L.T. BECOMES FAME-OUS: In the end, the Lawrence Taylor debate was no debate at all.
The dominant defensive player of his time was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, elected in his first year of eligibility.Joining him in the Class of 1999 were running back Eric Dickerson, tight end Ozzie Newsome and guards Tom Mack and Billy Shaw.
It was Taylor, however, whose candidacy dominated conversation and sparked debate throughout Super Bowl week.
Suspended once while he was playing and arrested twice on drug charges after he retired, he has struggled with off-the-field problems that left some voters uneasy with his candidacy.
Unlike baseball, there is no "good citizenship" clause in the football hall's bylaws and when it was time to vote, he received the 80 percent necessary for election.
Taylor played 13 seasons at linebacker for the New York Giants. He was a three-time choice as Defensive Player of the Year, the NFL's most valuable player in 1986 and was selected for a record 10 consecutive Pro Bowls.
Dickerson set a single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards in 1984 and wound up third on the career rushing list with 13,259.