Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019: Time, TV info, what you need to know about inductees

August 03, 2019
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On Saturday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will welcome eight new members to its fraternity. The 2019 class of honorees, recipients of one of the most prized designations in sports, comes from the realms of players, executives and team owners, as well as the American Football League and the pre-AFL National Football League.

Here’s what you need to know about the inductionÂ ceremony and theseÂ eight pro football legends.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 3

Time: 7 p.m. ET.

Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium,Â Canton, Ohio

TV channels:Â ESPN, NFL Network

(All quotes courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)

Champ Bailey, cornerback

“Very frustrating, but he was the type of cornerback you had to study film. You had to watch him. At that time they were DVDs, so I had four or five DVDs just on Champ Bailey and all his plays.” – Steve Smith Sr.

Washington Redskins, 1999-2003

Denver Broncos, 2004-2013

Selected seventh overall in the 1999 draft out of Georgia by the Redskins, Bailey amassed 52 regular-season interceptions for 464 yards and four touchdowns, adding two more picks for 105 yards in the postseason over a 15-year career. He also had 203 passes defensed in his career and was named to 12 Pro Bowls. In his rookie season, he posted five picks, including three in one game against the Cardinals. Traded to the Broncos before the 2004 season, he was a key man in a secondary that led Denver to five postseason appearances, including three straight to end his career. He led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2006, and his 18 total picks in 2005 and 2006 were the most in the NFL during a two-year span in more than two decades.

Pat Bowlen, team owner

“How do you position your team to be in it year in and year out, yet at the same time in our system not go completely to the bottom? [Pat Bowlen] has shown us how to do that.” – Jerry Jones

Owner, Denver Broncos, 1984-2019

Bowlen took control of the Broncos one year after the team acquired John Elway as its quarterback, and the two men joined to become the public and private faces of the franchise. The Broncos had a regular-season winning percentage of .603 and made seven Super Bowl appearances, with three championships, during Bowlen’s tenure. Bowlen was also a key man on several NFL committees, and he was particularly involved in the league’s ascending broadcasting contracts, including the current $18 billion deal, the most lucrative in single-season sports history. Bowlen died on June 13, 2019, at age 75.

“Looking at Gil Brandt and the job that he did with the personnel, he certainly should be in the Hall of Fame based on his contributions to this game and contributions to the personnel and scouting side of it. He’d probably be the first guy I would put in there.” – Bill Belichick

Perhaps the most successful and revered talent scout in pro football history, Brandt was with the Cowboys since the franchise’s inception after a few years with the Rams and 49ers, and he did as much or more than anybody else to build a team that fell short of a 10-win season in just three non-strike years from 1966 through 1985. One of the originators of the modern computerized scouting and player acquisition process, Brandt drafted 10 players who are now in the Hall of Fame – nine with the Cowboys, and Bills guard Billy Shaw, who opted to jump to the American Football League instead. Brandt has worked for NFL.com and SiriusXM NFL Radio in recent years.

“Tony Gonzalez, I used to play in the Pro Bowl with him. Man, I used to always say if you could take one guy back with you, who would you take back? I’d take Tony Gonzalez. I think he was the best tight end ever to play.” – Peyton Manning

Kansas City Chiefs, 1997-2008

Atlanta Falcons, 2009-2013

The Chiefs’ first-round pick out of Cal in 1997, Gonzalez was named to 14 Pro Bowls, a feat accomplished by just four other players in NFL history – Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Bruce Matthews and Merlin Olsen. One of the most prolific receivers in league annals regardless of position, Gonzalez furthered the concept of tight end as marquee receiver as much as anybody. He ranks second in NFL history with 1,325 receptions, behind only Jerry Rice, and he ranks sixth all-time with 15,127 receiving yards. He has the second-most touchdowns for any tight end with 111, behind only Antonio Gates. Gonzalez led the league with 102 catches in 2004, and he was nearly as productive with the Falcons as he was with the Chiefs earlier in his career. From his third pro season on, Gonzalez had fewer than 70 catches in a season only once.

