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Why it took so long for Herb Adderley to enter MSU's sports Hall of Fame — and more from Friday's induction ceremony

EAST LANSING – A long-standing mystery surrounding Michigan State athletics was solved Friday night.

The mystery: Why wasn't former Spartan star Herb Adderley, a six-time NFL champion, in MSU's Athletics Hall of Fame?

The answer: He turned down MSU. Repeatedly. Because he wanted others to go in before him.

Adderley finally got his due Friday, as he was posthumously inducted as part of the 2022 class. He died in 2020 at the age of 81. His daughter, Dr. Toni Adderley, gave the induction speech on his behalf. And it was she who revealed that her father simply was too modest to accept a spot in his school's hall earlier.