By WFAN.com
Kevin Mawae, an eight-time Pro Bowl center who spent half his 16-year career with the Jets, is headed to Canton, Ohio.
Mawae is among eight people who were elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Mawae played for the Jets from 1998-2005. Six of his eight Pro Bowl selections and two of his three first-team All-Pro selections came while he was a member of Gang Green. The Jets went to the playoffs four times with Mawae anchoring their offensive line, including to the AFC championship game in 1998.
Mawae spent the first four seasons of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, the team that drafted him in the second round in 1994 out of LSU. He played his final four years with the Tennessee Titans.
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It was his third year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
"It surprised me so much that I literally jumped out of the chair and threw my phone across the room," Mawae said of receiving the call Saturday, according to WFAN's Brian Costello.
Mawae then looked at his wife, and they began to cry.
"There's no secret that with eight years in New York, I'm a New York Jet," he added. "I bleed green and white."
Two other former Jets -- safety Ed Reed and cornerback Ty Law -- were also elected to the Hall, but both made their marks with other teams -- Reed with the Ravens and Law with the Patriots.
Others who will be inducted in August are former Chiefs and Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, ex-Redskins and Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, former Chiefs safety Johnny Robinson, longtime Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt.
Mawae is the first player who played a substantial portion of his career with the Jets to be elected to the Hall of Fame since running back Curtis Martin in 2012.
Hall of Famers are chosen by a 48-member committee of media members.
Gonzalez, Reed and Bailey were voted in on their first try.
Gonzalez was a 14-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro who redefined the tight end position. He is the NFL's all-time leading receiver among tight ends with 1,325 catches and 15,127 yards -- his reception total trails only Jerry Rice among all players.
Reed, a nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, was the ball-hawking leader of the Ravens' always-tough defense. He ranks seventh all-time in interceptions with 64 and is the NFL's all-time leader in interception return yardage with 1,590 -- he returned seven for touchdowns. Reed, who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore in 2013, split his final season with the Jets and Houston Texans.
Bailey was a 12-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who had 52 career interceptions.
Law was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. He had 53 career interceptions, seven of which he returned for TDs. Law had two one-year stints with the Jets, the more memorable one coming in 2005 when he led the NFL with 10 interceptions.
Robinson spent his entire 11-year career (1960-71) with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs franchise. After making the switch from flanker to safety in his third season, Robinson recorded 57 career interceptions, was selected to seven Pro Bowls and named All-Pro six times. Robinson was a member of the Chiefs' Super Bowl IV championship team following the 1969 season.
Bowlen has owned the Broncos since 1984 and was the team's CEO for 30 years. Denver has won three Super Bowls under his leadership.
Brandt was the Cowboys' vice president of player personnel from 1960-88, which included two world championship seasons. Considered a pioneer of many scouting techniques, Brandt drafted future Hall of Famers Roger Staubach, Randy White and Tony Dorsett.
