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Orlando Pace named to 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

The Pancake Man gets an overdue honor.

Al Bello/Getty Images

Following a 13 year prolific NFL career, all but in St. Louis with the Rams, former Heisman Trophy finalist (you read that right) and one of the greatest Ohio State Buckeyes ever, Orlando Pace has been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Though he should've been inducted last year, he'll now be memorialized two hours northeast of Columbus in Canton. The best tackle of his generation joins a loaded 2016 Hall of Fame class that includes Brett Favre, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Ken Stabler, Dick Stanfel, Eddie DeBartolo, and Tony Dungy.

Pace's pro football career started off with expectations, to say the least, after an incredible college career at OSU that included leading to the invention of the stat 'pancake'. After being selected first overall in the 1997 NFL Draft, Pace helped block the Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV title.

Pace would finish his career a perennial Pro Bowler and also helped the Rams reach another Super Bowl before finishing his career with the Chicago Bears.

The Sandusky product's outstanding career finally gets the bow on it it deserves. Congrats to the big man on his canonization into football immortality.