I was lucky enough to watch him play in Grand Forks, against the Sioux back in the late 80's. He was a holy terror on the field then, but again it was only Division II. I was so surprised to see he got selected in the draft from tiny NDSU, but at the time Bill Polian enjoyed picking from the small schools for outstanding people with big hearts.
Later in life, I had the privilege of meeting him and was very impressed with his humbleness and honesty; especially in light of the arrogance of the right side DE. He said he never felt good enough to play in the NFL, which surprised me at the time.
I'm thrilled to see him go up the wall. If you remember when retired, they said he knew the names of ever member of the Bills maintenance staff, and their families too. He would come in on days off and chat with the facility staff. He is a real blue collar kind of guy from a no name town in North Dakota. A great state with wonderful people, just some really harsh weather. I suppose for him, working and playing in Buffalo was like getting a pass to FL.
He earned it, and I'm someone recognized him for it.