https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-hall-of-fame-antonio-gates-sterling-sharpe-jared-allen-eric-allen-are-4-members-of-2025-class-030839811.html
NEW ORLEANS — San Diego Chargers fans have a reason to celebrate again.
The Chargers moved to Los Angeles after the 2016 season, leaving their San Diego fans with heartache and old memories. Many of those memories include tight end Antonio Gates, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his second time on the ballot. He was part of the 2025 class, which was announced Thursday at NFL Honors.
The rest of the class includes defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Eric Allen, and receiver Sterling Sharpe. Among the notable names who did not get in were New York Giants Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning, whose Hall of Fame case is complicated in its own right, and New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Gates played 14 of his 16 seasons in San Diego and his final two in Los Angeles, picking up 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro and a member of the All-Decade Team of the 2000s. Gates’ Hall of Fame story is incredible when considering the often-told tale that he did not play college football. He played basketball at Eastern Michigan for a year and then two seasons at Kent State. In his final basketball season he averaged 20.6 points per game. That athleticism translated well to the NFL.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Gates said after the announcement. “There’s no way to describe this feeling. You just life in the moment and have gratitude.”
Jared Allen was one of the premier pass rushers of his era, leading the NFL in sacks twice including a 22-sack season in 2011. Allen had 136 career sacks with four teams (Chiefs, Vikings, Bears, Panthers).
Eric Allen was a six-time Pro Bowler with 54 career interceptions over 14 years with the Eagles, Raiders and Saints.
Sharpe’s career was cut short due to a neck injury but led the NFL in receptions three times in seven seasons. He had 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns in those seven seasons, all with the Packers. He joins his brother Shannon Sharpe in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sharpe had a longer wait than the others in this class — he retired after the 1994 season — but said a few times that he hadn’t been worried about whether he’d make the Hall of Fame because he wasn’t expecting it and he was satisfied with what he did in his career.
“I can say if I never would have had this opportunity I would have been OK,” Sharpe said. “I did what I wanted to do. I played for seven years and that’s all I could have asked for.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-hall-of-fame-antonio-gates-sterling-sharpe-jared-allen-eric-allen-are-4-members-of-2025-class-030839811.html
