Saints Elect Tyrone Hughes And Michael Lewis To Hall Of Fame
Former New Orleans Saints Tyrone Hughes and Michael Lewis played on opposite sides of the ball.
Hughes, a defensive back, played for New Orleans from 1993-1996 after the Saints selected him in the 5th round out of Nebraska in the '93 draft.
Lewis, a wide receiver, is the true story of an underdog who beat the odds. A New Orleans native, Lewis attended Grace King High School, but never went to college. After bouncing around various Arena League and minor league football teams and driving a beer truck for a living, he eventually impressed the Saints during a tryout with his incredible speed, and the 5'8, 173 pounder was signed by his hometown team.
While one played defense and other other played offense, both players made their biggest impact in the other phase of the game, special teams.
Blessed with elite speed and athleticism, both players worked as punt and kick returners, making their marks as the best in the NFL.
Hughes currently holds the NFL record for most kick return yards in a game (304), and total return yards in a game (347). He was a Pro Bowler and second-team AP All-Pro in his rookie seasons.
Lewis was a Pro Bowler and first-team AP All-Pro in 2002 as a return specialist. He averaged 24.3 yards per kickoff return during his time with the Saints, and scored 4 return touchdowns (3 kickoff, 1 punt). He is currently employed by the Saints as the team ambassador.
Lewis was a member of the 2000 Saints roster that won the first playoff game in franchise history. He was also a member of the 2006 team that went to the NFC Championship game (first in team history) and won the NFC South.
Hughes and Lewis a Saints Hall of Fame that is filled with former greats who played with the Black and Gold.
New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame
1988--Archie Manning (QB) and Danny Abramowicz (WR)
1989--Tommy Myers (S) and Tom Dempsey (K)
1990--Billy Kilmer (QB)
1991--Derland Moore (DT) and Tony Galbreath (RB)
1992--George Rogers (RB), Jake Kupp (G), and John Hill (C)
1993--Joe Federspiel (LB)
1994--Jim Finks (GM) and Henry Childs (TE)
1995--Bob Pollard (DE) and Doug Atkins (DE)
1996--Dave Whitsell (DB) and Dave Waymer (DB)
1997--Rickey Jackson (LB) and Stan Brock (T)
1998--Dalton Hilliard (RB) and Sam Mills (LB)
1999--Bobby Hebert (QB) and Eric Martin (WR)
2000--Vaughan Johnson (LB) and Pat Swilling (LB)
2001--Hoby Brenner (TE) and Jim Wilks (DE)
2002--Jim Mora (Coach) and Frank Warren (DE)
2003--Wayne Martin (DE) and Jim Dombrowski (G/T)
2004--Rueben Mayes (RB) and Steve Sidwell (Ast. Coach)
2005--No induction due to Hurricane Katrina as team was forced to play away from New Orleans for the entire season
2006--Joel Hilgenberg (C/G)
2007--Joe Johnson (DE)
2008-Willie Roaf (T)
2009-Morten Andersen (K)
2010-Joe Horn (WR)
2011-Sammy Knight (S)
2012-Tom Benson (Owner) and Deuce McAllister (RB)
2013-La'Roi Glover (DT)
2014-Aaron Brooks (QB) and John Carney (K)
2015 - Hughes and Lewis will officially be inducted this Fall