Alan Faneca chooses former Steelers teammate Hines Ward to present him for the Hall of Fame
Add another beloved Pittsburgh Steeler to this summer’s Hall of Fame ceremonies.
Alan Faneca chose longtime former Steelers teammate Hines Ward to serve as his presenter for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in August.
Before he became a six-time All Pro guard, Faneca and Ward were part of the same Steelers draft class in 1998. Faneca went in the first round and Ward the third. Ward became the Steelers’ career leader in receptions and receiving yards and is a five-time semifinalist in voting for induction to the Hall of Fame.
His first formal duty at the Canton, Ohio, shrine will be introducing Faneca, who finally earned induction this year in his sixth try as a finalist.
Faneca announced Ward as his choice in a Tuesday morning post to his verified Instagram account in which he shared his FaceTime call to Ward asking him to do the honors.
“I would love to do that,” Ward answers after expressing surprise and saying he might start crying.
“I always felt honored and awesome just to be around greatness, and then (Faneca’s wife) Julie and the whole family, it’s just awesome. It truly would be an honor to do that. That would be a blessing.”
In the video, Faneca describes Ward as a “great friend and teammate.” The two played together with the Steelers for 10 seasons and were part of the Super Bowl XL win.
“(M)y guy,” Faneca wrote. “(S)o proud to announce him as my HOF Presenter. He has had a huge impact on me as a friend and teammate.”
Faneca is one of five former Steelers players or contributors who will be inducted in August as part of what is a three-pronged class because the 2020 ceremony was postponed out of fears related to the coronavirus pandemic. Last year also featured a special one-time “Centennial Class” in recognition of the NFL’s 100th anniversary.
Joining Faneca in being inducted over the weekend of Aug. 5-8 are former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, former Steelers safeties Donnie Shell and Troy Polamalu and groundbreaking late scout Bill Nunn.
Ward retired in 2011 after 14 seasons, all with the Steelers. He recently was announced as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic.
Class of 2021 enshrinee @afan66 will have former @steelers teammate @mvp86hinesward serve as his presenter at the #PFHOF21 Enshrinement. pic.twitter.com/EVNM2C4bME
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) April 27, 2021
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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