"Aeneas Williams and his wife, Tracy, weren't waiting breathlessly by the television earlier this month when this year's finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced. But they heard the good news quickly anyway.

They were in a restaurant in the St. Louis area, interviewing someone for a position in their church.

"A number of people started walking up to the table and telling me congratulations," Williams said. "I leaned over to my wife and, along with the person we were with, took a moment to give thanks. It was really a quiet moment.""