FOXBORO – Even as a 325-pound nose tackle, there wasn’t much Vince Wilfork couldn’t do on a football field.
He could eat up space in the middle of the line, handle double teams as a two-gap lineman, tackle ball carriers, sack quarterbacks and intercept passes.
He could also catch punts and kick field goals, if challenged.
It’s all true. Big Vince had three career interceptions — looking very much like a cornerback making those plays — and caught punts, sometimes one-handed with two other balls stuffed in the other hand, during practices. He also engaged in a field goal kicking contest with U.S. women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd when he was a member of the Houston Texans.
There were few, if any, like him. He was the rarest of athletes for a man his size.
And Saturday, he was officially inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame as its 32nd member in a ceremony on the plaza outside of the team’s Hall of Fame.
Fans came out in droves, as Enel Plaza was packed with hundreds of people who were not only in the immediate audience, but also lined the stairs and balconies behind and above the plaza.
All of them took in the ceremony along with Wilfork’s emotional acceptance speech.
A legion of former Patriot players, current players (Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater), current Patriots coaches (Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia, Jerod Mayo), as well as existing Patriots Hall of Famers (Andrew Tippett, Troy Brown) were also on hand for the man owner Robert Kraft said was “Simply In-Vincible!”
Wilfork didn’t use a script. He didn’t prepare a speech. For roughly 15 minutes, Big Vince just winged it, speaking from the heart. It was a Hall speech like no other.
“To understand who I am, you have to understand my journey,” he began.
And what a journey it was, from starting out as a basketball player, before moving onto football and starting as a freshman in high school as a defensive end.
But the common thread for Wilfork throughout his life has been one of survival.
Wilfork choked back tears, and had to stop several times, recalling a difficult childhood where he cared for his family as a youngster, and how hard he’s worked to get to where he is.
“I had to learn how to survive at a very young age,” he said. “No one ever gave me anything, nothing. Everything I got, I worked for … I’d grind, and put the time in.”
Wilfork’s father was very ill, suffering from diabetes, He said he used to roll his dad in a wheelchair to watch practices as a youth. His mother was out of work, so times were tough.
As the story goes, Wilfork lost both parents when he was in college, before he was drafted by the Patriots in 2004 with the 21st pick.
But the ache from missing his parents never left. Wilfork said he was comforted, however, by all the love and support from his Patriots teammates, and especially the fans.
“I played 13 years in the league, so for 13 years, I had to battle that. For 13 years, I put a smile on when I was really hurting,” he said. “For 13 years, I played hurt, with a heavy heart. I played with a broken heart.
“So when you look at the person I am, what I’ve accomplished, you guys are not fans to me,” he said, gesturing out to the crowd, “you are my family.”
“We love you Vince,” one fan shouted, as Wilfork wiped away tears.
During his speech, Wilfork also lauded his teammates, Belichick and Kraft, as well as members of the Patriots staff.
He said his teammates made his life a lot easier.
“I’ll forever be grateful for that,” he said.
The Patriots were also grateful for gaining an exceptional player, athlete and person.
Wilfork played 11 of his 13 seasons in New England. He was part of two championship teams (2004, 2015) that bookended his career with the Patriots.
“Vince didn’t just tackle enemy ball carriers. He steamrolled them. And as much as we enjoyed watching him punish an opposing quarterback, there was nothing for me that was more entertaining than watching opponents try to tackle Vince when he returned an interception or a fumble,” said Kraft. “He left a lasting impression, typically in the chest of his opponents.”
On a video montage, Matt Patricia, Wilfork’s former defensive coordinator, offered this: “He may not show up in the stats, but the reason anybody had any stats was because he was out there. What an amazing player.”
Then came Belichick to close out the proceedings.
“When they do the captains of the Patriots Hall of Fame, Vince will be one of those,” said Belichick. “I’m talking about Hall of Fame leader, as well as player, person and everything else.
“His devotion to the team is really legendary.”
Following the ceremony, Wilfork said he was stunned by the crowd turnout.
“It was unbelievable. I never thought I’d have a ton of people out to see me have this day,” he said. “But it’s like it was a game … it gave me butterflies.
“You don’t realize how much you do for people, you don’t realize what you mean to people. These fans, as much as they love me, as I said, they are my family,” he went on. “I love them back because they always embraced me, even when I left for the two years, and I came back and played here, it was like I was still playing at home. These fans … they’ll always be my family.”
Kraft said it would be nice if Big Vince eventually earned a gold jacket in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but after getting the red jacket, and hearing what Belichick said about him, Wilfork said he doesn’t need any more.
“When you talk about the best coach that ever coached … to put me in the category he put me in, I have nothing to say. I’m good if I get no more accolades ever in football,” he said. “I’m good with that. At the end of the day, no matter what happens going forward, from here on out, what Bill said today, I will always hold onto that … I’m good.”
