CANTON, Ohio – Randall McDaniel played in 202 consecutive games as a dominant guard for the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a remarkable streak that also included 12 consecutive Pro Bowl berths.Despite that ironman achievement, McDaniel was, and remains, one of the NFL's most humble standouts.
"As an offensive linemen, I really don't feel comfortable standing up here without the other four guys around me," said McDaniel, 44, who picked his Agua Fria Union (Avondale, Ariz.) high school athletic director, O.K. Fulton, to be his presenter Saturday when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Much like the way he conducted himself during an impressive 14-year NFL career, McDaniel -- one of football's outstanding players and gentlemen -- gave a speech that was equal parts understated and appreciative of everyone who helped him obtain the game's ultimate honor. Not surprisingly, McDaniel graciously thanked his parents, his family as well as his teammates from high school through the pros.
McDaniel, the anchor of an offensive line that helped the 1998 Vikings score a then-record 556 points, then spoke directly to his students at the Westonka School District in Mound, Minn., where McDaniel works as an educator.
He urged his young charges to seek a mentor to guide them, like he found in Fulton, his presenter. McDaniel, who was a first-round pick of the Vikings (19th overall) in 1988 out of Arizona State, also credited football for giving him the opportunity to be the first in his family to earn a college degree. "I was blessed to play 14 years in the NFL, and I was blessed to spend 12 years for the Vikings," said McDaniel, who blocked for six different 1,000-yard rushers and five 3,000-yard passers, and finished his career playing for the Bucs. "I was fortunate to play the last two years for coach Tony Dungy."
For a young man growing up in the desert of Arizona, McDaniel's roots now are firmly planted in the tundra of Minnesota. And McDaniel made special note of his adopted home.
"It must be a special place when you get a kid who grew up in Arizona to make his home in the Arctic," McDaniel said with a laugh.
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Kansas City Chiefs fan Charli Houck, of Wichita, Kansas, takes in the sights at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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Ralph Wilson, Jr., founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, waves to the crowd as he is introduced at the start of Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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Lightning is seen near a scoreboard at Lambeau Field during a Green Bay Packers family night scrimmage at NFL football training camp Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. The scrimmage was delayed due to lightning. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
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Buffalo Bills fans cheer as Ralph Wilson, Jr., founder and owner of the Bills, is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the Class of 2009 at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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Ralph Wilson, Jr., founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills, and his presenter, ESPN personality Chris Berman, unveil his bust during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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Bob Hayes, Jr. looks at the bust of his father, Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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O.K. Fulton, Randall McDaniel's former high school athletic director and assistant principal from Agua Fria Union High School in Avondale, Arizona, left, and McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers unveil McDaniel's bust during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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Randall McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers touches his bust after unveiling it during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, August 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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Randall McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gives his induction speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Enshrinement ceremony at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)
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