Cleveland's Hickerson finally clears path to Hall

Before Hickerson's arrival, only seven rushers in league history had ever reached 1,000 yards. In his first 10 seasons, the Browns had a 1,000-yard rusher nine times and the league's leading rusher on seven occasions.

"He was an exceptional athlete, and always on his feet," said Dieken. "You would watch the (game) film and be in awe. He was the standard for what a pulling guard is all about."

Yet despite that glittering resume and testimonials from Brown and others of his worthiness to be elected, Hickerson was bypassed by voters for 29 years.

Brown has his theory on why.

"We're human beings," he said. "Sometimes we don't see what's right in front of our faces. It wasn't because of Gene's talent."

His long omission gnawed at the soft-spoken Hickerson, whose health has deteriorated in recent years.

However, Hickerson rarely grumbled aloud about not making the Hall, said his best friend, Bobby Franklin, a former college and pro teammate, who will present Hickerson at the Saturday induction ceremonies.

"Gene never said much but I know it really bothered him. He would usually make a joke about it, though," Franklin said on the phone from his home in Mississippi. "Somebody would as Gene, 'When are you going to get to the Hall of Fame?' And Gene would say, 'I'm going to drive down there tomorrow.'"

Hickerson's joking only masked a deep disappointment he felt in not getting elected for so many years. Though a worthy candidate, he was often edged out because of more high-profile names on the ballot.

"Hickerson's 15 years of modern era eligibility coincided with some of the sport's greatest Hall of Fame classes," said Tony Grossi of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, a Hall voter. "It was tough for a guard to get in against the likes of O.J. Simpson and Pete Rozelle, and others, in the 1980s.

"Many offensive linemen of his time were tossed into the pool of deserving players who fell through the cracks. And then the wait becomes even longer for that logjam to be broken up."

Hickerson's long wait is finally over, but because of health issues, he can't appreciate it as much as he would have years earlier.

"It's going to be special," Franklin said. "But it's also a sad time, too, because Gene can't enjoy it as much. But he's in."