MIAMI – Steve Hutchinson, a guard so historically fierce and fundamentally sound that the Vikings created a "poison pill" scheme to pilfer him from the Seahawks in his prime, reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility Saturday.
"Going through this process the last [three] years, it's a hard day," said Hutchinson, the last of five to get the knock on the hotel door from Hall of Fame President David Baker. "I've never been so tired from not doing anything.
"The knock was 3:35 [p.m.] and I'm thinking, 'I'm getting another late [rejection] call. As soon as the knock happens, it's hard to explain. It's like a weighted vest is taken immediately off your shoulders."
The five-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler was with his wife, Landyn, and kids, Lilly and Luke, when the knock came.
"That last 10 minutes, it seemed like it was seven hours," he said. "It was crazy. I was getting all tight. Then you get the knock and ... you start floating. And it's like, 'Is this real?' We all just kind of broke down at once. It's great. It's indescribable. I sound like an idiot right now."
The four other modern-era players chosen by the 48-member selection committee are Broncos safety Steve Atwater, Rams receiver Isaac Bruce, Colts and Cardinals running back Edgerrin James and Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, elected in his first year of eligibility. Joining them are 15 members of a Centennial Class chosen earlier by a special blue-ribbon committee.
Hutchinson was known for brute-forth strength, impeccable technique, intelligence and a nastiness that Brad Childress coveted when he left Philadelphia as offensive coordinator for the Vikings head coaching job in 2006.
"We were looking for someone to bring a toughness to that offensive line," Childress said. "Something like what we had with Jon Runyan in Philadelphia. Hutch was the perfect guy to bring that toughness and strength and attitude. So we decided we'd make a run at him."