This year’s Hall of Fame inductions seemed to be most about two things — the determination it takes to get to the top, and the family you need to help you get and stay there. In the case of tight end Shannon Sharpe, both factors played very well in his induction speech. Sharpe first talked about the odds he was up against.

“When I left my grandmother’s home in 1986, headed to Savannah State with two brown grocery bags filled with my belongings, nothing was going to keep me from realizing my dreams,” he said. “When people told me I wasn’t going to make it, I listened to the one person who told me I was: me. You may not know this, but I was never supposed to be a Hall of Fame tight end or any kind of tight end, or even a Hall of Fame player. I’m here today for a lot of reasons. Some have everything to do with me. Some have absolutely nothing to do with me and everything to do with the kindness and patience of all the people that guided me through my life.”

Then, a bit later in his speech, he turned his focus to his brother, Sterling. The elder Sharpe was a great receiver for the Green Bay Packers from 1988 through 1994 before injuries derailed his career.

Sterling’s little brother wasn’t going to forget.

“My big brother, Sterling … I’m the only player of 267 men that’s walked through this building to my left that can honestly say this: I’m the only pro football player that’s in the Hall of Fame, and the second best player in my own family. If fate had dealt you a different hand, there is no question in my mind we would have been the first brothers to be elected to the Hall of Fame.”

“Sterling, you are my hero, my father figure, my role model. You taught me everything I know about sports and a lot about life. I never once lived in your shadow. I embraced it.” Watching Sterling’s face while his brother paid tribute to him is what the Hall of Fame is all about.