Of course, there's the hit. The hit. When you think of Dawkins and a bone-crushing tackle, there's one play that immediately comes to mind – the 2004 NFC Championship Game blow delivered to Alge Crumpler. You might forget that Crumpler managed to hold on to the ball, but the message was sent. After three straight defeats in the NFC title matchup, the Eagles were not going to be denied.

There have been plenty of players who shined in big moments, but none connected with the fans the way Dawkins did. If you needed any sort of reminder, just watch Dawkins' Hall of Fame speech from August. Eagles fans turned the crowd at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium into a sea of midnight green.

Eagles fans love defense. That was cemented during the Buddy Ryan era and the Gang Green defense of the late 1980s and early '90s. Dawkins was the continuation of that.

There's also the unbridled energy with which Dawkins played the game. A quiet, Christian man who led by example during the week transformed into an alter ego – named Weapon X – on gameday. He had deep conversations with the football. He galvanized his teammates with his pregame speeches. His crawl out of the tunnel before being shot out of a cannon onto the field? You would have believed he was a superhero out of a comic book and not an NFL player.

Dawkins said it time after time again. He played the game the way he thought that the fans would if they ever had the chance to be on the field.

A second-round pick of the team in 1996, before the winning seasons under head coach Andy Reid, No. 20 understood the unique dynamic between the fans and this football team. Dawkins embraced them by living under the simple motto of treating others the way he wanted to be treated. He knew that the blue-collar fans were spending their hard-earned money to see the Eagles play and he wanted to give them a show.

Dawkins was perfect for Philadelphia but his road there was far from an ideal one. And while Dawkins was the one on the pulpit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame over the summer accepting his place among the giants of the game, it took a team to get him there.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Dawkins took to football in his youth because he had a lot of energy – no surprise there – and it kept him out of trouble. He also had a love for basketball, but realized during his time as a student at Raines High School that football would be his avenue to college. Plus, he had an older brother, Ralph, who was a star running back at Louisville to look up to as a role model.

Dawkins recalls when recruitment letters started coming in from colleges. Raines High School has produced quality football talent over the years, including Eagles Hall of Fame wide receiver Harold Carmichael. But when the first letter came for Dawkins from the University of Notre Dame, the school's principal brought it into class and handed it to Dawkins in person.

Dawkins dreamed of going to the University of Florida. He had the Gator Chomp down and was planning out his defensive celebrations. However, academics weren't a priority at the time. Dawkins met with Gators defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Ron Zook and was told that the scholarship offer was being pulled. Dawkins was good, but not good enough to wait for. Also in the room for that meeting was Dawkins' girlfriend, Connie, who would later become his wife.

Inspired to overcome the setback, Dawkins fixed the grades, but the problem was there wasn't a school waiting for him. Louisville showed interest, but Dawkins thought it was only out of respect for his brother. South Carolina had an offer on the table at one point, but when Dawkins tried to reach someone to accept it, he couldn't get a hold of anyone on the phone. His close friend, high school teammate, and superstar recruit Patrick Sapp told Dawkins not to waste his time with South Carolina. Sapp, who was committing to Clemson, called the recruiting coordinator and said that he and Dawkins were a package deal. If you wanted Sapp, you had to take Dawkins as well.

For a long time, Dawkins thought that Clemson wanted him on his own merit. About five years ago, Dawkins learned how Sapp helped get him a scholarship to Clemson.

Once on campus, Dawkins dominated – first on special teams then as a defensive standout by his sophomore season.