In 241 career games, Mawae protected quarterbacks with his life. He was durable – he played in 177 consecutive games during one stretch. He was a first-team, all-decade center for the 2000s.

Mawae blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in 13 of his 16 seasons. Running backs Chris Warren (1,545 yards in 1994), Martin (1,697 in 2004), LenDale White (1,110 in 2007) and Johnson (2,006 in 2009) had the highest season rushing total of their career with Mawae on the line.

Shaun O'Hara, who played center for 11 seasons with the Giants and Browns, has always been a fan of Mawae's as well.

"There wasn't a block that he couldn't execute or master, whether it was a back block on a 350-pound nose guard or reach-blocking a shaded nose guard,'' O'Hara said of Mawae. "He was big on pulling out on a lot of outside plays, which not a lot of centers could do. And he was a very tough guy, and the fact he played as long as he did was a testament to his work ethic and durability. He is absolutely a Hall of Famer in my mind. He is one of the best centers to ever play the game, so I am certainly pulling for him this weekend. I know he'll get it. It is not a question of if, it is really just when."

Mawae will officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in August.

On Saturday night, Mawae thanked over a dozen former teammates and coaches with the Titans.