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FOXBORO - How do you bring one of the toughest men ever to play the game of football to the verge of tears?

Ask him what this weekend will be like.

"I'm an emotional wreck today," Andre Tippett said Wednesday as he met with reporters at Gillette Stadium, just a few days before his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "I'm starting to become an emotional wreck because ... it's here. And as Howie Long said in his speech, his coach reminded him that, 'they showed up, so that means we've got to play.'

"It's here, I can't prolong it another week ...I would love to have an extra week to do some things, but it's here and I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited," Tippett said.

One of the most feared pass-rushing outside linebackers in the AFC during an 11-year career from 1982-93, Tippett will be representing not just himself in Canton, Ohio, and not just the Patriots franchise, but also the many outstanding players who labored next to him through both the best times and the worst times of the pre-Kraft Patriots. "To me, it's my badge of honor," Tippett said. "I played with some great guys here. You talk about John Hannah, Mosi Tatupu, Steve Grogan, Stanley Morgan, Steve Nelson, Donnie Blackmon ... there was a lot of pride in what we did.

"We had about a six-year run, being with (former head coach) Raymond Berry," he said. "John Hannah and Grogan and those guys were with (Chuck) Fairbanks and they had their moments and opportunity and it just didn't just work itself out. But with us, with Raymond Berry coming here and being very innovative about how he did things, and the players that we had, there were a lot of players that helped Andre Tippett become what he became."

Tippett will be the fourth Patriot of long tenure to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but only the second (along with Hannah) to have been a Patriot for his entire career. Cornerback Michael Haynes and linebacker Nick Buoniconti split their careers evenly with the Patriots and the Raiders and Dolphins respectively, but earned their Hall of Fame stripes with their later teams.

"There are plenty of players that have come here and have played hard," Tippett said. "And I think that by me going in and being really the second (full-career Patriot) behind Hannah ... so many of the players who played with me are so excited, because as I tell them, 'as I go in, you go in. You're part of this, and it's going to be a great celebration.'"

Tippett was selected to five Pro Bowls during his career, earning All-Star honors in each season from 1984-88. He played in 151 career games with 139 starts and holds the Patriots' franchise record with 100.0 career sacks.

He owns three of the top four single-season sack performances in Patriots' history (18.5 in 1984, 16.5 in 1985 and 12.5 in 1987), and from 1984-85, Tippett recorded 35.0 sacks, a total that stands as the highest two-season sack total by a linebacker in NFL history.

Yet for most of his career, he was overshadowed by New York Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who had other-worldly talent and the added bonus of playing on a team that won two Super Bowls under head coach Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick.

Now, Tippett's enshrinement further confirms that in the late 1980s, the outside linebacker position was redefined by players like him and Taylor - and their joint impact upon the game has finally been validated by the Hall of Fame.

"I think that people will probably say that, we got it right," Tippett said. "There's 17 linebackers in the Hall of Fame ... there were some great guys, some great football players, but just 17 linebackers. The Hall of Fame is predominately offensive guys in there. The percentages will stun you when you look at it."

Belichick and the Patriots honored Tippett in a team meeting early Wednesday, and he was again feted in front of the fans who attended training camp later in the day. The experience left the burly ex-linebacker weak with emotion - particularly because of the glowing comments that Belichick bestowed upon him in the private team meeting. "It's just awesome to get the confirmation from a guy like him, knowing his history and his background, and the people he's been around from New York to the guys that he's coached here in the championships," Tippett said. "And for him to co-sign on me like that, I'm very much appreciative of it. I have great respect for what he's done as a football coach, and there's no better coach than he. I'm overwhelmed."

"Although I never coached Andre, I saw a lot of him from my perspective as defensive coordinator of the Giants," Belichick said Wednesday. "I watched a lot of him as he played for the Patriots ... and Andre's one of the guys that our players looked up to and learned a lot from because of his consistent play in every phase of the game."

Tippett's career extended over the tenures of five head coaches, starting with Ron Meyer and ending with Parcells. He wore the red jersey and white helmet adorned with the "Pat Patriot" caricature for most of his career, with his final year spent under the logo of the Flying Elvis - and while the franchise's greatest successes have been achieved under that banner, it's still not No. 1 in Tippett's heart.

"I've got the alumni patch with the old Patriot and the new one," he said. "If I had to pick a choice, though, I don't know ... I just have a love for the old Pat Patriot. It just looked like he was a rugged dude. I'd go down a dark alleyway with him any day."

Tippett has worked in a number of different capacities for the Patriots since his retirement as a player, and is currently their executive director of community affairs under the auspices of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. The good work of the foundation is the primary reason why Tippett chose team owner Robert Kraft to be his presenter at Saturday's induction ceremonies.

"He's done a lot for the New England area, and I think that we all are, as fans of New England, very honored by what the team and the ownership have done over the years, in bringing a lot of pride to New England," Tippett said. "It was a no-brainer for me. I'm not a voter, but I'm sure that he'll be with all the contributors and the head coaches who have brought something to this great league at some point."

For the time being, though, Tippett is simply humbled to be adding his name to those of the greatest players in the game's history.

"Andre Tippett is now part of that," he said, fighting back the emotion in his voice. "I'm emotional because it means a lot to me. This is something that you can't pay for, you can't be cut from the team, you can't even quit. To be part of this is the greatest, highest honor that anyone can have.

"There's nothing else after this honor," he said. "I just die."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/sports.