'Heart of a Hall of Famer': Tony Boselli discusses commitment, football brotherhood and more

"DUUUVAL!!!!" 

The rally cry heard 'round the world...well, at least in the Florida county bearing that name. Its January 2023 and the number of NFL teams left in the playoffs is dwindling, but there are few with the fanbase like the one in Jacksonville. The Jaguars made it to the postseason with a new head coach, a young quarterback and by embodying the spirit of their fans in Duval County.

A recent installment in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s “Heart of a Hall of Famer” series took place in Duval County, more specifically Baldwin Middle-Senior High School, with the only Hall of Famer who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars — TONY BOSELLI.

Boselli was taken with the second pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the expansion Jaguars. The University of Southern California product quickly became the face of the franchise. A superb pass protector with quick feet, long arms and fine balance, Boselli sat out his rookie training camp with a knee injury and did not see action until Week 4 of the 1995 season. The 6-7, 324-pound tackle started each of the remaining 12 games that season and allowed only one sack to earn All-Rookie honors.

He was the leader of a Jaguars team that reached the AFC Championship Game in the franchise's second season. Boselli was tabbed as the team's Most Valuable Player in 1998 after helping the Jaguars win their first division title. Voted to five consecutive Pro Bowls (1997-2001), Boselli was named First-Team All-Pro three consecutive seasons (1997-99). He was selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s despite only playing half of the decade.

Boselli spoke about how values like respect and commitment made him the player – and man – he is today. These values played a major role in his life dating all the way back to high school, where it was his goal only to play on the varsity team. Boselli also talked about how important the game of football is to those who play and the brotherhood that is built in the locker-room, which is something from the game he still misses. When asked about the Jags playoff game against the Chiefs, Boselli’s response was a simple “We're gonna win.” 

Check out the full episode here or watch below.



There will be more installments in the “Heart of a Hall of Famer” series connected by Extreme Networks in the coming weeks, so make sure you check out the schedule here.