A couple of weeks ago we learned that Greenwood's Kent Hull will soon become the 19th inductee into the Buffalo Bills' Wall of Fame at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y.

My only problem with the news: What took so long?

Hull retired from the NFL in January of 1997 after 11 seasons as the center for the Buffalo Bills, including three as All-Pro.

Hull is the greatest center in the history of the franchise. He was the man who anchored Buffalo's line during the team's run as one of the most explosive offensive units in the NFL.

His ability to make the right blocking calls at the line for the no-huddle attack was crucial to the success of quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas and wide receiver Andre Reed.

The Bills ranked among the top six in the NFL in yards gained from 1989 to '96.

Hull manned the toughest position on the line in a manner that exemplified reliability. The Bills didn't have a bona fide backup center during that time. They didn't need one.

He played in 189 games, missing only two. He was named to the Pro Bowl in '89, '90 and '91 and helped the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances.

He was well respected around the league for his outstanding career.

Hull was also well respected by the media in Buffalo. The former Mississippi State standout - an easy-going, laid-back sort - was always sought out by the local media because he was one of the team's most popular and well-respected players.

When Hull left the conference room after announcing his retirement in '97, he received an applause from the reporters present. You won't see that a lot.

Then behind the closed doors of the locker room, Hull's teammates responded with a six-minute standing ovation.

During an interview in '94, teammate Glenn Parker said this about Kent: "There's probably three or four leaders in that locker room, and he's one of them. And he's probably the most respected of them all."

Get the picture? Hull meant so much to so many people in the sports-crazed community of Buffalo. It will be great to see Kent's name go up on the Wall of Fame this fall, because he was so faithful and loyal to the Bills' organization.

When Hull was reaching the end of his contract in '94, several teams were eager to pursue him in free agency. A free-agent deal would have been in the neighborhood of $1.9 million a season - the contract of a lifetime.

But Hull couldn't imagine playing anywhere else, so he bypassed free agency entirely. He got $5.2 million for four years. He settled for roughly half a million per year less than the could have received on the open market. In effect, he turned his back on $2 million to stay in Buffalo.

You didn't see much of that kind of loyalty in sports during that time. You see a lot less now.

Hull said he received more than 100 letters from Bills' fan thanking him for staying. They sent flowers, too.

For more than a decade, area football fans rooted for a snowy city in western New York because one of ours was a major part of the team.

It was quite a ride for a local boy who surpassed his wildest dreams, and we were more than glad to go along.

His story has been told many times over in this newspaper, but it's still one worth recounting again. After graduating from Greenwood High School, Hull arrived at MSU as a "skinny" 185-pound center. He was the fifth-team center when practice started and moved up to No. 3 by the team's opener against Florida.

Early that day, the No. 1 center went down with an injury. Then the backup got hurt in the same game, forcing Hull into action. He wound up being a four-year starter at State.

He was a marginal pro prospect because he was still undersized for an offensive lineman. But he got a break when someone dropped out of the Blue-Gray All-Star Game, and he was added the Gray roster. In '83, Hull was selected in the seventh round of the United State Football League draft by the New Jersey Generals. He started every game for three years until the fledgling league folded.

He was contemplating the farmer's life when the Bills signed him in the middle of training camp in '86 to fill in for their injured center.

Hull wound up starting all 16 games that season, and he never lost the job until he retired.

Yes, it's quite a story indeed.

Reprinted with the permission of Greenwood Commonwealth Sports Editor Bill Burrus.

Bill Burrus is the Sports Editor for the Greenwood (MS) Commonwealth newspaper. He will be writing occasional Mississippi Delta related stories for Gene's Page. You can contact him by email at chilly@gwcommonwealth.com.