ST. LOUIS — Most of the NFL has opted to forget about St. Louis since Stan Kroenke absconded with the Rams to southern California.
They've moved on, not giving much thought to the city left behind by fix of the century. The NFL itself even went as far as to edit out Orlando Pace's ode to St. Louis in his 2016 Hall of Fame speech posted online, to add further insult to injury.
But in St. Louis, our memories have not faded. We can still hear Mike Bush's "Gateway to the best" call in our heads, we still loathe the Patriots for the Super Bowl XXXVI loss and our Kurt Warner jerseys still hang proudly in our closets.
We're proud of what happened here in the "Greatest Show on Turf" years and we're proud of the guys that made it happen.
One of those guys is especially close to our hearts, and now that he's officially a Hall of Famer, it's time we celebrate him as much as we can.
RELATED: Isaac Bruce is a Hall of Famer
Isaac Bruce has never forgotten about St. Louis. And St. Louis will never forget about 'Reverend Ike'.
When Bruce got that knock on the door Saturday night in Miami telling him he was headed to Canton, a collective sigh of relief could be heard all over St. Louis. The six-year wait for Bruce to become a Hall of Famer felt almost personal. Another slight to our city.
Bruce sat on the ballot for six years, just waiting for his moment. His accolades were as good six years ago as they were Saturday when that moment finally came. At the time of his retirement, Bruce was second in NFL history in receiving yards, behind only Jerry Rice. He was the steady, go-to option for fellow Hall of Famer Kurt Warner in the most prolific offense in NFL history. He had eight 1,000 yard seasons and 42 100-yard games.
But the numbers aren't what made Isaac Bruce a Hall of Famer in St. Louis. It was the person behind those numbers. While almost everyone was quick to move on from St. Louis, Bruce had no intention of leaving the city he grew to love, behind.
He launched the Isaac Bruce Foundation in 2006, which focuses on health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education. That foundation is still headquartered in O'Fallon, Missouri, and has helped thousands of St. Louis-area kids.
Bruce hasn't forgotten about the loyal St. Louis football fans, either. He personally organized the "Legends of the Dome" flag football game in 2016, to give St. Louis fans one last chance to see their heroes, even though the franchise they cheered for had gone.
"St. Louis is a city that made a powerful, positive impact on my life. I got here when I was 21 and I've been enjoying it ever since," Bruce told us at an event for his charity in 2019. "Most of my football memories are here in this city. And just coming back I get those same emotional rushes. Once the plane lands, as I'm driving through the city, I have a ton of memories, great memories and I love being here."
Do you need any more evidence of Bruce's love for St. Louis?
In his first tweet as a Hall of Famer, he typed this: "God is good and gracious to me! Tonight we rejoice in HIS faithfulness. St. Louis we headed to Canton!"
He didn't have to do that. In the biggest moment of his life, Isaac Bruce was still thinking about St. Louis. That says just about everything.
In the next seven months, Bruce will get fitted for his gold jacket, have his bust for Canton made and write his speech. When he takes that stage in August, you can bet he'll have something special in store for the city where he became a champion and a man.
Here's hoping Canton is drowning in a sea of St. Louis blue and gold for enshrinement weekend. Here's also hoping the NFL doesn't try to edit any of it out this time.