"I had to hug my son:" Father/son theme of Favre's HOF induction speech touched father/son from SE WI

CANTON, Ohio -- Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday night, August 6th -- and his speech was the longest in Pro Football HOF history. Favre's 37-minute speech had a father/son theme, as he spoke at length about his late father, Irvin.

Favre’s father died of a heart attack in 2003.

Favre said during his speech Saturday night:

"I overheard my father talking to three other coaches. He said, 'I can assure you one thing about my son: He will play better. He will redeem himself. I know my son. He has it in him.' I never let him know I heard that, I never said that to anyone else. But I thought to myself, that's a pretty good compliment. My chest kind of swoll up. I never forgot that statement, that comment he made to all those other coaches. I want you to know, dad, I spent the rest of my career trying to redeem myself, and make you proud, and I hope I succeeded."

He went on to offer some advice to all of the parents in the audience:

"Never discount the importance of being a father, and the statements you make. Whether you think your kids hear. You're very important to your children. The lesson is: We come and go very quickly. So love them each and every day."

The father/son theme garnered an emotional reaction from a father and son listening in the audience from southeastern Wisconsin.

Dan James of Racine, and his son, Michael James, who lives in Milwaukee, fought back tears as they reacted to the speech with FOX6's Ted Perry.

"It was absolutely phenomenal. I almost got watery-eyed. I had to hug my son. I'm glad I'm here with him to see that," Dan James said.

"I mean, what he said about his dad, I got a lot from my dad throughout the years. I played football and he coached me in basketball. I got a lot of points I'm going to remember for the rest of my life from my dad, both from coaching and just being a dad," Michael James said.

"What he said was what, I think, a father should instill in every child that they have. It's the way it should be. It goes beyond (sports). It's just life. You want your children to succeed -- and of course, (Favre) did!" Dan James said.

CLICK HERE to read a complete transcript of Brett Favre's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech.