The Florida Sports Hall of Fame has some of the all-time legends in athletics among its 240-plus members.

So calling this year's induction class one of its best is really saying something.

Johnny Damon, Phil Esposito, Jeremy Foley, Jon Gruden, and Allison Jolly became the newest members of the 56-year-old Hall of Fame Tuesday night representing the Class of 2016.

"It's just a great honor," Gruden said.  "There's a lot of people who have participated in sports in the state of Florida, and to be considered in this class is going to be memorable as long as I'm around."

Gruden gave the final speech of the night as the headliner of this year's Hall of Fame class after rushing back to Tampa after his duties broadcasting for Monday Night Football in New Jersey late on Monday.

He spoke about how happy he was to come back to Tampa to coach the Buccaneers after his father worked in the organization as he was growing up.

Gruden led is the team's all-time winningest coach and led the Bucs to their only Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003.

One year later, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who fellow 2016 inductee Phil Esposito brought to the area as an expansion franchise, won the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Esposito, who played 18 seasons in the NHL during his Hockey Hall of Fame career, was told the sport would never catch on on Florida after the Lightning debuted in 1991.

"I want the people in Boston and New York and in Toronto who gave me such a hard time- I want them to find out about this somehow," Esposito said.  "And I want to go and gloat a little bit.  Is that all right (laughing)?"

Two-time World Series champion Johnny Damon, who played one of his final seasons in Major League Baseball with the Rays, was proud to be honored back in the state where he grew up.

The Dr. Phillips High School graduate who spent a big portion of his youth in Orlando had the longest speech of the night, which concluded with a heartfelt thank you to his mother who was in the crowd.

Damon says the athletes who come out of the Sunshine State are special.

"I always say that Florida players were always the toughest out there," Damon said.  "When we get knocked down, we get back up.  We continue to keep trying because this state is very influential to athletes.

Recently retired University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley was in awe of the talent joining him in the Hall on induction night.

"It kind of makes me wonder what am I doing here a little bit," Foley said.  "But it's a special night for me.  It's also a special night for the University of Florida because I didn't do all this stuff by myself."

Foley, who spent two and a half decades building Florida into one of the most successful college programs in the nation, hired Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer during his tenure.

He was accompanied to the ceremony by new Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin and legendary Gators football coach Steve Spurrier, who also won a Heisman trophy for the Gators in 1966.

"For him to be the only AD in history to have basketball and football- both multiple times win national championships, that's pretty neat," Spurrier said of Foley.

St. Petersburg native and current University of South Florida sailing coach Allison Jolly is the final member of this year's induction class.

Jolly won a sailing gold medal in the 470 class with partner Lynne Jewell in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

Jolly was happy to see her sport gain extra attention through her inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

"It's Florida- we're surrounded by water on three sides," Jolly said.  "And I think that they've chosen to recognize sailing.  It's fantastic.  And that it happens to be me, I'm honored, but I'm just happy that sailing is getting this recognition.

Former Rays outfielder Sam Fuld was also honored with the Hall of Fame's "Fame for Fitness" award.