Swift couldn’t pinpoint a favorite play of Hester’s career, because it felt as though “any time he got a kick return, he scored.”
At Miami, Hester was a versatile return specialist who also played running back, receiver, cornerback and nickel back over his three-year career. As he did in the NFL, Hester quickly solidified his legacy on special teams. As a freshman, Hester returned a kickoff untouched for 97 yards and a score, finishing the season with 517 kickoff return yards.
What Swift can pinpoint is the first time he saw Hester stand out.
“Seeing him at Miami, seeing him in college was my first time watching him,” Swift said. “Seeing him do the same things he did in the league. Any time he touched the ball, it was pretty electric, so he was definitely a player everyone loved to watch.”
No matter when Bears players discovered Devin Hester or what iconic play replays in their head when they hear his name, their love for the Chicago legend runs deep and fueled a passion for football.
When Hester dons the exclusive Gold Jacket for the first time Saturday — after two years falling just short of induction — Bears fans and players will rejoice alongside him. Many of them will have flashbacks of running around their houses trying to imitate the most feared returner the NFL has ever seen.
“It was just the fact that at any given point, he had that playmaking ability,” Scott said. “That’s what you grow up as a kid [wanting], like, ‘man I just want to have that playmaking ability to whenever I touch the ball, be able to take it to the house.’ The way he was able to play freely, the way he moved, the way he set people up. As somebody who is kind of a similar type as far as speed and agility, it resonates with you.
“That’s something where you’re in your living room when you’re six years old and you’re trying to be Devin Hester. You run around the house thinking everything is a defender and you’re thinking of what you see on TV, what you see Devin Hester do.”
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