For Joe DeLamielleure, being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was an honor long overdue.

On August 3, almost 18 years after he last donned football gear and stepped onto a professional field, the former MSU offensive lineman was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, an achievement many say was long-awaited and long deserved.

It was a feeling DeLamielleure said he couldn't describe.

"I played football because it was fun," he said. "I had so much fun it became a passion."

Out of more than 18,000 pro football players in NFL history, only 202 are in the Hall of Fame, DeLamielleure said.

Only 11 NFL players who play offensive guard are enshrined at the Canton museum.

"Its a pretty elite group," he said.

Growing up in a family of 10 children, life was anything but easy for DeLamielleure. Living in a small house in Detroit with one bathroom and no washer and dryer, playing football came on a whim.

"My mother told us to join the school team so we could take showers," he said. "Before that we took baths once a week. You could smell the DeLamielleure's coming."

He came to MSU on a scholarship in 1970, playing until he graduated in 1972. He credits his decision to attend MSU to former head football coach Duffy Daugherty being Catholic.

His time at MSU earned him All-American honors, and just recently he was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. On Sept. 27, DeLamielleure will once again walk onto the field of Spartan Stadium to be honored when the Spartans host the Iowa Hawkeyes.

"I loved MSU and I loved the guys I played with," he said. "All these honors are great, but I would never have gotten any of these honors if I didn't have any great teammates."

His long list of honors continued in the pros, including being ranked the third all-time best blocking offensive lineman. He played 13 seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns before retiring in 1985.

DeLamielleure became a starter for Buffalo almost immediately, paving the way for running back O.J. Simpson.

"It's unheard of to become a starter that quick," said former MSU offensive coach Joe Carruthers. "It's probably the hardest thing to learn. Usually it takes a couple of years."

Carruthers coached for MSU from 1969 to 1972. When DeLamielleure came to MSU in 1970, he was an immediate starter on the freshman team because freshmen weren't eligible to play on varsity.

Carruthers said DeLamielleure's work ethic was unlike any player he had worked with.

"His work ethic was one of the great things about him," Carruthers said. "He was always the first guy on the field and the last guy off the field."

DeLamielleure's talents weren't only on the playing field but in the classroom as well. Carruthers said he remembers DeLamielleure being a top student and always performing well in academics.

"He's one of those kids you dream about when you're a coach," he said.

About 40 of the men DeLamielleure played with his freshman year joined him during his celebration Aug. 3 at his induction, Carruther's said.

"They really loved him," he said. "They came from California, South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois - it was amazing."

Besides overcoming a difficult childhood, DeLamielleure hit hard times again in 1992 when he lost his life savings in a business venture. To make ends meet, DeLamielleure began coaching high school teams and won two state championships in three years. He also went on to coach a few seasons at Liberty University in Virginia and at Duke University, and is proud to say he never claimed bankruptcy.

Now a resident of Charlotte, N.C., DeLamielleure spends his time with his wife, Geri, and six children, two of which are adopted. The 52-year-old works as a salesman but still fondly remembers his glory days. When asked if he would play football again, he simply replies: "For free."

And although their playing days are over, Carruthers and the former lineman remain friends and visit each other often. When DeLamielleure learned of his hall of fame recognition, Carruthers was one of the first people he called.

"He called right away the night before the Super Bowl game and yelled 'Coach I'm in,'" Carruthers said. "I was dancing around the room. It was such an overdue honor he should have had."

The honor was first discovered by football researcher John Turney, who gave DeLamielleure the ranking of third-most accomplished lineman and ultimately got him noticed by Hall of Fame voters.

"He should have been in there about 10 years ago," Carruthers said. "He's in there now. That's something they can't take away from him."

Though he never played on a championship team, DeLamielleure enjoyed just being able to play, and couldn't stress enough how much fun he had during his time.

"You're not going to be good at anything unless you really, really like it," he said.