The Pro Football Hall of Fame will increase its membership to 378 when they formally induct seven new members during Saturday's ceremony from Canton, Ohio.
Of the Hall of Fame's 371 current inductees, only 89 were selected during their first year of eligibility. On Saturday, that number will increase to 90 as one of this year's inductees received enough votes to be inducted after just one year on the ballot.
Each inductee will be introduced by a presenter before giving their induction speech. Each Hall of Fame inductee will receive an induction ring, a gold jacket and a bronze bust that will rest eternally in the Hall of Fame.
Here's how you can follow the action, along with a rundown of each member of this year's induction class.
How to watch
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 3 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio)
- TV: ESPN/NFL Network | Stream: fuboTV (click here)
Here's a look at the seven players who make up this year's induction class.
- Dwight Freeney, LB (2002-17): Freeney's devastating spin move led to 125.5 career sacks and a Super Bowl ring with the 2006 Colts. He led the NFL with 16 sacks during the 2004 season.
- Andre Johnson, WR (2003-16): The greatest offensive player in Texans history, Johnson was named to seven Pro Bowls and led the NFL in receiving on two occasions. He is 11th in NFL history in both career receptions (1,062) and receiving yards (14,185).
- Devin Hester, returner (2006-16): Arguably the greatest returner in NFL history, Hester is now enshrined in Canton after returning 20 kick/punt returns for touchdowns during his 11-year career. He is also the only player to return the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl for a touchdown, as he did so for the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
- Randy Gradishar, LB (1974-83): He led the Broncos' famed "Orange Crush" defense that spearheaded the Broncos' first AFC championship in 1977. A complete linebacker, Gradishar won Defensive Player of the Year the following season after recording three interceptions, three sacks and four fumble recoveries.
- Patrick Willis, LB (2007-14): Willis packed a lot into an eight-year career. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and is a member of the Hall of Fame All-2000s Team. Willis twice led the NFL in tackles and was among the leaders of the 49ers' 2012 NFC championship squad.
- Steve McMichael, DT (1980-94): "Mongo" played in a whopping 227 games (including a franchise-record 191 games with the Bears) and was an integral part of a Bears defense that led Chicago to the franchise's first Super Bowl win at the end of the 1985 season. His 95 career sacks rank fourth all-time for defensive tackles, and he led the Bears in sacks seven times.
- Julius Peppers, DE (2002-18): A first-ballot inductee, Peppers also has the distinction of being named to two All-Decade teams after terrorizing opposing quarterbacks from 2002-2018. He had 10 seasons with at least 10 sacks, with his first and last double-digit sack seasons coming 15 years apart.
