CANTON, Ohio -- As a six-time finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Alan Faneca spent a lot of weekends at Super Bowls waiting for a knock on the door from Hall president David Baker.
Obviously, he spent that time thinking about the game and his place in the world.
Inducted Sunday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Faneca said he appreciated everything that 13 years of playing in the NFL -- including 10 for the Steelers -- gave to him. But he also was thankful for the opportunities it provided for him to grow off the field.
"There are choices, decisions and sacrifices that each of us that play this great game must make every day," Faneca said. "The choices we make outside of football are even greater, because they aren’t simply game choices, they’re life choices. The sacrifices and discipline to choose to be the best fathers, husbands and respected leaders are greater than any decisions we had to make in football. These values are foundational. I know I would not have had this amazing life if God did not give me the opportunity to choose football."
It was something that was in question, according to Faneca, when he was 15 years old. That was the year he first started to have NFL aspirations when he was told by his high school coach, Don Carter, who was in the audience, that he would "be playing on Sundays."
"This was the beginning of his pep talk to the guys to do better because he always saw that I was working hard to be better," Faneca said. "When I heard this, my eyes got big, and I couldn’t tell you the rest of what he said. That’s when my dream to play in the NFL began. Thank you, Coach."
But it also was the year when Faneca was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Faneca, however, never let his affliction hold him back, going on to become an All-America guard at LSU, a first-round draft pick of the Steelers in 1998, a nine-time Pro Bowl player and six-time, first-team All-Pro.
And now a Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
"I instinctively knew that I was not going to let anything keep me from fulfilling this dream," Faneca said of his diagnosis. "I knew as long as listened to my doctors and followed their guidance, along with my support system, I would be fine. I always told myself and spoke it as a fact that epilepsy is part of me, but it does not define me. We are in charge of our destiny.
"I never want any health problems to define us. We must define ourselves. Whatever one’s challenge in life, whether we have a disability or not, my message is always to maintain an integral commitment. Do not let anything stop us from fulfilling our vision. Be resilient. We all get knocked down in life. But it’s how we get back up that matters."
Faneca and the Steelers were knocked down in his career, twice in the AFC Championship in 2001 and again in 2004. But in 2005, they broke through and won the fifth of the franchise's six Super Bowl championships. And it was Faneca's key block on a 75-yard touchdown run by Willie Parker -- still a Super Bowl record for longest run -- that propelled the team to its 21-10 win.
"If you go back and look at it, you have Alan Faneca pulling around, getting his guy, and I think that is a symbol of what the Pittsburgh Steelers are," said Hines Ward, Faneca's presenter and former teammate. "We’re really not flashy players or anything. We just go about our business and do the little things right."
In 206 career games, 201 of them starts, Faneca was penalized for holding just four times. He paved the way for nine running backs to have 1,000-yard seasons.
And he was a magnet in the locker room, a player others looked to for strength.
"I want to thank the late Ambassador (Dan) Rooney and Art Rooney (II) for cultivating a culture when teammates become true brothers, and your benchmarks for success are relentlessly high," Faneca said of his time with the Steelers. "We inspired cities. And Steelers Nation, you inspire us."
As they did for Saturday night's inductions, when Donnie Shell, Troy Polamalu and former head coach Bill Cowher were inducted, a number of former Steelers were on hand for the Faneca's induction.
And Faneca didn't forget about them. It took six years, but it was worth the wait as Faneca capped off a weekend in which five men associated with the team -- former scout Bill Nunn was honored posthumously -- went into the Hall of Fame.
"As I stand up here this evening, I do not stand alone," said Faneca, his wife, Julie, and their three children standing in front of that group. "Without my teammates, all of you, I would not be here today. We laughed. We cried. We celebrated. We leaned on each other. We genuinely cared for each other. And through football, we grew as men. Brothers, I love you guys. You are all standing with me tonight."