The Green Bay Packers welcomed Jordy Nelson and Josh Sitton into their Hall of Fame last night (August 31).
Hundreds of their family members and friends, former coaches and teammates, and Packer fans came together for the event, including Mason Crosby, A.J. Hawk, Clay Matthews, David Bakhtiari, and more Packer players old and new.
According to WFRV, Josh Sitton’s coach at University of Central Florida was in attendance as well, who played a huge part in his development as a player. O’Leary said, “When you go to any Hall of Fame it’s a great honor and that’s the least I can do as his past head coach is to come here and honor him.”
He continued, “I’m just so proud of him, I wanted to make sure that he saw me here and wish him all the best. I’m very happy for him and his family.” O’Leary made the trip from Atlanta to attend the event. Many of Sitton’s college teammates made the trip out to celebrate him as well.
Sitton’s former offensive line coach, who he says had a huge impact on his life and career, is who Sitton chose as his presenter for the ceremony.
Per WFRV, he said, “When you’re a 21-year-old cocky idiot you really don’t think about that as much. You become a man, have children and grow, and when these things come up you start to think about the number of people who have touched your life.”
Sitton had many impressive career accomplishments, including being selected to play in the Pro Bowl four times, becoming a Super Bowl champion, receiving the award for offensive lineman of the year in 2010, and being selected second-team all-pro honoree three times.
Sitton and Nelson were both drafted by the Packers in 2008.
Nelson also had a strong list of accomplishments, including being selected to the Pro Bowl, becoming a Super Bowl champion, and being selected 2016 Comeback Player of the Year, which he received following his torn ACL injury.
Nelson shared his appreciation for the athletic training staff during his speech. He said, “This organization wouldn’t be the same without guys like you dealing with all of us.”
He continued, “As you come into a new place there’s lots of unknown. Lucky for us coming from rural Kansas, Green Bay couldn’t be a better fit. It felt like home immediately.”
According to WFRV, former coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers did pre-recorded video messages in which they congratulated Sitton and Nelson on their recognition.
