Eagles
Brian Dawkins set for Hall of Fame enshrinement
Published04 Aug 2018
By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Brian Dawkins, or "Weapon X," or whatever you prefer to call him, is ready to make his way into the NFL's elite class of superstars.
One of the greatest players in franchise history, Dawkins, will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday evening.
On Friday night, during the annual Hall of Fame dinner, Dawkins received his gold jacket, recognizing his legendary career. In some people's eyes, Dawkins is the best player to don Eagles green. The emotion he has shown during his career came out on Friday night when he received the jacket, and it was one of the best moments we have seen as a culmination of an incredible tenure on a team that's loved by many.
Brian Dawkins gets emotional wiping away tears & screaming “hallelujah” as he gets his Hall of Fame Jacket 🧥 Tonight in Canton
💦 Dawkins says he will cry a bunch of times during his speech on Saturday @6abc #BrianDawkins #HOF pic.twitter.com/45c3kKasHY
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) August 4, 2018
On Saturday night, Dawkins will be introduced by longtime teammate and former Eagle Troy Vincent.
For his career, Dawkins goes down as an all-time franchise great. He finished with 34 interceptions as a member of the Eagles. He also forced 32 fumbles during his career. He's a nine-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro selection at safety.
Dawkins told Matt Mullin of PhillyVoice.com just how much it means to be a Hall of Famer, and how he played the game of football that led to his induction into Canton.
"I played the game the way [the fans] would play it if they had a chance to strap on a uniform for one game,” Dawkins told PhillyVoice.com. “If for whatever reason, the Lord blessed them with the ability to go out and run, hit, jump, play fast, know the game plan, and they get to go out, one shot. You would not go out and be calm. You would not go out and hand the ball back to the ref.
"And that’s how I played every game. Because I loved it so much. And I didn’t care what anybody thought about it because I was blessed to play the game of football. And so I went out and played with emotion. I laughed, I cried, I danced, I partied after a sack, after a big hit, with my teammates. … All that stuff."
Probably the coolest thing about Dawkins being inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night, besides him being one of the greatest players in franchise history, is that it comes right on the tail of the Eagles winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history. Even though Dawkins worked closely behind the scenes of this championship team, his contagious personality and constant hype was felt by all of Philadelphia during this run.
Dawkins and the Eagles missed out on winning the Super Bowl back during the 2004 season by only three points. Now, his enshrinement into a Hall of football's greatest players is just an accolade that is given to that whole team. It proves just how important that team was in the grand scheme of Philadelphia sports, and it's the greatest recognition there is for such an important era.
