OXNARD, Calif.– Jerry Jones is one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Jones, the Cowboys' owner/general manager, and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue have been named contributor finalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's nine-person contributor committee selected Jones and Tagliabue from a pool of 10 contributor nominees.
Jones, Tagliabue and seniors committee finalist Kenny Easley will join a group of 15 finalists yet to be determined. The Class of 2017 election vote will take place in Houston on Super Bowl weekend in February.[embeddedad0]
As a contributor nominee, Jones will need an 80-percent approval vote from the selection committee for election.
Since purchasing the Cowboys in 1989, Jones has expanded the franchise's global reach with three Super Bowl victories and has been an influential figure in growing the NFL brand.
"From my perspective, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday. "The impact he's had in the National Football League in his 27 years has been significant. Anybody who follows it closely knows the transformation that the league has had over the last 27 years and he's been on the forefront of so many of these factors that have helped grow the league to what it is right now.
"He wants the NFL to be great. He wants the Dallas Cowboys to be great."
Celebrate Owner, President, and General Manager Jerry Jones Pro Football Hall of Fame vote with some of our favorite photos of him through the years.
