GREEN BAY – Sterling Sharpe felt it was time to return the favor.

So as the former Packers receiver delivered his enshrinement speech Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, he called his younger brother and fellow Hall of Famer Shannon up onto the stage for a special, heartfelt presentation.

The moment needs some background, though.

First, after Shannon's Broncos beat the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, three years after Sterling had to retire prematurely due to a neck injury, Shannon gave his older brother his Super Bowl ring, not knowing he would win two more over the next three years with Denver and Baltimore.

Second, when Shannon was inducted into Canton 14 years ago, he famously proclaimed to be the only Pro Football Hall of Famer who was the second-best player in his own family.

Now, 31 years after Sterling's abrupt retirement in 1994 following a seven-year career full of records and accolades, as the Sharpes became the first pair of brothers enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sterling fittingly focused on his younger sibling.

He explained that growing up in rural south Georgia, he took it upon himself to set the right example for his younger brother in a place that provided too many wrong ones.

"Everything I did athletically, everything, I did for an audience of one," Sterling said. "I didn't want this person to look outside our own dinner table to find a role model."

Then, after urging Shannon to join him at the podium, he called the Super Bowl ring he wears "the most precious gift I've ever received," and he took off the gold jacket that he had to wait more than 25 years to put on and laid it over his brother's arms.

"The last time I was here, you said you were the only pro football player in the Hall of Fame that could say this, that you were the second-best player in your own family. Well, I agree with that statement …," Sterling quipped, eliciting laughter amidst an emotional moment.

"It would be my extreme pleasure for you to be the only player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with two gold jackets."

With that, the brothers shared one of their many long, close hugs over the past few days, and Sterling's induction was official.

Moments before, he'd been introduced for enshrinement via recorded video by his brother, who described his game as follows:

"He was a freight train," Shannon said. "He was a physical receiver. He ran to contact. He didn't shy away from it. It didn't matter if it was a slant over the middle and he had to run through two tackles …

"He wanted to dole out the punishment, just as they were going to try to punish him."

The elder Sharpe was named first-team All-Pro three times and to the Pro Bowl five times in his seven-year career, all with the Packers after being the franchise's first-round draft pick in 1988, the seventh overall selection, from South Carolina.

Among his many accomplishments, Sharpe led the league in receptions three times and in TD catches twice, and he's one of just six players in the Super Bowl era to win the receiving "triple crown," leading the NFL in catches (108), receiving yards (1,461) and receiving TDs (13) in 1992. Those 108 receptions were a single-season NFL record, which he broke the following year with 112, becoming the first player ever with 100-plus catches in consecutive seasons.

All that said, his path to Canton was seemingly blocked due to the shortened career, but the door began swinging open in recent years as running back Terrell Davis, offensive tackle Tony Boselli, and safety Kenny Easley – all of whom, like Sharpe, played seven seasons and were named first-team All-Pro three times – got the call from the Hall.

Sharpe's time finally came, as he survived a changed and much tougher Senior committee selection process compared to prior years, allowing him and his brother to make history.

During his 11 minutes, 45 seconds on the Canton stage Saturday, Sharpe covered a lot of other ground as well, mentioning former coaches, family members and teammates who were a part of his journey.

In a Packers-centered segment of his speech, while repeating the theme "you have to learn to follow before you can lead," he focused on three assistant coaches with whom he worked closely in Green Bay.

First was Buddy Geis, receivers coach for Sharpe's first four seasons, who passed away a month ago. He credited Geis, who invited the receivers over to his house and integrated them amongst his family, for reiterating to him the importance of family love.

Second was Sherm Lewis, who arrived as offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Holmgren in 1992, coming with Holmgren from San Francisco, where Lewis coached Jerry Rice the year before. Sharpe noted as he studied the West Coast offense under Lewis, he was being taught why certain plays were called, knowledge that helped elevate his game.

"I was learning from a guy who coached the greatest receiver to ever play," Sharpe said. "Sherm Lewis loved me so much that he did me the biggest favor. He never mentioned Jerry Rice and he never mentioned me in the same sentence, so I never felt like I was in Jerry Rice's shadow."

To his credit, Sharpe is considered by many the best receiver of his era not named Rice. In fact, Rice is the only player in league history with more than Sharpe's 8,134 receiving yards in the first seven seasons of a career.

Then third was Jon Gruden, Sharpe's receivers coach for his final two seasons.

"What Jon Gruden taught me was probably the thing that took my game to its highest heights," Sharpe said, "and that was, don't study defenses, don't study defensive backs, study other receivers.

"I was tutored by Jon for two years. I never ran a route as me those two years," he continued, explaining he'd watch film of how Michael Irvin or Tim Brown attacked the defenses Sharpe would be facing in a given week.

"When you learn to follow, you'll find out how quickly you'll become a leader."