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Jacksonville Jaguars great Tony Boselli voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
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- Jacksonville Jaguars great Tony Boselli voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
Tony Boselli was the Jacksonville Jaguars ' first draft pick in franchise history 27 years ago, selected second overall.
On Thursday night, Boselli secured another first for the franchise - the most significant in its history. In his 16th year of eligibility, Boselli became the first Jaguars player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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He will be joining the most exclusive club in Canton, Ohio, and will be fitted for his long-awaited gold jacket before enshrinement in August.
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Boselli, who played left tackle for the Jaguars from 1995 to 2001, was selected by a 48-member committee on Jan. 18. Boselli and the four other members of the 2022 class, which includes Jacksonville native and former Florida State alum LeRoy Butler , who played 12 seasons for the Green Bay Packers , were unveiled on the nationally televised NFL Honors show.
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The 2022 class also includes Bryant Young, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Cliff Branch, coach Dick Vermeil and official Art McNally.
Wanting to send Boselli good vibes ahead of the Hall of Fame announcement, the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville was lit in Jaguars teal Thursday night.
''Well, based on Twitter and my text messages, I think they're (Jaguars fans) pretty happy,'' Boselli said Thursday night. ''I love that place (Jacksonville) and I've talked about it a bunch that representing the city, the fan base and the organization was important to me.''
Boselli, 49, finally gained induction into Canton in his sixth year as a finalist.
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For Boselli, it could not have come soon enough. His modern-era eligibility would have expired after the selection of the 2026 class, and if not chosen he would have had to hold out for selection from the senior pool.
Since 2017, Boselli had to wait in his hotel room on selection day only to get the ill-fated phone call that he did not make the cut.
Not this time, though. Boselli had his trip pre-arranged for Los Angeles, like the four other members of the 2022 class.
This time Boselli said his wife knew he had been voted into the Hall of Fame 10 days before he did. Boselli found out he was going into the Hall during a family gathering.
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''Long story short, we're at a friends house and there's a knock on the door and my buddy says he can you get the door,'' Boselli said. ''I opened it and it was Anthony Munoz. For him to be there and NFL Network and all the people in my entire family, I just sat down and I said you've got to be kidding me. First of all I'm in the Hall of Fame and there's Munoz who I look up to. It was a great moment. Munoz is a SC guy and in my opinion he's the greatest to play the position that I played.''
Considered to be one of the top offensive tackles of his era, Boselli was voted to five straight Pro Bowls (1997-2001). He was a first-team All-Pro selection three consecutive seasons (1997-99) and was selected to the NFL's All-Decade team of the 1990s. Boselli was the first inductee into the Jaguars Ring of Honor at TIAA Bank Field in 2006.
Boselli was considered to have his best shot of getting into the Hall this time because four offensive linemen have been inducted during the past three years. Boselli is one of two offensive linemen who are among the 15 finalists, with former Cincinnati Bengals ' right tackle Willie Anderson being the other as a first-time finalist.
Boselli exemplified everything a franchise player should be - a dominant performer, a leader on and off the field and invested in the community through his charity endeavors,
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He helped the Jaguars advance to the AFC championship game in just their second year of existence and reach the playoffs three straight seasons after 1996.
''Without a doubt, the fans in Jacksonville and everywhere have been so good to me from the day I signed and got drafted,'' Boselli said. "They've been unbelievable, and I can't thank them enough."
Former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin thought Boselli should have been inducted as a first ballot Hall of Famer. When Boselli failed to be enshrined on his first try in 2017, Coughlin thought the voters got it wrong.
''Without a doubt, because he could do so many different things,'' Coughlin said. "He is such a great athlete on top anything else that he does."
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Boselli was physically imposing, but had quick feet and was technique sound while helping to protect quarterback Mark Brunell. Boselli shined in many of the big matchups he had, especially against Miami's Jason Taylor and Buffalo's Bruce Smith.
One of Boselli's most memorable postseason performances came in the 1996 wild-card game when the Jaguars upset the Buffalo Bills 30-27 on the road. Boselli neutralized future Pro Football Hall of Famer Smith.
Smith introduced Boselli Thursday during the Honors show that he had made the cut to reach enshrinement to Canton.
''I had an opportunity to play some big playoff games and he's one of the greatest ever and so to have him part of this evening,'' Boselli said. ''I mean one of the greatest ever. That was probably the big coming out game for me, my second year. It was special, a pretty neat moment.''
The only knock on Boselli through the years was his short, seven-year playing career. Shoulder issues limited him to three games in 2001 (his final year); he missed only eight games in his first six years.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tony Boselli into Pro Football Hall of Fame, was Jaguars' first draft pick
