Irvin Emotional at Canton Induction

Known perhaps as much for off-field misconduct as for on-field brilliance, Dallas wideout Michael Irvin demonstrated both gratitude and remorse at his induction into football's Hall of Fame. Irvin wept frequently during a 26-minute speech in which he thanked an abundance of people and hoped openly that his sons would "be better men than I was."

The other well-known inductee was Buffalo rusher Thurman Thomas, who led the league in yards from scrimmage for four consecutive years, a record. The hall also unveiled busts of Cleveland guard Gene Hickerson, Houston/Tennessee OL Bruce Matthews, Detroit tight end Charlie Sanders, and St. Louis cornerback Roger Wehrli. (More NFL stories.)