Behind the Bronze: Randall McDaniel

Two-hundred-sixty bronze busts reside in the Hall of Fame Gallery inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. They "immortalize" the greatest players, coaches, and contributors that this game has produced.

Randall McDaniel

Guard Randall McDaniel earned 12 Pro Bowl invitations and was named All-NFL nine straight seasons during his career with the Minnesota Vikings (1988-1999) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000-01). He started 202 straight regular season games and 13 consecutive playoff games. Randall's HOF Bio>>>

Behind the Bronze Series:

Jack Ham>>> Joe DeLamielleure>>> Charlie Sanders>>> Dave Wilcox>>>

Hobbies: I play golf. I'm not the best golfer out there but I love doing it. I play racquetball and a little bit of basketball when the knees allow it.

Last Book You Read: John Grisham, his last novel that came out. I've read all of his books.

Favorite Movie: Can't say I have a favorite movie. Anything with Clint Eastwood – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly; Dirty Harry; Sudden Impact; Magnum Force. I love all Clint Eastwood movies.

Favorite Music: R&B, the old Motown stuff is great.

Favorite Food: Fried chicken.

Favorite Current NFL Player: I'm going to stick with the line. I like Steve Hutchinson and Adrian Peterson but if I have to pick just one, let's go with the line that makes it happen. Steve Hutchinson.

Favorite Athlete in Another Sport: Albert Pujols for the Cardinals.

Favorite NFL Team as a Child: As a kid it was the Oakland Raiders. It's the Vikings now.

First Job: Working for the City of Avondale doing asphalt for the roads in 115 degree temperature in the summer.

Favorite NFL Stadium During Your Career (other than your own): It's a college stadium too. When the Cardinals played in my old stadium, ASU, it was a NFL stadium for brief moment. But, let's go with Tampa Bay, they have one of the best stadiums I've played in.

One Person Who Influenced You Most: I can't say one, I've got to say two – my mom and dad.

Did you have any pre-game rituals/superstitions? My pre-game ritual, and parents out there I'm sorry about this! But, this is me and I'm an adult and that's what I did. I ate tons and tons of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups from 4 in the morning until 7 when I left the hotel. And, I drank coffee along with it. I'm talking like two cases of Peanut Butter Cups, they came 24 in a box. And that was my ritual for every game.

Was there a reason for choosing No. 64? That's a fun story. I was No. 62 in college. I was going to keep 62 when I went to the pros but unfortunately someone had that number and he said he'd give me my number for $10,000. I asked what's the closest number to 62, and 64 was available and there it goes.

Toughest Player you ever faced? Practice or game?

We'll let you choose. Then, I will say John Randle. That's who I dealt with every day in practice and he made games so much easier for me because it seemed like slow motion after dealing with him every day.

Watch: Randall McDaniel remembers his first game.

What about toughest opponent? Jerome Brown of the Eagles. He was the first big man interior lineman to come inside with size, and I mean 300-pound size but quickness and strength. He gave me fits but I would never tell him that when we played.

Most Influential Coach: John Michels was my line coach when I first came into the league. He taught me everything I know about line play. He taught me how to read defenses. He taught me how to be prepared for what that defense could move to when they changed. I still remember everything he taught me. He still chews me out today when I call him before we start talking!

How would you spend time during the offseason? We would drive back to Arizona. I would take care of things for my family and friends. It was a way to go back home and get out of the cold for a while.

What makes you most proud about your Hall of Fame career: I'm proud of the way I did it. I went out there and busted my butt and did things the right way as they say. I didn't draw attention to myself; I just played the game like I was supposed to play it.

When did you realize you had a Hall of Fame career? Not until I got the official call. I'm one of those guys who believe there are no guarantees in life. I was fortunate enough to play 14 years in the NFL, I made the Pro Bowls which was great. But, if I didn't get into the Hall, it wasn't going to ruin my life. Football was just part of my life, that's not my whole life. But, if I got in it's just icing on the cake.

How did you learn of your Hall of Fame election? I did my normal routine on that Saturday. I went out and hit golf balls in the bubble, because it was the middle of winter. I went down to the barber shop and got my hair cut and then hung out with the guys and caught up on what they did that weekend. My wife said, 'you have to come home to see the announcement in case.' So, I walked in 10 minutes before the show came on. I turned the TV on, he (Hall of Fame President Steve Perry) walked to the podium, I walked downstairs and sat on the steps, I didn't want to know. I heard my wife screaming upstairs and I went, 'that sounds pretty good.' I ran up and met her halfway and the emotions were going, crying a little bit. We cleaned up the tears and then the phone rang and that made it official.

Was it easy to pick a presenter? That was pretty easy. I was going to go with John Michels. But something came up that he couldn't do it. And, I knew if John couldn't do it then O.K. Fulton, my high school principal and athletic director, would. He was the first person who came up to me and said he wanted to get to know the young man Randall McDaniel, not the athlete. And he stayed on me until I graduated. He always checked on me in college and he kept track of me in the pros. So, it was a simple choice.

If you could do your Enshrinement Speech over today, what would you change? You know what, I wouldn't say anything over differently because I don't ever want to do it again. That was the most nerve-racking moment in my life. I hate public speaking. All I remember of my whole speech from that day was 'Wow' and 'thank you.' The stuff in the middle, I had to watch afterwards to make sure I said everything I wanted to say. There's nothing I would change in that speech; I think I mentioned all the people who had something to do with me getting there. I wouldn't change a word.

Your greatest accomplishment outside of football: Other than marrying my wife, I'd have to say getting my degree from Arizona State. I was the first one in the family to go to college, the first one to get a degree.