Revis Island and Klecko’s Kingdom are relocating this year – to Canton.
Ex-Jets Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko were two of the nine men named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 on Thursday night, a group that also contains a familiar name in Barber – as in Ronde Barber, twin brother of WFAN’s own Tiki Barber.
Ex-Cowboys Chuck Howley and DeMarcus Ware, former Dolphins great Zach Thomas, and longtime Bengals corner Ken Riley also join what is a defense-laden class, with only one offensive player – stalwart Browns left tackle Joe Thomas – and former Cards and Chargers head coach Don Coryell rounding out the group.
Revis was the No. 14 overall pick in 1997 and spent eight of his 11 NFL seasons with the Jets over two stints. He was a first-team All-Pro each year from 2009-11 and again in 2014 with New England, when he was part of the Pats team that won Super Bowl XLIX over Seattle.
The shutdown corner and owner of “Revis Island” was a seven-time Pro Bowler, including five with the Jets, and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for 2010. He was also inducted into the Jets’ Ring of Honor during the 2022 season, and then the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
"I was probably the most nervous of anybody on the field," Revis told ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “You look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself: 'It's either me or him.' I had to stand up to the challenge. I took that responsibility to take on that assignment and shut them down."
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Klecko was quite the opposite, a sixth-round pick in 1977 who blossomed into one of the best defensive linemen of all-time. He was a four-time Pro Bowler (at three different positions) and three-time All-Pro over 12 seasons, and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, when he recorded 20.5 sacks in the year before that category became an official stat.
He was part of the famed “New York Sack Exchange” with Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons, and Abdul Salaam, and has his No 73 retired by the Jets and is also in the team Ring of Honor.
Ronde Barber spent his entire career in Tampa Bay, playing from 1997-2012 and not missing a game over his final 15 years, setting the all-time record for a DB with 215 consecutive games played.
Selected 30 picks after his twin, Ronde became a five-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, and he led the league in interceptions in 2001. He was also part of the Bucs’ first Super Bowl Championship Team, helping the squad defeat the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII as part of a defense that now has four Hall of Famers.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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