ATHENS -- Former Georgia defensive lineman Richard Seymour was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday.
Seymour will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6. He will become the fifth Bulldog inducted into the Pro Hall, joining Charley Trippi, Fran Tarkenton, Terrell Davis, and Champ Bailey.
Seymour played for New England from 2001-08 after being drafted sixth overall and for Oakland from 2009-12. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and appeared in a fourth Super Bowl. Seymour was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro pick. He ended his career with 496 tackles and 57.5 sacks.
Seymour was named to the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team, New England’s All-2000s Team, and the Patriots’ Hall of Fame. He was chosen for the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s.
“Richard was the consummate professional and leader, always accepting the roles he was assigned, putting team goals ahead of personal ones, and in turn, raising the game of everyone around him,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. “As great as he was as a player, he is a Hall of Fame-caliber person as well.”
A message from the Hall of Famer himself.@BigSey93 | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/NWGD13gD9T
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 11, 2022
At Georgia, Seymour was an All-American in 2000 and a two-time All-SEC selection (1999, 2000). The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder from Gadsden, S.C., played in 41 games for the Bulldogs and finished his collegiate career with 233 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss.
In 2015, he was inducted into the Georgia-Florida game Hall of Fame and was named one of the “Legends of SEC Football.” In 2018, he was inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame. He established the Richard Seymour Family Endowed Scholarship and made an additional gift to the Sanford Stadium West End Zone project.
Joining Seymour in the induction class of 2022 are offensive lineman Tony Boselli, linebacker Sam Mills, defensive back LeRoy Butler, defensive linemen Bryant Young, wide receiver Cliff Branch, coach Dick Vermeil, and longtime director of officiating Art McNally.
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