PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : Dierdorf Returns Home for the Ultimate Honor

Dan Dierdorf was welcomed home and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue received a rude greeting during induction ceremonies today at the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, Ohio.

Dierdorf, the long-time St. Louis Cardinal offensive lineman and analyst for Monday Night Football, grew up a mile from the Hall.

He was inducted along with offensive lineman Lou Creekmur, Coach Joe Gibbs, wide receiver Charlie Joiner and defensive back Mel Renfro.

“If you go under the bridge right there, up Harrison Avenue and then turn onto 36th Street, you’re at my house. It’s a 15-minute walk from here,” Dierdorf said. “It’s truly beyond my comprehension and I’m overwhelmed by it all.”

About 50 members of a Cleveland Browns fans group protested just across the street from the front door of the Hall. Other Browns fans booed and shouted down Tagliabue when he was introduced at the outset of the induction ceremonies. The Browns relocated to Baltimore at the end of last season.

“Whenever a team is uprooted and moved from its fans, it strikes a deep and painful chord,” Tagliabue said.

Dierdorf’s presenter, former Cardinal coach Jim Hanifan, called the odds “unbelievable” of someone who had grown up and played high school football in the area being inducted into the Hall.

Dierdorf spent 13 years in the NFL, all in St. Louis with the Cardinals. Never on a championship team, he was nonetheless one of the top offensive linemen of his era.

Creekmur, who played guard and tackle from 1950-59, came out of William & Mary to help the Detroit Lions to NFL championships in 1952, ’53 and ’57. He made it to the Pro Bowl in his first eight seasons. He was presented by Doak Walker, who said he owed his own enshrinement in the hall to the blocking of his former teammate.

Gibbs, who coached the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl titles, was presented by his former mentor, Don Coryell, who also coached Joiner from 1976-86. Joiner was presented by his college coach, Eddie Robinson.

Renfro, renowned as a cornerback, safety and kick returner for the Dallas Cowboys from 1964-77, was presented by former Cowboy Coach Tom Landry.