Alan Faneca knew for about two weeks that he would be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2021.
Keeping that knowledge a secret might have been more difficult than pancaking a 325-pound defensive lineman. Particularly since the former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro guard had missed the cut the previous five years.
Until the outcome was revealed on national television Saturday night, Faneca had to keep his election close to the vest.
“Keeping track of lies,” Faneca said, laughing, when asked Sunday about the wait. “What lies did I tell this person? The moment I tell someone something, I’m thinking, ‘If they are smart, maybe they can figure it out.’ It was a lot of tiptoeing.”
In his sixth year as a finalist, Faneca was among the five modern-era finalists chosen for induction in August in Canton, Ohio. He is part of a group that includes quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, safety John Lynch and cornerback Charles Woodson. They will be joined by Senior candidate Drew Pearson, Coach candidate Tom Flores and Contributor elector Bill Nunn, the late Steelers scouting and personnel guru.
The ceremony will take place Aug. 6-9 and will be held in conjunction with the class of 2020 induction, which was delayed because of the pandemic.
One person that Faneca tipped off was Steelers president Art Rooney II. He called Rooney on Friday night. Rooney said he was half asleep and hoped the phone call was more than just a dream.
“It was a nice moment and kind of cool to hear directly from him to give me that news,” Rooney said.
In normal conditions, the 15 modern-era finalists are flown to the site of the Super Bowl. On the eve of the game, the chosen few receive a knock on their hotel room door by Hall of Fame president David Baker.
This year, because of the pandemic, balloting was conducted in January via a remote conference call involving the 48-member voting committee. After the finalists were determined, Baker and a film crew headed to each elected player’s hometown with a surprise knock on the door.
— Alan Faneca (@afan66) February 7, 2021
Baker’s trip to Faneca’s home in Louisiana was coordinated with the help of Faneca’s wife, Julie.
“He’s a guy I was looking to hug for the last six years,” Baker said. “Now because of social distancing, all we can do is fist bump.”
Baker said some of Faneca’s family members drove five hours to be part of the moment, with some entering the house through the back while he was knocking on the front door. When Faneca looked out the window, he could see a boom microphone, which tipped him off that Baker was on his doorstep.
“Being surprised is definitely better than waiting in the hotel room, for sure,” Faneca said. “They got me. It was a great surprise.”
Not every one of Faneca’s family members was on hand, however, and he kept his selection under wraps until Saturday night. Like the other newly minted Hall of Famers, Faneca headed to Tampa for the announcement, and he will be introduced during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
“I’ve got family here in Tampa,” Faneca said. “Julie and I went to watch the show with them. I had not told them yet. I was going to tell them before it was announced and Julie said, ‘Let’s do it now.’ We popped some champagne and I was making a little toast and thanking them for having me and I said, ‘No matter what happens later on, it doesn’t matter because I’m already in.’”
Faneca said the room erupted in cheers.
“Everyone did a double take and then started jumping up and down,” he said. “It was great to share it with family and surprise them. It was a great night.”
NFL Network will televise a 30-minute show at 8 p.m. Feb. 11 that shows extensive footage of Baker arriving at each Hall of Famer’s house and knocking on the door.
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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