IRVING, Texas – Former Cowboys defensive lineman Charles Haley is once again one of the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Haley, a finalist for the fifth time, joins four first-year eligible nominees among the 15 modern-era finalists to be considered for election to the Hall of Fame when the selection committee meets in New York City on Feb. 1.
If Haley made it this year, he'd be the 15th Cowboys player to be elected to the Hall of Fame, joining Troy Aikman, Larry Allen, Tony Dorsett, Bob Hayes, Michael Irvin, Tom Landry, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Deion Sanders, Tex Schramm, Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach, Randy White and Rayfield Wright.
Haley played 12 seasons and in 169 games and is the only player in NFL history to play on five Super Bowl winning teams between his time in Dallas and San Francisco.
He began his career as a linebacker in San Francisco, where he recorded four double-digit sack seasons. He'd later get traded to the Cowboys, where he'd record two more double-digit sack seasons in 1994 and 1995 as a defensive end. Haley finished his career with 100.5 total sacks, getting named to five Pro Bowls and garnering two All-Pro selections.
Former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who was a semifinalist this year and won two Super Bowl titles during his time in Dallas, didn't make the list of finalists.
The 15 modern-era finalists will be the only ones considered for Hall of Fame election when the 46-member selection committee meets. A finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent to be elected.
To be eligible for election, players and coaches must have last played or coached more than five seasons ago. Derrick Brooks, Tony Dungy, Marvin Harrison and Walter Jones are the four first-year eligible nominees. Haley and Kevin Greene have both been eligible for 10 years.
All the finalists were determined by a vote of the selection committee from a list of 126 nominees, which was reduced to a list of 25 semifinalists. In addition, Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame's Seniors Committee, leaving 15 modern-era and two senior nominees among the full list of finalists.
Here's a list of all the finalists: [embedded_ad]
- Morten Andersen, Kicker
- Jerome Bettis, Running Back
- Derrick Brooks, Linebacker
- Tim Brown, Wide Receiver/Kick Returner/Punt Returner
- Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner
- Tony Dungy, Coach
- Kevin Greene, Linebacker/Defensive End
- *Ray Guy, Punter
- Charles Haley, Defensive End/Linebacker
- Marvin Harrison, Wide Receiver
- *Claude Humphrey, Defensive End
- Walter Jones, Tackle
- John Lynch, Free Safety
- Andre Reed, Wide Receiver
- Will Shields, Guard
- Michael Strahan, Defensive End
- Aeneas Williams, Cornerback/Safety
