Pro Football Hall of Fame Art Collection Class of 1964 Limited Edition

Erstwhile Bears star Devin Hester on Thursday was selected as one of 15 mod-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Grade of 2022.

"I'm just honored and blessed to go far to this round," Hester said on an NFL Network bear witness announcing the finalists. "I thank God for everything that He's done in my life, and simply hopefully we can get this done."

Hester played 8 of his xi NFL seasons with the Bears. The near prolific return specialist in league history, he holds NFL records with nineteen kick-return touchdowns, 14 punt-return TDs and 20 return touchdowns, which includes punts, kickoffs, missed field goals, fumbles and interceptions.

Selected by the Bears in the second circular of the 2006 typhoon out of Miami, Hester was voted to 3 Pro Bowls, won 13 special teams player of the week awards and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s.

The Florida native joined the Bears after returning 6 kicks for touchdowns—four punts and two kickoffs—in three seasons at the University of Miami.

Hester said Thursday on NFL Network that when he entered the league, he had heard talk that it would exist "pretty much impossible to practise the things that I did in college in the NFL." It didn't take him long to disprove that theory, returning a punt 84 yards for a touchdown in his first pro game, helping the Bears beat the Packers 26-0 in the 2006 season opener in Green Bay.

"Once I got to the league, in my first game I took a punt dorsum to the business firm," Hester said. "I was like, 'Wow, I can contribute and carry on from college to the NFL and make a big touch on on the return game.'"

1 / 10

(10) Devin Hester

Sept. x, 2006

Hester provided a glimpse of things to come when he returned a punt 84 yards for his beginning NFL touchdown to cap a 26-0 rout of the Packers in the 2006 flavour opener in Green Bay.

2 / 10

(9) Alshon Jeffery

Sept. 9, 2012

In the 2012 flavor opener at Soldier Field, Jeffery defenseless three passes for 80 yards, including a 42-grand touchdown from Jay Cutler, in a 41-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

(8) Zack Bowman Oct. 19, 2008 Bowman, a rookie cornerback, recovered a muffed punt in the end zone for a touchdown, sustained a biceps injury that would require season-ending surgery, but returned to the game after getting hurt and registered an interception to preserve a 48-41 win over the Vikings at Soldier Field.

three / 10

(eight) Zack Bowman

Oct. 19, 2008

Bowman, a rookie cornerback, recovered a muffed punt in the end zone for a touchdown, sustained a biceps injury that would require season-ending surgery, but returned to the game after getting injure and registered an interception to preserve a 48-41 win over the Vikings at Soldier Field.

four / 10

(7) Brandon Marshall

Sept. 9, 2012

In the 2012 flavour opener at Soldier Field, Marshall caught nine passes for 119 yards, including a 3-one thousand touchdown from Jay Cutler, in a 41-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

5 / 10

(6) Matt Forte

Sept. 7, 2008

In the 2008 flavour opener in the inaugural game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Forte rushed for 123 yards on 23 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown, in a 29-13 Sunday night win over the Colts.

6 / ten

(5) Harlon Hill

Sept. 26, 1954

In the 1954 season opener, Colina defenseless four passes for 140 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown, to lead the Bears to a 48-23 win over the Lions at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

7 / 10

(4) Tarik Cohen

Sept. ten, 2017

Cohen generated 158 all-purpose yards in the 2017 flavour opener, rushing for 66 yards on five carries with a long of 46 yards, communicable eight passes for 47 yards including a 19-g touchdown, and returning a punt 17 yards in a 23-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

8 / 10

(3) Nick Foles

Sept. 27, 2020

Foles replaced an ineffective Mitchell Trubisky in the second half last Sunday in Atlanta and threw three touchdown passes to plough a 26-10 deficit into an improbable thirty-26 win over the Falcons.

9 / x

(2) George McAfee

Sept. 22, 1940

In the 1940 season opener at City Stadium in Dark-green Bay, McAfee accounted for three touchdowns via a 93-chiliad kickoff render, 8-grand pass to Ken Kavanaugh and ix-m run in a 41-10 win over the Packers.

(1) Khalil Mack Sept. 9, 2018 Mack made NFL history in his first half of action with the Bears. In the 2018 season opener in Green Bay, he became the first player in league history to record a sack, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown in one half.

ten / 10

(ane) Khalil Mack

Sept. nine, 2018

Mack made NFL history in his first half of activity with the Bears. In the 2018 flavour opener in Dark-green Bay, he became the commencement histrion in league history to tape a sack, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown in one half.

Hester set an NFL unmarried-season record with five boot return touchdowns equally a rookie in 2006 and then eclipsed the marking with six TDs in 2007.

In add-on to his punt-return TD confronting the Packers, as a rookie, Hester lifted the Bears to a stunning 24-23 improvement victory over the Cardinals with a late 83-yard punt render TD; and fix a single-game franchise tape with 225 beginning render yards in a win over the Rams, including TDs of 94 and 96 yards.

Hester so capped his remarkable rookie season by condign the first player in NFL history to render the opening get-go of a Super Bowl for a touchdown, dashing 92 yards in an eventual 29-17 loss to the Colts.

In 2007, Hester returned 4 punts and 2 kickoffs for touchdowns. In a 37-34 overtime win over the Broncos, he scored TDs on a 75-yard punt return and 88-grand kickoff return.

Hester returned three punts for scores in 2010, two punts and i commencement for TDs in 2011 and one punt for a touchdown in 2013. He remains the Bears' all-time leader in punt render yards (3,241), kickoff return yards (5,504), total kick return yards (eight,745), punt returns (264) and beginning returns (222).

Hester told NFL Network that the most influential coach he had in the league was Dave Toub, who served as Bears special teams coordinator during Hester'due south first seven NFL seasons from 2006-12.

"This guy had more than faith in me than I had in myself," Hester said. "He really made me feel similar I was unstoppable, I was untouchable, that I was more of a Superman. When I realized and understood what he was getting to and what my ability was to play in the league and I was capable of doing, then that's when information technology clicked. He really, really instilled into me that I could change the game every bit a returner."

Hester is amid 3 finalists in their first year of eligibility; the other 2 are receiver Andre Johnson and linebacker/defensive end DeMarcus Ware. The remaining 12 finalists are defensive end Jared Allen; tackles Willie Anderson and Tony Boselli; cornerback/prophylactic Ronde Barber; safety LeRoy Butler; receivers Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne; linebackers Sam Mills, Zach Thomas and Patrick Willis; and defensive linemen Richard Seymour and Bryant Young.

The finalists were adamant by a vote of the Hall of Fame's Option Committee from a list of 123 nominees named in September that was trimmed to 26 semifinalists Nov. 24.

The Pick Commission will reduce the listing to 10 and so to five. Each of the remaining five will be voted on, with an 80 percent "aye" vote required for enshrinement. In addition to the mod-era finalists will be senior finalist Cliff Branch, correspondent finalist Art McNally and coach finalist Dick Vermeil.

The Hall of Fame'south Class of 2022 volition be revealed during a live airing of NFL Honors at 8 p.g. (CT) Th, February. ten, three days before the Super Basin.

The Bears take 30 individuals inducted in the Hall of Fame, the nearly of any NFL squad.