Bruce Smith will become the 25th member of the Buffalo Bills’ Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium this fall.
The induction of the Bills’ all-time great defensive end comes five years after his playing career ended and could be a prelude to the biggest individual honor in football.
Smith will be among the favorites for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility when the next vote is held in February 2009.
Smith holds the NFL record for quarterback sacks with 200, 171 of which he recorded in a 15- year career with the Bills from 1985 to ’99.
Smith said he got the news of his induction from Bills owner Ralph C. Wilson Jr. while on vacation last week in the Caribbean.
“I heard from Ralph while I was in St. Kitts having my golf tournament,” Smith said by phone from Virginia Beach, Va. “I have an annual golf tournament there and a bunch of the guys come to it. . . . It was a blessing. To hear his voice and to know that honor will happen, I’m quite excited about it.”
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