Warren Sapp Braided Bust: First NFL Hall of Fame Trophy With Braids (VIDEO)
New Football Hall of Fame inductee Warren Sapp was honored with the first ever braided bust on Saturday night.
While he may have spent most of his career bald, Sapp requested that his Hall of Fame trophy resemble braided hair that the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer tackle once sported. His request was granted thanks to sculptor Blair Buswell. Sapp accepted his Bronzed sculpture on Saturday with an impassioned speech.
"I never played this game to get into the Hall of Fame," Sapp told the audience. "I played this game to retire my mother. I love this game, I love the passion of it, and I sit here with the greatest, among the great."
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Sapp was born to a single mother in Apopka, Fla. In his speech, he recalled his rags-to-riches story. It was his mother who kept him humble and told him to "never forget where you came from." He said he felt humbled while accepting his award.
"This game is so great, there's nothing else I know and love that's taken me from a dirt road to heights I've never seen -- and a golf jacket," Sapp said.
Sapp was one of seven who was inducted Saturday night into the football hall of fame. Joining him was Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson, Larry Allen, Bill Parcells, Curley Culp and former NFL coach Bill Parcells. Also speaking fondly of the sport, Parcells relayed that the entire NFL organization was like a family.
"There's a kinship created that lasts for the rest of your life," Parcells said as he accepted his Hall of Fame award. Parcells led the New York Giants twice and the New England Patriots once to the Super Bowl before coaching the New York Jets and eventually, the Dallas Cowboys.
"Every organization I worked for supported me to the fullest," Parcells said. "Without that, you've got no shot."
