The Cowboys' Canton list has swelled to 12.
Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, has been elected to the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame class Saturday in South Florida.
Smith, a member of all three Cowboys championship teams in the 1990s, each received a required 80-percent voting approval from the 44-person Hall committee. Charles Haley, also a three-time champion with the Cowboys, did not make Saturday's initial cut from 15 finalists (plus two Seniors Committee choices) to 10.
Joining Smith in the 2010 class are Jerry Rice, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little and John Randle.
The most decorated running back in league history, Smith was voted to eight Pro Bowls and won four rushing titles, a league MVP in 1993 and three Super Bowl titles (1992, 1993, 1995). His 164 rushing touchdowns are the most all-time.
The rest of the 17 finalists entering the weekend were wide receiver Tim Brown, wide receiver Cris Carter, coach Don Coryell, running back Roger Craig, center Dermonti Dawson, defensive end Richard Dent, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, wide receiver Andre Reed and tight end Shannon Sharpe.
The Cowboys already had 11 directly-associated members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Tony Dorsett, wide receiver Bob Hayes, wide receiver Michael Irvin, head coach Tom Landry, defensive tackle Bob Lilly, defensive back Mel Renfro, president/general manager Tex Schramm, quarterback Roger Staubach, defensive tackle Randy White and offensive tackle Rayfield Wright.
Aikman (2006), Wright (2006), Irvin (2007) and Hayes (2009) are the most recent inductees.
Smith and the rest of the 2010 class will be formally inducted in August in Canton.
-Rob Phillips
