Dwight Freeney Selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

The former Syracuse Orange and Indianapolis Colts star defensive end is a Hall of Famer.

Mike McAllister | Feb 8, 2024

Dwight Freeney Selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame /

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Former Syracuse star Dwight Freeney has been selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for its 2024 class, it was announced during NFL Honors Thursday night. Freeney is joined by Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar and Steve McMichael in the seven member class.

Freeney starred at Syracuse in college, setting numerous records and becoming one of the best pass rushers in the country. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the NFL Draft and for them from 2002 to 2012. Freeney racked up 125.5 sacks during his career, good for 26th all time. He was a three time First Team All-Pro, seven time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl Champion. Freeney had double digit sacks in seven seasons and had at least four forced fumbles in eight seasons.

More from NFL.com on Freeney:

One of the league's most fearsome pass rushers, whose speed off the edge paired beautifully with the fast turf in Indianapolis, Freeney is headed to Canton in his second year of eligibility. While the Colts of the 2000s were known for their high-powered offense led by Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Freeney keyed a defense that equally was a problem for the rest of the AFC. Freeney burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2002 with 13 sacks and a league-leading 20 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles. That season would mark his first of four straight double-digit sack seasons to begin his career -- including an NFL-best 16 in 2004. Freeney employed a devastating spin move that befuddled opposing offensive linemen and helped him tally seven Pro Bowls and three All-Pro selections.

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Published Feb 8, 2024

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.