In the end, Drew Bledsoe was surprised.

“It was a little overwhelming this morning to receive the call from Mr. Kraft,” the former Patriots quarterback said Monday shortly after he got word informing him he was the newest inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. “Honestly, [I was] a little more emotional than I thought it would have been.”

Bledsoe could be surprised, but as far as the New England fan base was concerned, there was no doubt: the team announced Monday that the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback earned the highest percentage of votes for any candidate and becomes the first player to be selected by the fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Bledsoe beat out one of his former coaches, Bill Parcells, as well as AFL legend Houston Antwine, to become the 17th player and 18th member to enter the Patriots Hall of Fame.

“In the company that I was in during the election process, to think that I was going to be elected out of that group of three, I didn’t know if that would happen or not, and that’s being honest,” he said. “So that was part of it.

“But then, just to talk to Mr. Kraft and he had some words that he shared with me that just were expressing gratitude for my time there that were really touching,” he added. “When [Patriots’ PR chief] Stacey [James] sent me a text to ask where I was going to be and if I could take a phone call, I had some inclination that that’s what it was about. But then to actually be on the phone with Mr. Kraft and to hear the words was pretty touching.”

The honor brings Bledsoe’s playing career full circle: He was the first overall pick of the Patriots in the 1993 draft out of Washington State and played nine seasons with New England, throwing for 29,657 yards and 166 touchdown passes. Bledsoe led the Patriots to the playoffs in four of his first six seasons, and in 1996, helped the franchise to an AFC Championship and berth in Super Bowl XXXI.

In the months following Super Bowl XXXVI, he was dealt to Buffalo before ending his career in Dallas in 2006. But along with Bill Parcells, he played a key role in helping create a foundation for a successful franchise, a foundation that endures.

"I congratulate Drew on this most deserving honor,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “For his production at the quarterback position and his professionalism for nearly a decade, Drew was instrumental in helping put this franchise back on the map. His induction will be an appropriate celebration of an outstanding career."

“Drew Bledsoe played such an integral role in our efforts to rebuild the Patriots brand,” said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. “He gave fans hope for the future and provided many memorable moments during his record-breaking career.

“I will never forget Drew’s record-setting performance in that come-from-behind victory against Minnesota the year I bought the team. It sparked a seven-game win streak and put the Patriots back in the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

“For a franchise that had only hosted one playoff game in its first 35 years, winning the AFC Championship Game at home in Foxboro and taking the Patriots to the playoffs for three consecutive years were unimaginable goals prior to his arrival.”

Throughout the 1990s, Bledsoe was consistently one of the finest quarterbacks in the league. Courtesy of my colleague Kirk Minihane: from 1996-98, Bledsoe had a combined 75 touchdowns and at least 3,600 yards each year. In addition, during his nine-year Patriots career, he broke the franchise career passing records for attempts (4,518), completions (2,544) and yards (29,657).

Bledsoe still holds the Patriots’ single-season passing records for attempts (691) and completions (400), and is the only player in franchise history to pass for over 400 yards multiple times (4). He still holds the NFL record for attempts in a season (691 in 1994), as well as attempts (70) and completions (45) in a game, both of which came in a 1994 overtime win against the Vikings.

“The game against the Vikings in 1994 that started our seven-game win streak to get us into the playoffs was a huge memory,” Bledsoe said of the game where Bledsoe went 45-for-70 for 426 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win against Minnesota.

“[And] 1996, having the two playoff games in Foxboro, [that] stands out really clearly in my mind,” he said. “And then, obviously, in ‘01, getting hurt and watching Tom Brady take over and beginning what’s been just a spectacular run of his, and to come back in and play in the AFC championship game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh and help us win that game is a memory that stands out very clearly.”

Bledsoe said he still stays in touch with many of his former teammates, including Brady, Scott Zolak, Bruce Armstrong, Todd Rucci, Max Lane and Lawyer Milloy. (He also said he’s checked in with two former teammates, Ted Johnson and Kevin Turner, who are suffering from medical conditions during their post-playing days.) It’s likely that more than a few of his former teammates will thanked in his induction speech, which is scheduled for September.

“There are so many hundreds of people that really need to be thanked individually,” he said, “and I certainly won’t have time to get through all of those, so I’m trying to figure out how to properly say thank you to all the people who helped me through, not only my career but my life.

“But then the overriding thing is going to be just a thank you to the New England Patriots fans and to the Kraft family and to the great organization that they were and then have gone on to become since then,” he added. “It’s really gratifying to feel like I was, with my teammates at the time, we were part of a resurgence of that franchise that has gone on to become probably the premier franchise in the NFL. So it’s gratifying to be a part of that.”