Junior Seau will always be admired for the passion and enthusiasm with which he played the game.

But Rodney Harrison remembers his former teammate for the way he brought energy to the practice field on a daily basis.

"As a rookie, I looked at Junior every day in practice and I went up to him and said, 'Why do you practice so hard?'" Harrison said. "He's running around, this big, muscular guy. And he said, 'Rodney, I get paid to practice. I play the games for free.'

"And if you think about it, it's easy to go out in front of 60 to 70,000 people and play. You don't need motivation. But to come in and practice every single day like it's a game, that's what Junior Seau taught me."

That commitment to preparation served as a catalyst for Seau to produce at an elite level for a long period of time. For that reason, Seau likely will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's one of 18 finalists for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class, which will be announced on Saturday.

It's hard to argue that Seau is not on that short list as one of the best linebackers ever to play the game, a list that includes Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary and Ray Lewis.

Seau played 20 seasons for three different teams, was voted to the Pro Bowl 12 times and was named first-team All-Pro eight times. Seau played in 268 games, the second most of any linebacker in NFL history. He finished with 1,522 tackles, 56.5 sacks and 18 interceptions.

Seau played in two Super Bowls, including the Chargers' only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. He was named to the 1990s All-Decade team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

At 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Seau not only played with a relentless effort, but with exceptional athleticism for a linebacker.

Willie McGinest followed in Seau's footsteps at USC, inheriting the No. 55 as the school's best linebacker once Seau left the Trojans for the NFL.

"He's a big reason why I decided to go to USC, because of the way they used him," McGinest told The Mighty 1090 AM radio. "And, of course, his NFL career -- it's first-ballot. It shouldn't be a question with what he did on the field, for the length of time he did it."

Seau played his final four seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots from 2006 to 2009, including an appearance in Super Bowl XLII. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was effusive in his praise of Seau while talking to reporters in the lead-up to this year's Super Bowl.

"Everybody in the locker room loved Junior," Belichick said. "They loved what he did and the way he interacted with the team. He was a great player. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach him. We had great experiences together.

"Obviously, it was at the end of his career. There were things that were a little different than when he was with San Diego and so forth. He brought a lot of energy and passion to our team. I personally had a very good relationship with Junior. I loved coaching him. He always expressed how much he enjoyed playing on the New England Patriots, and that meant a lot to me."

Along with his longevity and elite production, Seau's lasting impact in his native San Diego will be his legacy for his work in the community.

"What he did in the community, he set the example for myself and a lot of other teammates for what we needed to do to help San Diego become a better community," said Seau's former teammate, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Seau was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame in 2011. He died a year later at the age of 43 after taking his life on May 2, 2012.