CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- It's probably a good thing Terrell Owens didn't show up in Canton, Ohio for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, because his speech probably wouldn't have gone over too well there. 

In front of thousands of fans at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Owens gave a 39-minute speech, and yes, he spent a good part of that ripping the Hall of Fame for its selection process, which wasn't surprising at all. What was surprising, though, was that the man who spent his entire career talking about himself -- T.O. loves him some T.O. -- didn't talk about himself. Instead, a humble Owens spent nearly his entire speech thanking everyone who helped him through life, including his mom, his grandma, his high school coaches, his college coaches and his NFL coaches. Owens also gave a shout out to Jerry Rice, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan for inspiring him. 

Oh and T.O. also mentioned the seven other Hall of Fame inductees by name.

"I want to say congratulations to you guys,'' Owens said. "I've already reached out to you guys individually, and I expressed, and I will express it again, my utmost respect for each of you and for what we have accomplished."

One group he didn't thank, though, was the Hall of Fame selection committee that snubbed him twice before inducting him in his third-year of eligibility. During his speech, Owens didn't waste any time talking about the snub. As a matter of fact, within the first four minutes, T.O. said he was ready to talk about the "Elephant in the room."

"Many of you are probably wondering why we're here, instead of Canton," Owens said. "I'd like to set the record straight. It's about the mere fact that the sportswriters are not in alignment with the mission core values of the Hall of Fame. These writers disregarded the system, the criteria and by-laws [of selection] and ultimately, the true meaning of the Hall of Fame and what it represents. I wanted to take a stand so the next guy coming after me will not have to go through what I, and others, have gone through."

In a press conference after his induction, Owens said that going to Canton would have just been uncomfortable for him, "I'm not going to do a dog-and-pony show and smile at the people's faces and be fake," Owens said. 

It's almost ironic that he used the word fake, because that's the one word that no one would ever use to describe his speech. From beginning to end, the crowd was hanging on every word that came out of T.O.'s mouth during a mostly heartfelt speech. Several fans even shouted words of encouragement on the multiple occasions where Owens was so overcome by emotion that he couldn't speak. 

Owens teared up multiple times during his speech and got extremely emotional while talking about his mom, Marilyn Owens Heard, and his late grandma. T.O.'s mom was actually the one who gave him his gold jacket following his speech. 

Although Owens probably would have heard some boos if he had given his speech in Canton, the people of Chattanooga proved to be the perfect audience for Owens, who went to college at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga from 1992 to 1995. Owens got a loud ovation when he entered the arena and seemed completely comfortable in his surroundings. 

Near the end of his speech, Owens got the crowd involved. The six-time Pro Bowler said his induction was for everyone who's ever been bullied, misunderstood or overlooked. 

By the time that part of the speech ended, nearly everyone in attendance was on their feet as you can see below. From there, everyone basically decided to stand for the rest of T.O.'s speech, which came to an end a few minutes later. 

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Terrell Owens had nearly everyone in McKenzie Arena standing by the end of his Hall of Fame speech.  CBSSports.com/John Breech

Owens might have thrown tradition out the window when he became the first living Hall of Famer not to attend an induction ceremony in Canton, but the flip side of that is that he gave 3,000 fans a memory that will last a lifetime. 

For more highlights from the ceremony, relive the action below

Terrell Owens updates