Former Syracuse defensive end Dwight Freeney is gearing up for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in a couple of weeks. Freeney ranks second on the all-time SU sack list.
Freeney is one of seven inductees going into the Hall of Fame, along with Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Steve McMichael, Julius Peppers, and Patrick Willis.
Ahead of the stampede of Hall of Fame events in the coming weeks, Freeney competed in the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe last weekend. He was one of 90 celebrities playing in the golf tournament in Stateline, NV at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Freeney finished 31st with a Stableford score of 27.
Freeney acknowledges the surrounding cast who got him to this point.
“It’s a moment in time where I can kind of let the world know who got me here,” said Freeney. “You don’t get this type of acknowledgement or type of place or accolade without people around you, community, and family around you. I can’t wait to tell the world, it’s because of him and all of us, that’s why I’m here.”
Freeney recorded 34 career sacks with the Orange from 1998-2001. Arguably his most standout performance in an Orange uniform was sacking Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick 4.5 times in 2000.
“They prepared me,” said Freeney. “They turned me into a man there. They really taught me the right way to prepare and the right type of education. Once you get those types of things at that type of prestigious college, you’re going to be good.”
Speaking of ‘good,’ Freeney led the country with 17.5 sacks in his senior year in 2001, a Syracuse football record for a single season. However, this accolade didn’t come without hardships.
“A lot of [memories] come from failure. Sometimes, when things don’t go right you have to look at the silver lining of things. That applies in life. Not everything is going to be easy. There’s going to be all types of bumps, weaves and turns. You just have to find your way through all of that and hopefully you end up where you need.”
The Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place in Canton, Ohio on August 3rd.
