Stokley ‘speechless,’ ‘humbled’ by La. sports hall of fame election
Sep 7, 2017, 11:59 PM | Updated: Sep 8, 2017, 1:15 pm
It was supposed to be a regular Wednesday for Brandon Stokley.
He and his radio partner Zach Bye settled in for their show, “Stokley & Zach,” prepared to talk about the Denver Broncos upcoming regular season opener.
Instead, Stokley received the shock of a lifetime midway through the three-hour program.
“I thought it was going to be just a regular day. We were preparing like it was a regular day,” Stokley said Wednesday. “Then out of the blue, it just turned into one of the best days of my life. Just, mind blowing. Shocking.”
For someone who talks for a living nowadays, Stokley didn’t know how to put into words that he, one of the finest athletes to come out of Louisiana, had made his home state’s sports hall of fame.
“It’s just shocking. I’m just blown away. I just never expected this,” he said. “I was expecting to talk about the Broncos right now, and here we are. I don’t know what to say.”
Live on the air, Stokley and Bye took a “mystery caller” — Doug Ireland, the chairman of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame — who informed him of his election.
Stokley responded: “It’s a great honor. There have been so many great athletes from Louisiana. So, to be selected to go into the Louisiana (Sports) Hall of Fame, certainly, I’m humbled and very appreciative of that. So, thank you so much. I really do appreciate it.”
Following the exchange was a slew of guests giving Stokley their congratulations, including his former wide receiver coach at Southwest Louisiana, Gerald Broussard; his wife, Lana; and children, Cameron and Carson.
On the phone, former teammates of Stokley’s called in to offer their congratulations, including Peyton Manning, Dallas Clark, and Jake Delhomme.
Watch and listen to the interviews here.
The hall of fame resume of Brandon Stokley
Spanning 15 years in the NFL, Stokley played for five teams — the Baltimore Ravens (twice), Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos (twice), New York Giants, and Seattle Seahawks.
During that decade-and-a-half, the 5-foot-11 wide receiver appeared in 152 games, catching 397 passes for 5,339 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Stokley was twice a world champion in the NFL, as well, winning a ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV and with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI.
A record-setter at Southwestern Louisiana — now the University of Louisiana-Lafayette — Stokley became the first Division I player to average 100 receiving yards a game in three different seasons.
Playing for his father, Nelson, Brandon had 241 catches for 3,702 yards and 25 touchdowns in his college career.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
