Another Chapter of Cowboys Hall of Famers
He has no rushing yards. He never made a tackle or threw a pass. In fact, Gil Brandt never suited up a single snap for the Cowboys. Yet, his presence to not only the team, but the entire NFL, earned him a spot in the 2019 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brandt, who will be inducted in August as a contributor, brings the Cowboys' official total to 17 Hall of Famers.
Bob Lilly - Inducted in 1980, it's only fitting that "Mr. Cowboy" is the first player headed to Canton. Lilly is tied for the most Pro Bowls in team history with 11 and was a member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary team.
Roger Staubach - After leading the Cowboys to four Super Bowl appearances, and two titles, Staubach got his call to the Hall of Fame in 1985. Staubach remains one of only two quarterbacks to ever win both the Heisman Trophy and Super Bowl MVP.
Tex Schramm - While he was one of the true architects of America's Team and the growth of the Cowboys' brand and franchise, Schramm (inducted in 1991) also played pivotal role in the development of the NFL with many contributions from rule changes within the game to the institution of instant replay.
Tony Dorsett - The Cowboys made a draft-day splash to get Dorsett with the No. 2 overall pick and it was totally worth it. He became the team's most dynamic offensive weapon, evident by his 99-yard touchdown run in the 1982 season. Dorsett was inducted into the Hall of Fame with teammate Randy White in 1994.
Randy White - As one of the headliners of the famed "Doomsday Defense," White racked up 111 sacks during 14 seasons with the Cowboys. Along with defensive end Harvey Martin, White was named a co-MVP of the Cowboys' Super Bowl XII championship in 1977.
Mel Renfro - Considering all the great defensive backs that have passed through the organization, it says a lot that Renfro's 52 career interceptions are still a franchise record. Renfro was originally drafted to play running back, but was a five-time All-Pro in the Cowboys' secondary.
Troy Aikman - With all due respect to Roger Staubach, no quarterback in Cowboys' history won as many championships as Aikman. As one of the centerpieces of the Cowboys' 1990s dynasty, Aikman guided Dallas to three Super Bowl championships and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII.
Rayfield Wright - Offensive linemen tend to not get as much credit as others, so maybe that's why Wright had to wait until 2006 to be enshrined in Canton. There's not denying his impact, though, as Wright helped pave the way for 12 playoff teams and two Super Bowl champions.
Michael Irvin - For a franchise oozing with personality, arguably no one had more than The Playmaker. Irvin was the emotional spark plug for the Cowboys' championship teams of the 90s. He wasn't too bad of a receiver, either, posting seven 1,000-yard seasons and 65 career receiving touchdowns.
Bob Hayes - The only man in history to win a Super Bowl and an Olympic gold medal, "Bullet" Bob Hayes changed the way the NFL thought about the receiver position. His then-franchise record of 71 receiving touchdowns stood from 1974 until 2017.
Emmitt Smith - The NFL's all-time leading rusher joined his Hall of Fame "Triplets" teammates, Aikman and Irvin, as a first-ballot inductee in 2010. A three-time Super Bowl champion, Smith also won four NFL rushing titles, an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl MVP award.
Deion Sanders - Sanders' free-agent deal in 1995 was a landmark move in NFL history – and he helped put the Cowboys over the top for a third Super Bowl title in four years. "Prime Time" played five of his 14 NFL seasons in Dallas, and he's widely regarded as one of the elite defensive players in league history.
Larry Allen - An unheralded second-round pick out of small-school Sonoma State in 1994, Allen emerged as arguably the most dominant offensive lineman in franchise history. He was a member of two Cowboys championship teams (1994, 1995) and made 11 Pro Bowls as a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1990s and 2000s.
Charles Haley - Once an NFC rival as a star pass rusher in San Francisco, Haley became the missing link to the Cowboys' dynasty in the 1990s. He retired in 2000 as the only player in NFL history with five Super Bowl rings, including three in Dallas.
Jerry Jones - Inducted in 2017, Jones was the first NFL owner to win three Super Bowl titles in a four-year span. But he's also had a groundbreaking impact on the league in terms of marketing, promotion, stadium development and network TV negotiations.
Gil Brandt - The most recent Hall of Famer with Cowboys ties, Brandt oversaw the acquisition of 15 of 19 Cowboys Ring of Honor members as VP of player personnel from 1960-89. Considered a pioneer in football scouting and front office management.
