After a 35-year wait, former Temple and New York Jets star Joe Klecko was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday afternoon in Canton, Ohio.
After being introduced by his former Jets teammate Mary Lyons, with whom he teamed up - along with Mark Gastineau and Abdul Salaam - to form the team's famed "New York Sack Exchange, Klecko delivered a speech he said he had been waiting 30 years to give.
Klecko, a Chester native and the first former Temple football player to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, talked about his humble beginnings that were part of his well-known story by now.
He talked about how he went to work for a trucking company after his playing career at St. James High School because nobody offered him a scholarship to play college football. He talked about how playing one quarter of semi-pro football for the Aston Knights was enough for his future college head coach to know he wanted Klecko at Temple.
“The equipment manager from Temple University, John DiGregorio, saw me playing with the Knights and recommended me to the head coach, Wayne Hardin, of Temple University," Klecko said Saturday. "Coach Hardin offered me a scholarship to play football after watching me play one quarter."
Later on in his speech, Klecko recognized his son, Dan Klecko, who followed in his father's footsteps and played at Temple from 1999 to 2002 before moving on to an NFL career that saw him win three Super Bowls.
“And I don’t know if you people know this, but my son Dan has three Super Bowl rings," Klecko said. "He had a wonderful career. And he never lets me forget it"
"Hey Dan, let’s see when you get one of them," Klecko added with a smile, pointing to his Hall of Fame bust.
