ALAMEDA, Calif. -- After five years of disappointment, former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown's long wait is finally over. He's headed to Canton to take his place in the Hall of Fame.

Brown, the 23rd Raiders player elected to the Hall of Fame, is the fifth-leading receiver in NFL history, with 1,094 catches. He is sixth all-time in receiving yardage (14,934) and scored 104 career touchdowns: 100 in receptions, three on punt returns and one on a kickoff return.

Still, it was no sure thing that the first-round pick in 1988 would get the voters' support needed to get in. Brown had been a finalist each of the previous five times he was up for induction but was denied entrance each time.

The argument against Brown was that while he put up big numbers, he was not considered a dominant play-maker. It also didn't help that deserving wide receivers such as Cris Carter and Andre Reed had previously been finalists with him, which made it more difficult for Brown to get enough of the vote.

This time, Brown was the only wide receiver among the finalists. Former Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison had also been on the ballot, and there were some voters who felt he deserved to go in before Brown. But Harrison didn't make the cut to the finalists, which opened the door for Brown.

Brown nervously waited more than eight hours while voters debated but finally received the good news just before 9 p.m. ET.

Raiders owner Mark Davis congratulated Brown on Twitter, while former Oakland teammate Napoleon Kaufman and current Raiders defensive lineman Justin Tuck also tweeted congratulations to Brown.

Brown spent his first 16 NFL seasons with the Raiders, then signed with Tampa Bay for one year before retiring following the 2004 season.

A relieved and undoubtedly happy Brown let his feelings out on Twitter:

Hey everybody, just wanted to say thanks for all the well wishes! This is an incredible moment. Thanks for all the support over the years!

— Tim Brown (@81TimBrown) February 1, 2015