The big weekend is here for Miami Dolphins legend Zach Thomas, and the festivities already have begun.
Thomas got to enjoy a memorable moment Friday night when he got to put on his Hall of Fame jacket in Canton, Ohio, handed to him by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell while Thomas' former head coach and Hall presenter Jimmy Johnson held his regular jacket on stage.
Thomas' reaction was pure joy, with his smile from ear to ear.
CEREMONY SET FOR SATURDAY
The biggest moment of the weekend, when Thomas officially takes his place in the Hall of Fame, will occur Saturday with the induction ceremony starting at noon.
Thomas is part of the nine-member Class of 2023, and he'll be the first to be presented and give a speech, which will feature a 12-minute time limit.
The Class of 2023 also includes (in alphabetical order) longtime Bucs DB Ronde Barber, former Chargers head coach Don Coryell, former Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley, former Jets defensive end Joe Klecko, former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, former Bengals cornerback Ken Riley, former Browns tackle Joe Thomas and former Cowboys and Broncos pass rusher DeMarcus Ware.
Thomas will become the 11th Miami Dolphins Hall of Famer, joining Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Dan Marino, Don Shula, Dwight Stephenson, Jason Taylor and Paul Warfield. That list doesn't include others who spent time with Miami but earned their HOF credentials with another organization, such as Cris Carter, Thurman Thomas and the previously mentioned Jimmy Johnson.
WHICH DOLPHINS HALL OF FAMER WOULD MAKE SANDERS' "UPPER ROOM"?
On the eve of the 2023 Hall of Fame ceremony, in response to Deion Sanders' suggestion that too many folks are getting inducted and there should be a higher class ("upper room," is what he called it), Pro Football Talk took a stab at coming up with a list of elite Hall of Famers, those who would make the cut as the best of the best.
The list, put together by Mike Florio, wasn't very kind to the Dolphins as only Coach Don Shula and quarterback Dan Marino earned a spot in that "upper room."
Without tackling the issue of whether Sanders' point has merit, including our preference for players who didn't or don't feel the need to constantly tell others of their greatness but rather leave that only to their performance on the field — like Barry Sanders or Dwight Stephenson, for example — let's just address quickly Florio's list.
Understanding that it's highly subjective and stats should not be the be-all, end-all for consideration, we would add three names to that list — and this is coming from somebody who has watched the NFL since the 1970s and has been covering the league full time for 34 years.
The three Dolphins Hall of Fame players, from this vantage point, who belong on any "upper room" are Paul Warfield, Larry Little and Dwight Stephenson.
Warfield was maybe the most talented offensive player on the Super Bowl teams of the 1970s and averaged more than 20 yards per catch in his career; Little was the best member of one of the all-time great offensive lines in NFL history and a generational talent as a pulling guard; and Stephenson was maybe the most dominant center who ever played.
Some Dolphins fans might feel strongly for some of the other Dolphins Hall of Famers, but not everyone can make the cut. It says here those three should be no-brainers, along with Shula and Marino.
More must-reads: