Ray Lewis was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 by the Hall’s board of selectors on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know about Lewis, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 4:
Résumé: Middle linebacker, Baltimore Ravens, 1996-2012
Why he was selected: Lewis was rightfully recognized as one of the best to ever play in the center of an NFL defense. Only four middle linebackers before him were elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot (all of the greats with whom Lewis has long been compared): Ray Nitschke (1978), Dick Butkus (1979), Jack Lambert (1990) and Mike Singletary (1998).