GREEN BAY – Offensive linemen are accustomed to going underappreciated.
So in that vein, it's probably fitting Earl Dotson had to wait nearly 25 years after he retired to be inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.
That wait finally ended Thursday night, as Dotson entered franchise immortality along with cornerback Tramon Williams.
But the Packers' starting right tackle in back-to-back Super Bowls (XXXI & XXXII) still never earned a Pro Bowl nod despite an impressive five-year stretch from 1995-99 during which he missed only five games. In that time, he helped anchor one of the league's best offenses during quarterback Brett Favre's three straight MVP seasons.
"I was underrated, be real about it," Dotson said during a pre-induction news conference. "The years I should've made the Pro Bowl, didn't make it. I'm not saying that because I thought that, I'm saying that because the coaching staff thought that. Mike Holmgren thought that. You just keep on marching on, but do I think I should've got a little more credit? Yes."
For Dotson, that extends to those Super Bowl offensive lines he played on, too. Center Frank Winters was the only linemate from those years to be selected to a Pro Bowl (1996), and he was the only one in the Packers Hall of Fame, until now.
"I remember the friendships I made, I remember that run," Dotson said. "It still makes me proud to say, you know what, a team that went through that losing period, and we were able to come in and turn this program around, that's a badge of honor."
A third-round draft pick in 1993 out of small, Division II Texas A&I (now Texas A&M Kingsville), Dotson became a starter in his third season and ultimately started 99 games, including playoffs, finishing up in 2002 after recovering from two back surgeries in an eight-month span.
He takes a lot of pride in having played his entire 10-year career in Green Bay, which the native of similarly sized Beaumont, Texas, refers to as his "second home."
Presented for induction by former teammate and long snapper Rob Davis, with whom he shared a D-II pedigree (Davis played at Shippensburg), Dotson was known for his steadiness and reliability. Davis called him a technician who "made it look effortless," and while that may have contributed to the lack of acclaim over the years, it didn't go unnoticed by those closest to him.
"When our careers are over, one of the things that's most important to us as players is that we hope we did our part," Davis said. "Whatever your part may be, if it's right tackle, long snapper, quarterback, whatever it was, and that's what I want to try to highlight.
"After 10 years of doing his part, Earl's getting recognition this evening of a loyal soldier that got up, played tough football, played against some of the best defensive ends in this league, Hall of Fame guys, and made those guys earn his respect. He had one of the best kick steps and punch. I remember him almost punching Michael Strahan's head off his shoulders."
Dotson does have some regrets, though. He believes the 1996 championship team should've gone undefeated, and those teams he played on should've won more than one Super Bowl. The competitor in him will always feel that way.
The long-awaited induction hasn't changed that, but he is grateful the appreciation finally came.
"This means so much to me, not just for me, but for my family," he said. "My son, my daughter, both made me (a) grandfather. They can bring their kids here in the future and say, 'Look, your grandfather played part in this franchise,' and that means more than anything.
"We play this game for the love of it, but we do want to be remembered."
