"We have the greatest hall of all the halls, and to be able to join these men on this stage in football heaven is the greatest day of my life."

• • •

"Butch Carter, today as your baby brother goes into the Hall, you need to know you're my hero."

• • •

"Mama, I got to tell you, I didn't have to wait to get a call from the Hall to tell me I was a Hall of Famer. You've been telling me since I was little."

• • •

Cris Carter, who played for the Vikings from 1990 to 2001, was the seventh and final inductee from the Class of 2013 on Saturday night. He spoke forcefully and emotionally for about 17 minutes. More than 120 Hall members, a record, returned for the 50th anniversary celebration of the shrine.

"[Drug and alcohol counselor Betty Triliegi] taught me how I could live a life and have power over my life. And my demons didn't have to always haunt me."

• • •

"[Former Eagles teammate] Reggie White, when I was 22, was the first man to tell me he loved me. And he said, 'Cris, through God all things are possible.' "

• • •

"This game gave me identity. It gave me a sense of purpose."

Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame