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Georgia great Richard Seymour to be enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs08/06/22

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Photo courtesy of UGA Sports Communications

Georgia great Richard Seymour is being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight in Canton, Ohio, becoming the fifth Bulldog to be inducted. Seymour joins Charley Trippi, Frank Tarkenton, Terrell Davis and Champ Bailey.

Seymour played for the New England Patriots from 2001-08 after being drafted by the team sixth overall. Together, Seymour and the Patriots won three Super Bowls and appeared in a fourth. He followed that up with a stint with the Oakland Raiders from 2009-12. Seymour was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro pick, ending his career with 496 tackles and 57.5 sacks. He was chosen for the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s and has been recognized by the Patriots as a member of their 50th Anniversary Team, All-2000s Team and has a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame.

“Richard was the consummate professional and leader, always accepting the roles he was assigned, putting team goals ahead of personal ones, and in turn, raising the game of everyone around him,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said. “As great as he was as a player, he is a Hall of Fame-caliber person as well.”

“I’d open with a big congratulations to Richard Seymour, who I had the great fortunate of playing with here,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart added during his opening press conference to fall camp on Thursday. “He’ll be going into the NFL Hall of Fame, I guess at the end of the week or sometime soon. He’s been just an incredible representative of our University. He was a great player here and a teammate. I know we have several guys on our staff going to travel and be with him for that great honor, so congratulations to Richard.”

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A native of Gadsden, S.C., Seymour played in 41 games during his Georgia career, starting 25. In 1999, he led the Bulldogs with 74 tackles, one of only two defensive linemen in program history to lead the team in tackles. Seymour was a two-time All-SEC First-Team Selection, a First-Team All-American in 2000 and a permanent team captain for Georgia’s 1999 team as just a junior. He ended his career in Athens with 233 total tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

Along with his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Seymour is a member of the Georgia-Florida Game Hall of Fame, State of South Carolina Hall of Fame and was named a “Legend of SEC Football.”

Richard Seymour will be enshrined into the Pro Hall along with offensive lineman Tony Boselli, linebacker Sam Mills, defensive back LeRoy Butler, defensive linemen Bryant Young, wide receiver Cliff Branch, Coach Dick Vermeil, and former NFL director of officiating Art McNally. ESPN will air live coverage of the event at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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