Richard Dent shakes hands with Marshall Faulk before the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. (Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE, US PRESSWIRE)

Deion Sanders and Shannon Sharpe may have grabbed all the headlines from the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony on August 6, but Colts fans know who the real star of the show was.  For us, no one on that stage shined brighter during his career than Marshall Faulk, Indy’s first do-it-all running back who was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1994.

Faulk was the Colts’ biggest draw in the years between Eric Dickerson and Peyton Manning, and he shared the spotlight with Manning for one promising season, even though the team finished 3-13 in 1998.  Faulk was shipped to the St. Louis Rams in 1999, and I felt at the time that the Colts had made a definite mistake.  Although rookie Edgerrin James outgained Faulk on the ground that season, Faulk teamed with Kurt Warner to win the Super Bowl.   The Colts eventually got their ring after the 2006 season, but it was Joseph Addai, not James who manned the backfield that season.   Although we’ll never know if Faulk would have developed into the devastating talent that he eventually became if he had continued working with Manning, I still rank him above Edge in the Colts firmament.

Also going into the Hall on Saturday was Richard Dent, who terrorized opposing quarterbacks as a defensive end for the Colts.  OK, OK Dent  did almost all of his terrorizing while with the Chicago Bears, but he did spend 1996 with the Colts near the end of his career.  In a preview of things to come, Dent teamed with Faulk that year to give the Colts a future Hall of Famer on both sides of the ball.

Congratulations to two former Colts for making it all the way to Canton.   There should be a few more Blue and White jerseys joining you in the near future … hopefully not too near, though.

5. Dominic Rhodes, Undrafted Free Agent, 2001: While all of the players that will follow were actually drafted, Rhodes wasn’t thought to be a top 246 player in this draft.  When Edgerrin James tore his ACL in the sixth game of the season, Rhodes came in and proved every critic wrong.  Rhodes became the first UDFA to rush for over 1000 yards, gaining 1104 yards while scoring 9 touchdowns on the ground.  His rookie season is the greatest ever for an undrafted free agent running back, and he is back in Indy to try to repeat his dominant performance in his rookie year, which was not seen over the past six seasons.

4. Dwight Freeney, Round 1, Pick 11, 2002: Freeney was drafted because of his phenomenal pass rushing skills, and he definitely improved the Colts pass rush in his rookie year.  Freeney, although he only started 8 games, had 13 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, and 45 tackles.  His rookie year was arguably his best season, and he was ripped off on the Rookie of the Year award, which went to Julius Peppers.  Freeney has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career so far, and he is expected to come back from his injury stronger than ever.

3. Duane Bickett, Round 1, Pick 5, 1985: Before there was Patrick Willis, there was Duane Bickett.  Like Willis, Bickett did not take long adjusting to the pro game.  As the starting right outside linebacker in 1985, he had 141 tackles, a forced fumble, an interception, and 6 sacks.  Bickett took home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1985, and he kept on improving until his career in Indy ended.

2. Marshall Faulk, Round 1, Pick 2, 1994: Faulk won the Rookie of the Year in 1994, and looking at his stats, there is no question why.  Faulk had 1282 rushing yards, 12 total touchdowns, and 552 receiving yards.  Faulk was a main reason why the Colts were one controversial call away from making it to the Super Bowl in 1996.  Though he is remembered more for his career in Saint Louis, his rookie year established him as an NFL great and a future Hall of Famer.

1. Edgerrin James, Round 1, Pick 4, 1999: Did you expect anyone else?  Edgerrin’s rookie year may be the greatest debut in the history of offensive rookies.  Edgerrin led the league in rushing with 1553 yards.  He also had 17 total touchdowns and helped the Colts have the biggest turnaround in NFL history, going from 3-13 to 13-3 in only one season.  Edgerrin may have left for less green pastures in Arizona, but his early years with the Colts were strong enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, possibly on the first ballot.

Photo by Matthew J. Lee from the Boston Globe