{"id":3884520,"date":"2020-02-01T14:15:49","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T21:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/?p=3884520"},"modified":"2020-02-01T18:30:59","modified_gmt":"2020-02-02T01:30:59","slug":"broncos-pro-football-hall-of-fame-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2020\/02\/01\/broncos-pro-football-hall-of-fame-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos safety Steve Atwater elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI — Wearing one of his two Super Bowl<\/a> rings on his right hand and a lapel pin honoring Pat Bowlen<\/a> on his suit coat, Steve Atwater<\/a> looked calm as he sat in his hotel room late Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

But then came the knock.<\/p>\n

And jubilation.<\/p>\n

And excitement.<\/p>\n

And both fists pumped into the air.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the door was David Baker from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, officially welcoming Atwater to the Class of 2020.<\/p>\n

In his third time as a finalist, Atwater became the 11th former Broncos player to gain induction.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcitement more than anything else,\u201d Atwater said at the Adrienne Arsht Center. \u201cI guess there is some relief because although I tried to play it calm and cool, it was a stressful situation, just wondering if it was this year, next year or maybe never. I know some of the guys were pretty confident in saying it was a matter of time for me. But I was like, \u2018Hey, will I even make it in?\u2019 I\u2019m extremely honored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atwater was joined by Indianapolis\/Arizona running back Edgerrin James, Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu, Minnesota\/Seattle guard Steve Hutchinson and Rams\/San Francisco receiver Issac Bruce in the modern-era class. They will be enshrined during Hall of Fame Weekend on Aug. 6-9 in Canton, Ohio.<\/p>\n

Atwater and his class were introduced on stage during the NFL Honors and greeted by current Pro Football Hall of Famers, including the Broncos\u2019 John Elway<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Former Broncos safety John Lynch, in his seventh year as a finalist, and Boulder native\/former Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> offensive tackle Tony Boselli (fourth year) were not selected.<\/p>\n

Canton is quickly becoming Broncos East for the franchise and their fans. Since just 2017, running back Terrell Davis<\/a>, cornerback Champ Bailey, Bowlen and now Atwater have been elected. And next year, quarterback Peyton Manning<\/a> is eligible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish (Bowlen) was here to have this special moment, he and my (late) mom,\u201d Atwater said.<\/p>\n

Entering Saturday, of the 66 players on the NFL All-Decade teams of the 1970s, \u201880s and \u201890s, Atwater was one of only three (receiver Drew Pearson and safety LeRoy Butler) not in the Hall. Butler was a finalist this year, but did not make the first cut to 10.<\/p>\n

An eight-time Pro Bowl<\/a>er and two-time All-Pro selection, Atwater was a first-round pick (No. 20 overall) in 1989 from Arkansas. He started all but one of his 167 regular season games for the Broncos and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams. He finished his career in 1999 with the New York Jets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite the accolades, the Hall wasn\u2019t on Atwater\u2019s radar once he became eligible five years after his retirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest with you, I wasn\u2019t even aware of the process,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I first became a finalist, I was like, \u2018Really?\u2019 Not until about 5-6 years ago did I take it serious as far as being a serious contender.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of late, a lot of guys I played with and played with in the Pro Bowl and played against in the playoffs had been asking, \u2018When is it going to happen?\u2019 At that point, I started to feel like it was a real possibility for me because some really good players had my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his interview session with the Denver media, Atwater acknowledged former Broncos safety Mike Harden and former teammates Dennis Smith, Tyrone Braxton, Alfred Williams and Ray Crockett.<\/p>\n