As he enters Pro Football Hall of Fame, Boulder native Tony Boselli takes journey down reminiscence lane

The checklist of Colorado highschool gamers inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is brief: Dutch Clark and Jack Christansen, who grew up in Fowler and Canon City, respectively.

The checklist of Jacksonville Jaguars gamers within the Hall is even shorter: None.

That modifications Saturday when Tony Boselli, who grew up in Boulder, turns into the third Coloradoan and first Jaguars participant inducted together with the Class of 2022 in Canton, Ohio.

“That’s a big deal to me,” Boselli mentioned. “Boulder was a great place to grow up as a kid because everything was outdoors, which fit my personality of wanting to do stuff and stay involved.”

Clark was inducted in 1963, adopted by Christansen in 1970. It solely seems like Boselli’s wait has been that lengthy — he was a six-time Hall finalist earlier than he lastly received the “knock” when Anthony Munoz, whom Boselli considers one of the best left deal with of all time, traveled to Jacksonville to welcome him to “The Gold Jacket Club.”

Boselli, a left deal with within the NFL, graduated from Fairview High in Boulder and moved onto USC, the place he was a three-time, first-team All-America.

During an interview with The Denver Post, Boselli went down reminiscence lane.

Growing up in Boulder

The Boselli household moved to Colorado when Tony was 2 years outdated. His uncle, who was 22 years older than Boselli’s dad, Tony, Sr., purchased a McDonald’s franchise in Thornton and employed Tony, Sr., to be the supervisor. By the time Tony, Sr., retired, he owned greater than 20 McDonald’s areas.

Boselli: “I would have thought of us as middle class growing up. We took one vacation a year but it was never on a plane — everybody got in the car and we drove. But we had a small boat and would water ski and hang out most weekends and snow-ski in the winter. My Dad was a super-hard worker. Hard work was expected. That’s what you did. That was from Day One. I would do landscaping outside the (locations) and when I was probably 12 or 13, I started working in the back in the summer because if I wasn’t playing a sport, you were expected to work. Before my senior year of high school, I repainted seven McDonald’s. Minimum wage was $3.35 and I thought it was the most money in the whole world. And they weren’t paying me a dollar more than minimum wage — no chance.”

Tony, Sr., died on May 31, 2021 resulting from melanoma. But earlier than his passing, he taped a congratulatory message to his son within the occasion he reached the Hall of Fame.

Starting soccer profession

Boselli was at all times a “really big” child, which was problematic when he signed up for soccer at age 8. But his father fudged the sign-up types and Tony was going towards 12 years outdated and would have a dot on his helmet which means he couldn’t contact the soccer. He entered highschool eager to play quarterback. That rapidly modified.

Boselli: “I got moved to offensive tackle before my junior year and I was successful but I didn’t start both ways. My goal as a senior was to be all-state because I wanted my picture on the wall at Fairview. I had a good senior year and could dominate when I wanted to. The last game of the year, I had 18 tackles as a defensive lineman and that was a moment when I said, ‘You have more in the tank than you think.’ Everything fell into place.”

Boselli began receiving faculty calls and was enamored with USC as a result of his household was taking annual holidays to Newport Beach, Calif. His remaining checklist of colleges was USC, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Stanford and Michigan State. Staying to play for the hometown Buffs wasn’t a consideration.

Boselli: “(CU) had no chance. I didn’t want to stay home. I didn’t want to hang out at the same places I hung out in high school and run around and do the same things. Coach (Bill) McCartney was great, the program was great and people were shocked I was leaving. I wanted to go to either Notre Dame or USC. When it came down to booking my trip to Notre Dame and they said, ‘We’re not going to offer you a scholarship.’ I started hating Notre Dame at that moment. I was scheduled to visit Stanford and Arizona State, but I canceled after visiting SC. I land in Los Angeles for my visit and it felt like home. We didn’t have as much success as I would have liked, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”

Boselli was the Trojans’ backup left deal with in 1990, however didn’t play a snap and used a redshirt. He was a four-year starter. In 1995, he was the first-ever draft decide in Jaguars historical past.

Beating the Broncos

In the Jaguars’ second season (1996), they gained their remaining 5 regular-season video games to complete 9-7 and safe the AFC’s fifth playoff seed. In the wild-card spherical, they traveled to Buffalo as an 8 1/2-point underdog and gained 30-27, a sport that went a great distance towards Boselli’s Hall choice as a result of he contained Bruce Smith. Every week later, the Jaguars flew to Denver as a 12 1/2-point underdog to the 13-3 Broncos. It was a homecoming for Boselli. The crew he cheered for as a child. The membership his father nonetheless rooted for. The Jaguars trailed 12-0 early however rallied for a surprising 30-27 win.

Boselli: “The Broncos were the best team. I remember flying out there on Friday and I started to get sick. We land and I have a splitting headache. I couldn’t see my parents, I couldn’t have the lights on in my room and I felt like my head was going to blow up. Got to the stadium (the next day) and still sick. Got four IV bags before the game and vintage (coach) Tom Coughlin, and this is what I love about him, he came up to me and said, ‘Don’t think for a second you’re not playing.’ I’m like, ‘Gotcha.’ Hindsight 20-20, it was altitude sickness … for a kid from Colorado. I played good that day against Alfred (Williams), but if you put every variable into that game and what it meant, it’s probably my favorite game of all time.”

Career-ending harm

Boselli was on a Hall of Fame trajectory getting into the 2001 season. He missed solely seven video games in his first six years, performed in two AFC title video games (losses to New England and Tennessee) and was named to 5 Pro Bowls and three first-team All Pro groups. Boselli sustained a torn ACL and missed the 1999 playoffs, however performed each sport in 2000. He performed three video games in 2001 earlier than his shoulder gave out.