Kevin Mawae named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Longtime New York Jets center Kevin Mawae has officially been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019. This comes following an incredible 16-year career riddled with awards and accomplishments.

After three years of being a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kevin Mawae can finally call himself a Hall of Famer.

He is one of just 326 players out of the hundreds of thousands to ever play in the NFL to have been enshrined in the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame making the honor the greatest any football player can receive. And it’s safe to say that it was well-deserved.

Mawae made the Pro Bowl eight times over his 16-year career and was named first-team All-Pro seven times. He was named the center for the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and was already a member of the New York Jets Ring of Honor for a couple years before his Hall of Fame enshrinement.

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The LSU product entered the league as a second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks way back in 1994. He was moved around all over the offensive line as a guard and a center but never found himself as a fit with Seattle.

It wasn’t until the Jets signed him ahead of the 1998 season that he truly began to find his place in the NFL. Mawae wound up leading the way for now-fellow Hall of Famer Curtis Martin as the Jets hosted one of the premier rushing attacks during his time with the team.

In fact, Mawae blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in 13 of his 16 seasons and was the lead blocker for a 100-yard rusher in 92 games which is the most by any offensive lineman in NFL history. It’s not a stretch to say that Martin wouldn’t have been as successful had it not been for the incredible play of Mawae.

His style of play was also instrumental in the evolution of the position. Given his experience at guard, Mawae was always an excellent puller as he used his athleticism to move laterally and open up holes in the run game. This followed him as he transitioned to the center position becoming one of the first centers to ever pull regularly.

Given his stellar playing career full of awards and accomplishments, Mawae was a well-deserved entry into this year’s Hall of Fame class. Combine that with his impact on the center position as a whole and you have one of the most deserving players on the 2019 ballot.

Congratulations to the great Kevin Mawae as his legacy with the New York Jets and the NFL as a whole will forever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.