrated, "First-ballot Hall of Famers are Hall of Famers that you have no question that they should be a Hall of Famer. You think about the best of the best — best quarterbacks, best running backs, best receivers. I know we don’t have any [full-time] returners in the Hall of Fame, but I did things that have never been done before."

Should Hester have been a shoo-in for this year's Hall of Fame class?

Many football fans think so.

Selected by the Bears in the second round of the 2006 Draft, Hester was voted to three Pro Bowls and won 13 special teams Player of the Week awards before being named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

Hester called Chicago home for eight of his 11 NFL seasons, and he is considered one of the most prolific return specialists in league history. He holds league records with 19 kick-return touchdowns, 14 punt-return TDs and 20 return touchdowns, which includes punts, kickoffs, missed field goals, fumbles and interceptions.

In 2006, Hester returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown in his first NFL game in a 26-0 rout of the Green Bay Packers. That was just the beginning of a remarkable rookie season for Hester, who capped off the season by becoming the first player in NFL history to return the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl for a touchdown.

He brought back the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI 92 yards to give Chicago the then-earliest lead in Super Bowl history, after only 14 seconds.

Hester also set an NFL single-season record with five kick return touchdowns as a rookie, before eclipsing that mark with six TDs in his sophomore year in 2007.

Still, it's until next year for Hester.