Two of the New York Jets‘ best defensive players, Joe Klecko and Darrelle Revis, were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 5.

For Klecko, it was a challenging and ultimately triumphant journey to fame, writes Mark Cannizzaro for The New York Post.

Hall of Famer Joe Klecko’s path started at St. James High School in Chester. He graduated high school with no college scholarship offers and ended up working for a trucking company.

His breakthrough came when his girlfriend, now wife Debbie, encouraged him to try out for a semi-pro team, the Aston Knights. She drove him to the tryouts, but Klecko backed out when they got there.

She grabbed the car keys and threw them out the window. When he went to get the keys, some team members saw him and invited him over for the tryouts.

“If it wasn’t for Debbie making me get out of my car, I wouldn’t be sitting here today wearing this gold jacket,’’ Klecko said.

He went to Temple University after playing semi-pro and was drafted in the sixth round by the Jets in 1977.

Read more about Hall of Famer Joe Klecko’s unique journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in The New York Post,