The moment Winston Hill’s family has been waiting on for years arrived Wednesday. The legendary Jets offensive lineman was enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a special ceremony for nine inductees who are entering the Hall posthumously.

Hill was chosen as part of a special Centennial Slate last year, but the induction ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19. Hill will be honored again this summer at the main induction, but the Hall of Fame decided to hold this special ceremony now to honor the inductees who are deceased and give them special recognition.

The Hill family had 10 members at the ceremony Wednesday in Canton, Ohio. Heather Hill, Winston’s daughter, said her father would use this honor to lift up those around him.

“More people have tried on his Super Bowl ring than any other ring in the world,” Heather Hill said. “He would say, ‘What are you interested in? How can you be a champion in your life?’ and he would motivate and inspire. If he was here and able to enjoy this moment, he would be thinking about and thrilled about the possibilities to use that platform to lift other people up and inspire other people to do their best in whatever they do.”

Winston Hill, who died in 2016, was an 11th-round draft choice of the Colts in 1962, but was cut before ever playing a game for Baltimore. He signed with the Jets (then in the AFL) and went on to play 195 consecutive games, including 174 starts, both franchise records. Hill played 14 seasons for the Jets and one for the Rams. One year, he played despite breaking a leg in the preseason.

Hill was chosen to play in four AFL All-Star Games and four Pro Bowls. He was responsible for protecting Joe Namath’s blindside and was part of the line that helped Matt Snell run for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl III upset over the Colts.

“I really believe this — a finer man never walked the Earth,” Namath said this week. “He was such an honest, straightforward man. He cared for people.”

Hill’s daughters said their father hoped to get into the Hall of Fame, not for him, but for what it would mean to his family. When they got the news last January, Hovlyn Hill-May said her family began jumping around in excitement.

“Finally, he has gotten in,” Hill-May said. “It was such a stunner and so exciting to get that announcement.”

Namath said as good a player as Hill was, he was a better person.

“Everyone Winston dealt with he made feel like the most important player or person at that time in his life,” Namath said. “I saw the way he treated other people everywhere. He was wonderful.”

Hill’s daughters and his son, Marc-Arthur Hill, attended the ceremony. The NFL Network will show the ceremony on Saturday night, following the conclusion of the NFL draft.

“To have it done in a way that is uniquely recognizing those who cannot be here means a lot to us. This is an emotional experience,” Heather Hill said. “We were so blessed as a family for him to be our father and just everyone who knew him, he really was just such a wonderful person. It’s emotional. We miss our dad and our mom. We wish they could be here, but we are so happy to have this moment and this honor finally come.”