In an age lacking in what many would consider good role models among pop culture celebrities, seven former football greats may fill the bill.

The men were inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, an honor topping legendary careers of Super Bowl champions and record-setting athletes.

Each of the men – Marv Levy, Nick Buoniconti, Jack Youngblood, Mike Munchak, Jackie Slater, Ron Yary and Lynn Swann – earned superstar honors for the prowess on the field or ability to lead and coach. Yet, they deserve the &uot;Hall of Fame&uot; status not simply for those feats.

They deserve to be elevated to &uot;role model&uot; status for their conduct on and off the field. For their personal integrity; their commitment to others; their self-discipline and their humility. For the traits that make them winners in life, no matter what game they choose to play. And it is exactly these traits that we so desperately need to instill in our young people today.

These men have been out of the game more than 10 years now, enough time for a new generation of football fans to grow and learn.

We need to make sure that our young athletes look for role models, on and off the field, we point them past the glamour and glitz of modern day athletic superstars to the solid foundations and values that these Hall of Famers – and those who came before them – embody.

They are truly role models for all times.