After a 35-year wait, Randy Gradishar was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. His speech was filled with thanks to dozens of people, along with blessings and scripture.
One of those who meant the most to him was Jay Cimino, president and CEO of Phil Long Dealerships, who hired Gradishar for his public relations department more than 30 years ago. Cimino continued to keep Gradishar’s candidacy in the public eye as the years passed.
“Year after year, for nearly three decades, Jay and a few other men presented my case to the HOF selection committee. They believed I was a worthy candidate for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Gradishar said. “Jay’s 30 years of vision and work came to fruition. On January 26, I got the news I had waited 35 years for: I had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I called Jay right away. You can imagine how we felt.
“Less than four weeks later, Gina Sacripanti, director of communications for Phil Long Dealership, called to say that Jay had passed away. I collapsed; it was a blow to the gut. I stand here without Jay, but everything Jay built in my life stands before you.”
Gradishar is one of the best tacklers in NFL history. He grew up near Canton in nearby Trumbull County and played college football at Ohio State under Woody Hayes.
“Coach Woody was committed to my best. I knew that and felt that,” Gradishar said. “The most valuable difference Coach Woody made in my life was his ‘pay forward’ lifestyle. Every Friday during the spring semester, Coach Woody and the team visited nursing homes, hospitals, high schools and colleges. Coach Woody’s ‘pay forward’ philosophy has inspired me to develop a servant lifestyle.”
Gradishar, a first-round pick of the Broncos in 1974, was a five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler on one of the best defenses of his era. The Orange Crush allowed fewer than 10 points per game in 1977, leading the Broncos to their first Super Bowl, where they lost 27-10 to the Cowboys.
Gradishar thanked 16 of his defensive teammates and defensive coordinator Joe Collier.
