National Football League

Harrison, Pace enter Pro Football Hall of Fame

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

CANTON, Ohio (AP) Brilliant moves and brutal strength.

Marvin Harrison epitomized the first, Orlando Pace exemplified the second. Together, they entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Harrison, the record-setting wide receiver for the Colts, and Pace, a powerful offensive force at left tackle for the Rams, were the first members of the eight-man class of 2016 inducted into the hall.

Harrison's 143 receptions in 2002 are an NFL record. He retired in 2008 with 1,102 catches, now third behind Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez. He had eight consecutive seasons with at least 1,100 yards receiving for Indianapolis, and won a Super Bowl in February 2007. His receptions, 14,608 yards and 128 touchdowns are all Colts franchise records. He topped the 100-catch mark four straight times as Peyton Manning's prime target.

He came full circle on Saturday.

''I worked extremely hard to get to this point,'' said the Colts' first-round draft choice in 1996. ''I played my first NFL game right on this very field.''

Harrison made eight Pro Bowls, was a three-time All-Pro, and missed only 18 games in 13 NFL seasons.

''He was this quiet, unassuming guy,'' Colts owner Jim Irsay in presenting Harrison for induction. ''He was a wolf in sheep's clothing. Marvin's greatness is earned as well as natural.''

Pace was the blocking cornerstone of the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf that won the 1999 NFL title. The top overall draft pick in 1997, he helped turn running back Marshall Faulk and quarterback Kurt Warner into NFL MVPs, and now is a Hall of Famer.

Like Harrison, he had memories of the Canton shrine, too, recalling visiting the hall when he was 13.

''This occasion marks the fulfilment of each and every goal I have had,'' Pace said of his athletic career. ''This became my first goal, and here I am 27 years later standing in Canton, Ohio, accepting this incredible honor.

''My goal has always been to be the very best I can be ... not simply in football but in life. My name in the Hall of Fame will stand as a lasting reminder. When you set your goal to be the very best, there is no other path.''

---

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL