Former Viking Moss elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

By Chris Tomasson / St. Paul Pioneer Press Today at 9:42 p.m.

Former Minnesota Viking wide receiver speaks during the NFL Honors show Saturday, Feb. 3, at Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. Moss was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Dame Saturday. Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports1 / 2

(From left to right) The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 including Robert Brazile, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, and Brian Urlacher during media availabilities during the NFL Honors show Saturday, Feb. 3, at Cyrus Northrop Memorial Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports2 / 2

MINNEAPOLIS—Former Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was elected Saturday night, Feb. 3, to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Moss got the call in his first year of eligibility. Former Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson, also in his first year of eligibility, was not selected.

Moss will be joined in the hall by former players Ray Lewis, Terrell Owens, Brian Urlacher, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer and Robert Brazile, and former executive Bobby Beathard.

The hall of fame class was announced at NFL Honors at the University of Minnesota's Northrop Auditorium.

"It was just tears of joy,'' Moss said of making it. "When you put your heart and soul into this game, to be rewarded with that gold jacket, I'm just speechless."

Moss is the third wide receiver to make the hall of fame in his first year of eligibility. The first two were Steve Largent and Jerry Rice.

"It hasn't really dawned on me that I'm the third first ballot,'' Moss said.

Moss played for the Vikings from 1998-2004 and in 2010. He ranks fourth in NFL history with 157 touchdowns.

For the Vikings, Moss had 587 of his 982 career receptions and 9,316 of his 15,292 career yards. He also played with Oakland, New England, Tennessee and San Francisco, his final game being a 34-31 49ers loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013.

Moss tried to keep his mind off the hall of fame voting before he was notified Saturday.

"I just wanted to stay even keel, no ups and downs,'' Moss said. "I knew it would be a long day."

Moss paid tribute for his former Vikings coach Dennis Green, who died in 2016. Green had pushed to draft Moss in 1998 after he had some off-the-field issues.

"The one thing I always come back to is if coach Green had never made that call, I wonder if I would have been able to showcase my God-given ability,'' Moss said. "It would feel a lot more better for me if (Green) were here."

Moss is the first former Vikings player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame since center Mick Tingelhoff in 2015.