After months of waiting and debating, the day has finally arrived for Devin Hester. The former Chicago Bears return specialist will find out whether or not he’s headed to Canton as part of the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
The class will be announced at 8 p.m. CT on ABC later this evening, with Hester and Bears fans everywhere hoping he receives the famous knock at the door.
Hester is a finalist for the Hall in his first year of eligibility. After being drafted in 2006 by the Bears, he quickly became the definition of a game changer in the return game. Hester took the league by storm, scoring 15 return touchdowns in his first two seasons, including the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI his rookie year.
Dubbed “The Windy City Flyer,” Hester flew into the record books. He holds a number of NFL records, including most combined special teams return touchdowns (20), most punt return touchdowns (14), most punt return touchdowns in a season (4), and fastest touchdown in Super Bowl history (14 seconds). Hester spent eight seasons with the Bears before moving on to the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, and Seattle Seahawks.
The dynamic returner faces stiff competition, going up against former stars such as Torry Holt, DeMarcus Ware, Patrick Willis, and more in his first year of eligibility. As many as eight individuals will be selected to this year’s class, all of whom gave the game of football some incredible moments.
In Hester’s case, he was a true gamechanger on special teams. See which moments stand out the most with 10 of his most electrifying, or as Jeff Joniak would say, ridiculous plays of his Bears career.
