Here are selected excerpts from Harold Carmichael's Hall of Fame induction speech:
"I'd like to say congratulations to the class, MY CLASS, my Centennial Class of 2020 and it's great to be inducted with the Class of 2021. I am so, so happy to be here. I was with the older guys, the old heads, yesterday. What you said was awesome. I am so honored, so honored to be a part of this brotherhood, this fraternity, with love. Thank you very much.
"What a journey! I wasn't on this journey by myself. God put a lot of people on that highway with me."
"I was a walk-on at Southern University. The only person that knew me on the campus at that time was the head coach (Robert Smith) and at the end of my freshman year, I was voted Freshman of the Year. I was very, very blessed. Now one of the guys that got me ready for the NFL was (fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer) Mel Blount. He pushed me every day in practice."
"Another person who somebody is very dear to me is Coach Dick Vermeil. Coach, I hope you're in that next class of inductees. Thank you, coach. You've been awesome. You deserve it. You got a lot of guys here that you coached; we're all pulling for you right now."
"I remember Coach Vermeil saying, 'Do your job better than anybody else. Surround yourself with good people, and I think I've done that all through my career in the National Football League. Thank you to my guys that played with me for 14 years in the NFL. They helped me not only on the football field, but also in the community, people like Harold Jackson, Ron Jaworski, and Mike Quick."
"A special thanks to Jeffrey Lurie and the Philadelphia Eagles organization for all of your support. After playing there for 13 years, leaving about 12 years, you gave me an opportunity to be around the Philadelphia Eagles football team."
"To my beautiful wife, Bea, for over 42 years we've been together. She loves her family. She's given me all the support over the years. One of the things she'd do every time we'd come back from a game, she would critique my play. 'You did this. You did that.' OK, I'm going to hear enough from Coach Vermeil tomorrow (laughs)."
"Last, but not least, Eagles Nation. Thank you. Thank you for welcoming a 22-year-old kid from Jacksonville, Florida, and really accepting me as being one of yours. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your relentless passion, your energy, your pride. To me, you're the best fans in the world. To the ones here in Canton, the ones back in Philadelphia, and the ones around the world, thank you for sharing this moment with me. We all share this together. Go Birds!"
