2009 Inductee Willie Roaf elected to the Class of 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame 2009 inductee Willie Roaf was elected Saturday to the 2012 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He becomes the 16th Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member to earn enshrinement in the Canton, Ohio-based Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, Willie Davis, Fred Dean, Marshall Faulk, Jim Finks, Cal Hubbard, Rickey Jackson, Charlie Joiner, Jackie Smith, Jim Taylor, Y.A. Tittle and Steve Van Buren.

This is the third straight year, and the fourth time in five years, that a Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member has been elected. Fred Dean was chosen in 2008, and after a year without a Louisiana great, Rickey Jackson became the first Saints’ Pro Football Hall of Fame player in 2010 before New Orleans native Marshall Faulk was part of the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Roaf, an All-America offensive tackle at Louisiana Tech, was the first-round draft pick of the Saints in 1993, the eighth selection overall that year. It came after he started three seasons for the Bulldogs and became a finalist for the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best lineman. He went to 11 Pro Bowls in 13 NFL seasons, making seven appearances while he wore the No. 77 jersey of the Saints from 1993-2001.

Click Here to read the official New Orleans Saints release.