"For Chris Doleman, maybe this was how it was destined to happen. Sure, he had been pounding on the door of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for some time, eligible for eight years and a finalist for the second time in 2012.

And yes, at times, Doleman had even begun cushioning himself for the cruel letdown if the Hall's selection committee ultimately decided to keep him locked out -- again.

"When you go through this process sometimes you say to yourself, 'Well if it happens, it happens. And if it don't, it don't,'" Doleman said.

Yet on Saturday evening, while at Super Bowl XLVI in the city where he was born, Doleman finally experienced the thrill he'd longed for, voted into the Hall of Fame as part of a six-man class that also includes senior candidate Jack Butler, running back Curtis Martin, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy and offensive linemen Dermontti Dawson and Willie Roaf.

Saturday's news delivered a jolt of euphoria to Doleman, the former Vikings star who terrorized quarterbacks for 15 seasons, recording 150 1/2 sacks and 45 forced fumbles.

All that anxiety from waiting years for his Hall call? Instantly decimated.

"I've always hoped people would remember me as a guy who lived his life at a high level with a high moral conscience," Doleman said. "And I always wanted people to remember that no matter what I did, I gave it my all. With this news, I'm on top of the world."

Disappointment for Carter

The emotions were far different for Cris Carter, a dynamic playmaker who went to eight Pro Bowls and lit up boxscores for 16 seasons. He had 1,101 catches, 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns during his career. But he will again have to wait for his invite to Canton, Ohio, one of three star receivers snubbed Saturday, all unable to break through a positional logjam that continues to bewilder the Hall's selection committee."