Freeney Officially Enshrined in Canton
8/3/2024 2:07:00 PM | Football
Legendary pass rusher Dwight Freeney was officially enshrined in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday.
He was named as 1-of-5 modern era selections in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, joining Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis. Senior selections Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael brought the class to seven.
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Freeney was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. Syracuse announced his jersey would be retired this upcoming season at a football game as part of an on-campus celebration with the National Football Foundation for that honor last November.
Freeney, who is 18th in NFL history with 125.5 career sacks, spent 11 seasons (2002-12) with the Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the San Diego Chargers (2013-14), Arizona Cardinals (2015), Atlanta Falcons (2016), Seattle Seahawks (2017) and Detroit Lions (2017) during his career.
Freeney made an instant impact for the Colts after they selected him with the 11th overall pick in 2002. He recorded 13 sacks as rookie, the first of four straight seasons with at least 11 quarterback takedowns. In 2004, he led the NFL with 16 sacks. The next season, Freeney totaled 11 more sacks and six forced fumbles on his way to AFC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
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In 2006, Freeney helped the franchise capture its second Super Bowl title, beating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI. He appeared in two more Super Bowls during his career, one with the Colts after the 2009 season, and another with the Falcons.
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At Syracuse, Freeney was just as dominant as he was in the pros. The Bloomfield, Connecticut native racked up 34 career sacks from 1998-2001 and set the Orange single-game record by sacking Virginia Tech's Michael Vick 4.5 times in 2000.
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As a senior in 2001, Freeney turned in one of the finest campaigns by a defensive player in program history. He led the nation with a school-record 17.5 sacks. He also forced eight fumbles. For his efforts, Freeney was named a consensus All-American and the BIG EAST co-Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik Awards.
Freeney joins Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Al Davis, Marvin Harrison, Floyd Little, John Mackey, Art Monk and Jim Ringo as Orange alums in the Hall of Fame. Syracuse's nine members gives the sixth-most members of any school, and also is third in the ACC behind Miami (10) and Pittsburgh (10). Notre Dame and USC have the most selections all-time with 14Â each.
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He was named as 1-of-5 modern era selections in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, joining Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis. Senior selections Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael brought the class to seven.
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For the very first time, Hall of Famer @dwightfreeney trades in his suit jacket for a Gold Jacket. Courtesy of @HaggarCo.
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) August 3, 2024
Hall of Famer Bruce Smith helped Freeney put it on for the very first time.#PFHOF24 pic.twitter.com/xr2ShrWw0l
Freeney was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. Syracuse announced his jersey would be retired this upcoming season at a football game as part of an on-campus celebration with the National Football Foundation for that honor last November.
Freeney, who is 18th in NFL history with 125.5 career sacks, spent 11 seasons (2002-12) with the Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the San Diego Chargers (2013-14), Arizona Cardinals (2015), Atlanta Falcons (2016), Seattle Seahawks (2017) and Detroit Lions (2017) during his career.
Freeney made an instant impact for the Colts after they selected him with the 11th overall pick in 2002. He recorded 13 sacks as rookie, the first of four straight seasons with at least 11 quarterback takedowns. In 2004, he led the NFL with 16 sacks. The next season, Freeney totaled 11 more sacks and six forced fumbles on his way to AFC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
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Dwight Freeney. Hall of Fame Class of 2024. #PFHOF24 pic.twitter.com/p6raNhFzif
— NFL (@NFL) August 2, 2024
In 2006, Freeney helped the franchise capture its second Super Bowl title, beating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI. He appeared in two more Super Bowls during his career, one with the Colts after the 2009 season, and another with the Falcons.
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At Syracuse, Freeney was just as dominant as he was in the pros. The Bloomfield, Connecticut native racked up 34 career sacks from 1998-2001 and set the Orange single-game record by sacking Virginia Tech's Michael Vick 4.5 times in 2000.
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As a senior in 2001, Freeney turned in one of the finest campaigns by a defensive player in program history. He led the nation with a school-record 17.5 sacks. He also forced eight fumbles. For his efforts, Freeney was named a consensus All-American and the BIG EAST co-Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik Awards.
Freeney joins Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Al Davis, Marvin Harrison, Floyd Little, John Mackey, Art Monk and Jim Ringo as Orange alums in the Hall of Fame. Syracuse's nine members gives the sixth-most members of any school, and also is third in the ACC behind Miami (10) and Pittsburgh (10). Notre Dame and USC have the most selections all-time with 14Â each.
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