“Ty Law was a pain in the ass, which I know he would acknowledge as the term of endearment it is intended to be. I can remember how upset I would get when I would make a mistake in practice and Ty would capitalize on it. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was then to be challenged every day by one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game.” – Tom Brady

New England Patriots, 1995-2004

New York Jets, 2005 and 2008

Kansas City Chiefs, 2006-2007

Denver Broncos, 2009

Law’s biggest NFL moment came at the start of the Patriots’ dynasty. With 8:49 left in the first half of Super Bowl XXXVI, Kurt Warner of the Rams threw a pass intended for Isaac Bruce that Law intercepted and returned 47 yards for a touchdown. That play gave New England a 7-3 lead, and the rest was history. The play was no fluke, as Law had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the 2001 regular season, and eight in his career. Selected by the Pats in the first round of the 1995 draft out of Michigan, Law amassed 53 regular-season interceptions for 828 return yards, adding six more for 116 yards in the playoffs. The starting left cornerback in New England’s first three Super Bowl wins, Law is a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro selection.

“He had solutions all the time. â€¦ He’d always find a way to overcome something he shouldn’t be able to do. Almost like the MacGyver of football, he was going to find a way.” – Mike Munchak

Seattle Seahawks, 1994-1997

New York Jets, 1998-2005

Tennessee Titans, 2006-2009

Named to the NFL’s All-Rookie team in 1994 as a second-round pick out of LSU, Mawae went on to become an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro with the Jets and Titans. Mawae blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in 13 of his 16 seasons through several different blocking schemes and for five different backs, including Chris Johnson in his 2,000-yard season in 2009 and seven times for fellow Hall of Famer Curtis Martin. The 11 ^th center selected to the Hall of Fame, Mawae played guard his first two seasons. A stalwart in the communities where he played and with the players association, Mawae received several awards for his off-field contributions.

“You see the safeties out in the middle of the field, and you have a wide-open throw on the right. The next thing you know, he’s intercepting it. Where did he come from? It’s impossible. That’s what made him such a challenge. He made the impossible possible.” – Ben Roethlisberger

Baltimore Ravens, 2002-2012

Houston Texans and New York Jets, 2013

The Ravens selected Reed in the first round of the 2002 draft out of Miami, and he immediately became one of the linchpins of a great defense year after year. He had five interceptions in his rookie year, and 21 in his first three seasons. Reed led the NFL in interceptions three times (2004, 2008, 2010), and he retired with 64 regular-season picks for 1,590 return yards and seven touchdowns. In the postseason, Reed added nine more interceptions for 168 yards and another touchdown. He has the most interception return yardage in NFL history, and the two longest interception returns (107 and 106 yards). The best safety and one of the best defensive players of his era, Reed is as deserving of enshrinement as any other player in the Hall.

“Simply put, Johnny Robinson is one of the greatest safeties that I ever faced. In fact, I can’t think of any that I’ve seen in the 50 years since that have been better. When we ran crossing patterns against Kansas City, I knew that I was going to get hit hard. I had to prepare myself specifically for him, both mentally and physically.” – Lance Alworth

One of a handful of players to play with the same franchise through the entire 10-year history of the American Football League, Robinson was drafted No. 3 overall by the Detroit Lions in 1960 but chose to play in the new league instead. Robinson was a running back his first two years in the pros, with 150 carries for 658 yards and six touchdowns, as well as 77 receptions for 1,228 yards and nine touchdowns. Moved to the defensive backfield in 1962, Robinson had 57 regular-season interceptions for 741 return yards and one touchdown, adding four postseason picks for 131 yards. Robinson led the AFL in interceptions in 1966 and led the NFL in interceptions in 1970. One of his postseason interceptions came in Super Bowl IV, when the Chiefs capped off the AFL’s existence with a 23-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings.