When the Indianapolis Colts made Reggie Wayne the 30th pick in the 2001 NFL draft, the Louisiana native and University of Miami standout didn’t expect to acclimate so quickly and permanently to his new surroundings.
However, after two decades in Indy, including a 14-year career and more than 1,000 receptions with the team that drafted him, the 42-year-old Wayne can’t fathom he’ll leave -- or stop giving back to the city he’ll forever call home.
“I knew nothing about the Midwest, knew nothing about Indianapolis, and from Day One, everybody here accepted me like I was a Hoosier,” Wayne told OSDB during a break in a neighborhood clean-up event in the heart of Indiana’s capital city on Saturday.
“You know, obviously I can’t go and high five and hug all Colts fans,” he continued, “So until they bury me six feet deep, I’m going to be active in the community and be thankful for everything that they did for me.”
That sense of gratitude is what brought Wayne and more than 75 volunteers in The Valley, a neighborhood just across the White River from Lucas Oil Stadium, to pick up litter and other waste that Indiana-based recycling plant Brightmark will later give a second life.
This particular clean-up effort, organized by Castrol, Keep America Beautiful and the Los Angeles Rams, is a stop on a season-long #DrivingForChange tour at Rams road games. And Wayne, as usual, was eager to get involved when asked to join a local cause.
“Playing was a childhood dream of mine, and I was able to be blessed enough to fulfill that dream,” Wayne said. “But one thing that I never forget is walking into the stadium, hearing people call my name, hearing kids call my name or want an autograph or want a glove or my towel -- or just walking out in the mall, in the streets, and people recognizing me and being excited to see me.
“That’s what stands out -- seeing the smiles on people’s faces, hearing the stories about them watching me play -- and so it’s one of the things that I always want to do, give back to the community.”
It also helps keep Wayne busy, filling the football-shaped void he’s had in his life since he took his last snap with the Colts in January 2015. (After a brief preseason stint with the Patriots in 2015, Wayne asked for his release and officially retired in 2016.)
Run the numbers, and you’ll also realize Wayne is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which enshrined a pair of Wayne’s Colts teammates, 2021 inductee Peyton Manning and 2020 inductee Edgerrin James, earlier this year.
Wayne has been a finalist each of the past two years but has yet to receive the requisite votes. He was one of just two Modern-Era nominees to be named a finalist in 2020, his first year of eligibility. Ninety percent of finalists since 1970 have ultimately reached the Hall, according to the Colts’ website, citing information from the Hall of Fame.
If that day comes for Wayne, too, he’ll be ready But right now, Wayne's got a neighborhood to beautify and a city to serve, and he can’t waste time worrying about whether his bust will end up in Canton.
“I tell everybody -- I’ve been eligible the last couple years, I’ve been a finalist, and I’m good, man,” Wayne said. “If [the Hall of Fame] knocks on my door, I’ll answer. If they call my phone, I’ll answer. And if not, leave a voicemail, and I’ll call you right back.”
A six-time Pro Bowl selection and an All-Pro honoree in 2010, Wayne appeared in a Colts franchise-record 211 games and ranks among the NFL’s top 10 in all-time receptions (1,070) and receiving yards (14,345), to go with 82 career touchdowns.
It remains to be seen whether that’s enough to sway 80% of the Hall of Fame’s 46-person selection committee, but enshrinement, Wayne says, was never the point.
“I’m just enjoying the process, to be honest with you,” Wayne said. “Will it happen? I hope so. If not, I’m still cool. I’m good with that.
“My thing was that I always just wanted to be a great teammate,” Wayne continued. “All I ever wanted to do was be a reliable teammate, so when they say, ‘Man, look, Reggie, he was a good football player, but he was a hell of a teammate,’ to me, that’s all that matters.”
In addition to his regular-season exploits, Wayne also suited up for 21 playoff games during his NFL tenure, and only Jerry Rice has more postseason receptions than Wayne, who caught a touchdown pass in Indy’s Super Bowl XLI win over the Chicago Bears in January 2007.
“Not to sound too cliche, but I’m grateful for just being able to be in this situation,” Wayne said, reflecting again on his Hall of Fame candidacy. “You know, as a kid growing up, [the goal] was never to be a Hall of Famer. I just knew I just wanted to play football. I was able to fulfill that dream, and I enjoyed the heck out of it and made a lot of great relationships -- relationships that I’ll take with me forever.”
Thanks to Castrol and Keep America Beautiful, Wayne’s Rolodex grew by another 75 relationships on Saturday in The Valley -- dozens of new friends who will only deepen Wayne’s connection with the city he’s grown to love.
“Twenty years ago, I was just trying to figure out the playbook,” Wayne said Saturday. “And then you add on all the other stuff -- the accolades, all the smiles and all the people you’ve touched and given thrills to -- it’s exciting, man.
“I’ve been retired for seven years, and this is the time when you realize it the most, because I’m not busy running on the football field or learning that playbook,” Wayne continued. “But now you can actually sit back and be a fan and hear the stories from Colts fans, and I would never have thought, in 2001, that I’d be where I am today, so I’m grateful. I know I worked hard for it, and it’s all paid off.”
