CANTON, Ohio — Devin Hester stood at the podium on the stage at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, just moments after unveiling his bronze bust alongside his presenter and mother, Juanita Brown.

Before he could say a word, the crowd spoke for him.

"Devin, Devin, Devin…"

The chants went on for at least 10 seconds as fans in attendance celebrated football history.

"I want to thank the Hall of Fame for making me the first returner to ever wear this gold jacket," Hester said to start his speech.

"I want to congratulate everyone in the 2024 class for being here. I'm proud and honored to be up here with you guys."

Hester spoke from the heart Saturday afternoon as he became the 32nd Bears player to enter the Hall of Fame, less than an hour after former defensive tackle Steve McMichael was enshrined.

The most prolific return specialist in NFL history gave a long list of thank yous throughout his speech, but his first words of gratitude went out to football itself.

"I fell in love with football back when I first started playing two-hand touch in the street.," Hester said. "I felt like football chose me. From Pop Warner to high school to college to the NFL, the first play of every game, I always did something special."

Hester gave a nod to his first carry in high school football — a 22-yard handoff he took for a touchdown. Then, his first appearance at the Orange Bowl for the University of Miami when, on the first play of the game against Florida, he took a kickoff 97 yards for a score.

"Every glimpse of me trying to go to the next level, it would always happen on the first play," Hester said. "It was a sign that let me know that football was meant for me. I love this game more than I can say, and more so, it loved me back."

Every Bears fan already knows of Hester's famous firsts on the field, most notably when he made NFL history as the first – and still only – player to return the opening kickoff of a Super Bowl for a touchdown.

As a rookie in 2006, he returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown in his first NFL game, a 26-0 win over the Packers. Longtime Bears director of equipment Tony Medlin — who Hester thanked for "the long conversations we had in your office on how to be a professional athlete" — still remembers that moment.

"I told Hester, 'look, you're going to run this one back,'" Medlin told ChicagoBears.com. "And sure enough, he did that. It was the Green Bay game. He came back and he was so excited, he brought the ball over to me. We hugged and it was just one of those satisfying moments. It was just Hester. Every moment with him was satisfying."

After thanking his coaches from childhood through college, Hester expressed his gratitude for the Bears organization.

"Thank you for drafting me and giving me 8 great years in this game," Hester said. "You didn't know what you're getting yourself into, but you believed that you had something special coming your way."

Hester spent eight of his 11 NFL seasons with the Bears, where he became a legend in Chicago who earned the nicknames "Windy City Flyer" and "Anytime."

The record-breaking returner gave thanks to many former members of the Bears, such as head coach Lovie Smith — which elicited "Lovie" chants from the crowd — special teams coordinator Dave Toub, wide receiver coach Darryl Drake, head coach Ron Turner and strength coach Rusty Jones.

"To the great coach Lovie Smith, thank you for believing in me and putting your money on the return game," Hester said. "I hope we made every critic bite their tongue.

"Coach Dave Toub — the best special teams coach in the world. The relationship that we built was like no other. We would fuss and fight Monday through Saturday evenings. But then, [during] Saturday night meetings, we were smiling from ear to ear like the perfect combination."

The entire Bears organization is equally as grateful for Hester.

Members of the Bears contingent in Canton Saturday included President & CEO Kevin Warren and chairman George H. McCaskey as well as former teammates including Charles "Peanut" Tillman, Anthony "Spice" Adams, Jerry Azumah, Matt Forte, Johnny Knox and Israel Idonije.

"Wednesday night, I thought it couldn't get any cooler to see Devin welcome the team at the front door of the Hall of Fame for their behind-the-scenes tour," McCaskey told ChicagoBears.com. "Then Friday night, I thought it couldn't get any cooler to see Devin cheerfully accept his Hall of Fame Gold Jacket. To be here today, to witness this moment in Bears history, in pro football history, is special."

Hester's teammates who were in Canton felt honored and proud to witness their friend make history.

"It's a privilege and an honor to be a teammate, a friend and to be here in person to watch him get into the Hall of Fame," Tillman said. "I couldn't be more proud. I'm like a proud dad right now. Jerry and I were talking earlier — we have this big group chat with a lot of the old teammates and every so often, everyone just says 'wow I can't believe this dude is in the Hall of Fame, like do y'all believe this?'"

Hester exploded onto the NFL scene, immediately becoming the most feared returner in the league. His dominance in the return game led to a rule change in 2011 that moved the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, reducing the number of returns.

"People didn't respect the return game," Hester expressed in his speech. "But eventually, they put in this new rule, which is called — you guys know — the Devin Hester rule. The rule moved the kickoff up and made it easier for the kickers to kick it out of the end zone, which eliminated me from getting a lot of returns.

"So I guess you can say the NFL started taking the return game seriously."

Hester takes pride in being the first returner to enter the Hall of Fame, but he hopes his enshrinement opens the door for other prominent returners in NFL history such as Brian Mitchell and Josh Cribbs.

"I'm not the only returner who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, I'm just the first," Hester stated.

In reflecting on being the first primary returner in Canton, Hester credited the love and support of his family and friends for his success.

He first thanked his mother, who he said "sacrificed everything to take care of us" and never missed a sporting event of his or his brother's, Lennoris Jr.

"Mom, all the hard praying and fasting you did were well worth it because I can only say out of 350 million mothers who have a son that plays professional football, your son is a Hall of Famer." Hester said.

Hester paid an emotional tribute to his late father, Lenorris Hester Sr., thanking him for his words of encouragement to one day be a great father and husband and saying, "I hope you're proud of the man that I have become today, dad."

It was also important for Hester to bring attention to his stepfather, Derrick Brown, who came into his and Lenorris Jr.'s life and "treated them like his own."

Hester continued his emotional family tributes to Lenorris Jr. and his younger sister, Keaundra Brown, before thanking his wife, Zingha, and their three sons — Devin Jr., Drayton and Denali.

"[Zingha] is an amazing wife, mother, person, and the crazy thing about it is nobody has anything negative to say about her. We're soulmates. We're opposite. We balance each other out ... Zingha, I love you, and I'm so thankful for you."

Hester said of Devin Jr.: "You're kind, respectful and never afraid of anything. I'm so proud of you."

To Dray, "You remind me of myself because of the passion and dedication that you have for sports. Proud of you, bro."

To Denali: "We butt heads all the time. We're identical twins. We look alike. His attitude, his mindset — we're so similar. You spark up this house."

Hester wrapped up his speech by encouraging young football players who are trying to find their place in football or life to be open to God's plan. As a kid, Hester admittedly dreamed of being a running back or a star receiver.

Instead, Hester embraced the path that led him to the Bears and eventually, to NFL history.

"I accepted my calling that God had in store for me," Hester concluded. "And by me embracing it, it made me the best returner to ever walk the face of the earth."

By embracing that calling, Hester engrained himself in, Bears history, Chicago sports history and, now, professional football history.

Devin Hester, you are ridiculous.