CANTON, OHIO — Idaho football legend Jerry Kramer’s road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame was paved with denials.
On the ballot 10 times and 10 times, he fell short.
The last one was 15 years ago, and he gave up hope of ever being admitted into the game’s most prestigious shrine.
His daughter Alicia refused to give up.
She came to him with an idea involving social media and, along with former Boise political and advertising consultant Randy Simon they would solicit letters from Hall of Famers to lobby for him.
They had a plan, but Jerry Kramer wasn’t buying it and said “no”.
The dream was over saying he was content to live with the “gifts that the game has given me.”
"I ignored him,” said Alicia. “He didn’t know that we could flood the social media world with the fuel that would start the fire not only around the United States but around the world!”
“We received letters on his behalf from the biggest names in the game including Roger Staubach, Joe Namath and dozens more!" said Alicia. “He had no idea what the reach of social media combined with the letters from the greats would have!”
When the knock on his hotel door happened on Super Bowl weekend in Minneapolis from the President of the Hall of Fame to welcome him into the most elite fraternity in the game, Jerry got it.
The merits of what he accomplished in his career that included 5 NFL titles, 2 Super Bowls, being named to the NFL’s Best of the First 50 Years team were finally recognized.
Because of her persistence and refusal to stop the campaign, Jerry asked Alicia to do his introduction on enshrinement night in front of tens of thousands here and millions watching around the globe.