Joe Klecko dreams of Aaron Donald money, wins bet with ex-Cleveland Brown, in HOF speech
CANTON − Joe Klecko went in the Pro Football Hall of Fame sounding ready to bite off the microphone.
"I always thought if you lost one battle, you didn't belong on the field," the leader of the 1980s New York Sack Exchange said. "Then, if you did get beat, what were you going to do to make sure it never happened again."
Klecko had his career year too soon. He had 20.5 the year sacks became an official stat. He was near the end in 1986 when the Jets lost a famous playoff game at Cleveland.
He got to Canton late, accepting his Hall of Fame spot 30 years after he became eligible.
"I wish I could play today," Klecko said. "Not so much for the competition, but for the money."
He was the highest-paid defensive lineman in the NFL in 1986.
"Today, the highest-paid is Aaron Donald," he said. "Aaron Donald makes $31.7 million. I made the point-7 … I made $700,000."
Klecko drove a truck after not getting a college offer coming out of high school in Chester, Pennsylvania.
His girlfriend drove him to a tryout with a Philadelphia-area semipro team, the Aston Knights.
"When we got to the practice I got cold feet," Klecko recalled.
He wanted to go home.
"My girlfriend, now my wife, Debbie, threw the keys out the window. I tried out and made the team. If not for that, if not for her, I wouldn't be standing here."
Jets teammate Marty Lyons presented Klecko, walking to the unveiling of Joe's bust on stage before the speech.
"Joe had the strongest fingers I ever saw," Lyons said. "If he got his hands on you, you were done."
Ex-Brown Joe DeLammielleure and ex-Raider Howie Long, Hall of Famers, saw during the week that Klecko is "one of those" tough guys. Too tough to succumb to emotions on stage.
"Joe and Howie bet me $100 I would cry," Klecko said. "I took the bet."
The closest he came to breaking down was when he mentioned Jim Sweeney, a Jets teammate who died recently, and when he looked from the podium to his wife, children and grandchildren.
Was he choked up or just pausing? It was unclear. His love of Jets Nation was obvious as he closed.
"Fireman Ed," he said, searching for a green-clad fan.
Fireman Ed stood and led the cheer. "J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets."
With that, Klecko walked off looking very pleased.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Joe Klecko Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech
