CANTON, Ohio — Will Sam Mills enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday as the Saints or the Panthers?
Neither.
Unlike baseball, the Pro Football Hall of Fame does not require its new members to announce their primary teams. At baseball games, the chosen team’s cap will be worn on his Hall of Fame plaque.
Canton uses bronze busts. Like others, the painting that Mills unveiled at Saturday’s sacrificial ceremony depicts his face but not his team.
Notably, if Mills had been selected in the early 1980s, his only team would have been the Cleveland Browns.
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Mills fell out of Montclair State (NJ) in 1981, but Browns coach Sam Rutliano hinted that 5-foot-9 linebacker Sam Jr. could be a player. Mills is sure he will join the team.
Rutigliano handed the final call to defensive coordinator Marty Schottenheimer, then told friends that he was afraid it would be a bad idea to cut him like the Browns did.
Older Sam was right. Mills starred on three Philadelphia/Baltimore star teams that won NFL championships, played nine years with the New Orleans Saints, and made such a huge impact with the Carolina Panthers in three years, So much so that they erected statues.
Mills’ long-standing method of overcoming it was “continuous pounding.” He used those words in a famous postseason speech to the Panthers as a Carolina coach dying from cancer.
He left the world in 2005 at the age of 45.
“He was a father, a friend, a husband and a leader who kept pounding no matter how difficult it was,” his widow Melanie said at the place where he was worshipped. “He treated everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve.” He made friends everywhere. He made friends during his cancer treatment. He never forgot that he was just a man. “
The family chose Jim Mora as the host of the Mills Hall of Fame. It was Mora who nervously gave Mills his NFL roster. Mora reluctantly gave Mills a roster in New Orleans after using three USFL titles to get into the Saints head coaching job.
“When he first played defense with the Saints, I had to admit he looked short,” Mora said. “When we started, he never looked small in front of me again.”
At 37, Mills was still struggling in 1996, when he helped lead Carolina, the expansion team the following year, to the NFC Finals.
From the altar, Melanie Mills and Mora both watched Sam’s portrait, and together they pulled a golden drapery from the bronze bust. “I was thrilled when Sam was inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Mora said.
