Richard Dent can’t wait to slip on his mustard-yellow Pro Football Hall of Fame jacket and pose for pictures next to his bust Saturday.
“It’s going to be a great day and a great time,” Dent said Thursday in a telephone interview from Canton, Ohio.
For the Atlanta native, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XX while playing defensive end for the Chicago Bears, it has been a long journey with an excruciating post-career waiting period.
Dent, who played at old Murphy High, was under consideration from the Hall of Fame’s board of selectors nine times (seven of the past eight as a finalist), before he was selected.
Dent, 50, terrorized NFL quarterbacks for 15 seasons after being drafted from Tennessee State by the Bears in the eighth round (203rd overall) in 1983. He also played with the San Francisco 49ers (1994), Indianapolis Colts (1996) and Philadelphia Eagles (1997).
He finished with 137 1/2 sacks in 150 starts and had an additional 10 1/2 sacks in the playoffs. He was third on the career sacks list when he retired and forced 33 fumbles and had eight interceptions.
While former Tennessee State coach Joe Gilliam Sr. will present Dent, he credits lessons from William Lester, his high school coach, with setting his career in motion.
“When I left Atlanta, it was all about growing up,” Dent said. “I found a community with people that I could look up to, respect and appreciate.”
Lester, who is deceased, drove Dent to and from school at Murphy. After only two years of high school football and basketball, Lester took him to Nashville to meet Gilliam, who with coach John Merritt had turned the Tigers into a powerhouse that would win seven black-college national championships.
Dent was a scrawny 190-pound offensive tackle, and Lester, who was one of Gilliam’s students, had to convince Gilliam to take him. Dent was enamored of the school in part because he was a big fan of former Falcons great Claude Humphrey.
Gilliam eventually relented and went on to place his imprint on Dent’s life.
Dent’s elated that Gilliam will present him Saturday.
“That’s large,” Dent said. “Coach is a great person. Not many people get to meet one of the great gentlemen who modernized the game and believed in young men. He helped you with life, how you were going to proceed and how you could get the best of the world.
“He’s a great man. But without William Lester, I would have never made it.”
Dent will have several of his former teammates and coaches on hand for support. He has been polishing off his speech for months now and knows what he’s going to say.
“Anybody could do it,” Dent said. “When you set yourself on a journey, sometimes things get kind of cloudy and it doesn’t look so great, but if you believe in yourself, you can accomplish what you’re looking for.”
Dent grew up with seven brothers and a sister. He worked from an early age before finding his passion for football.
“It’s not about where you came from, but where you are going,” Dent said. “If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything that you want.”
Dent tries to continue the lessons in service he learned from Lester and Gilliam through his “Make A Dent Foundation.” He awards scholarships for students to attend Columbia College in Chicago.
Lester and Gilliam invested in him as a person, and he’s trying to return the favor.
“It’s all about helping other people,” Dent said. “People are going to help you, and you have to help other people. That’s what life is all about ... people.”
About the Author
