As the Indianapolis Colts look towards the 2024 season, one of the long-standing goals for owner Jim Irsay has been to restore his beloved franchise to the glory it had through the 2000s.
The Colts had Hall of Famers galore throughout one of the winningest decades in NFL history. Now, one more legend of those teams can call himself a Hall of Famer as well.
Former Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Modern Era Class of 2024. The 2024 class was announced on Thursday night during the NFL Honors Awards ceremony. Freeney gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in just his second year of eligibility.
Freeney came to the Horseshoe as a highly-touted pass rusher. Drafted No.11 overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, his patented spin move helped him become one of the most feared pass rushers of his era. Alongside former Colts' great Robert Mathis, the Colts had a ferocious tandem on the edge for a decade.
Freeney spent the first 11 years of his 16-year career with the Colts, racking up 316 tackles, 107.5 sacks (second-most in franchise history), and 44 forced fumbles. The pass rusher was selected to seven Pro Bowls (2003-2005, 2008-2011) and named a First-Team All-Pro three times (2004-2005, 2009), all with the Colts. He finished his career with 125.5 sacks (26th all-time) and 47 forced fumbles (third).
Freeney joins a number of his teammates from those 2000s Colts in the Hall of Fame. Those include general manager Bill Polian (inducted in 2015), head coach Tony Dungy (2016), wide receiver Marvin Harrison (2016), running back Edgerrin James (2020), and quarterback Peyton Manning (2021).
Unfortunately, Freeney will not be joined in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class by another Colts great. Former Colts wide receiver and current wide receivers coach Reggie Wayne was named a finalist but was not elected this year. Wayne has been a finalist in five consecutive seasons but is still waiting his turn to get in.
Freeney's election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is very well-deserved. He was an elite pass rusher that struck fear into every quarterback he faced and helped contribute to the Colts' great success of the 2000s. Freeney will go down as arguably the best pass rusher in Colts history, and fans cannot wait to see him receive his gold jacket this summer.
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