The first larger-than-life Cowboys QB, a Super Bowl co-MVP, and a three-time league leader in interceptions are among those still in the running.
Thirteen greats from the Cowboys' past were on the original list of 162 Seniors nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Five of those Cowboys legends are among the 52 players to advance to the next round of voting.
Canton's Seniors category is reserved for players who have appeared in a professional football game no more recently than 25 years ago. For this cycle, the cutoff is the 2000 season.
Among the notable names who are moving on in the voting are Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, Mark Clayton, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Jim Marshall, L.C. Greenwood, Carl Banks, Lester Hayes, and Steve Tasker.
A nine-person Blue-Ribbon Committee, whose members also serve on the full Hall of Fame Selection Committee, will reduce the current list to 25 names and then again to nine semifinalists over the next several weeks. Three finalists will eventually be up for consideration in the Hall.
Here are the five Cowboys Seniors who have advanced in this year's voting.
DE Ed 'Too Tall' Jones (1974-1978, 1980-1989)
At 6-foot-9, the nickname was a little obvious. Jones was the first overall pick in 1974's draft, even though head coach Tom Landry had no idea what position he should play. After finally finding a home at left defensive end, all "Too Tall" did was dominate the league... until he abruptly retired from football at 28 years old to take up professional boxing. After just six bouts (all wins, five of them by knockout) he returned to the Cowboys for reasons he never publicly shared. Amazingly, he was even better in his second stint, playing another ten years and going to three Pro Bowls. The league began charting pass knockdowns as a stat because of Jones. Only two Cowboys have played in more games.
LB Lee Roy Jordan (1963-1976)
Called "one of the finest football players the world has ever seen" by none other than Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Jordan wore the star for 14 seasons, led the original "Doomsday" defense, and helped guide the team to its first-ever Super Bowl victory. Considered one of the hardest hitters of his era, Jordan was also a brilliant student of the game; his contract included a projector so he could watch game film at home and learn Tom Landry's innovative "Flex" system. A Ring of Honor member, Jordan remains the Cowboys' second all-time leading tackler. He passed away just a month ago at age 84.
DE Harvey Martin (1973-1983)
Martin is one of the most ferocious defensive players in Cowboys history, and one of the most decorated. In his 11 seasons, he was named to four Pro Bowls, earned four All-Pro nods, was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1977, led the league in sacks that same year, and was named co-MVP of Super Bowl XII, an honor he shared with teammate Randy White. His mind-boggling 114 sacks (an unofficial stat kept by the club for most of his career) was only eclipsed by DeMarcus Ware 30 years after he retired. Martin died of pancreatic cancer in 2001 at 51 years old.
QB Don Meredith (1960-1968)
He wasn't the first Cowboys quarterback, but he was the one who made the position a larger-than-life celebrity role that eventually transcended football. Meredith led the Cowboys to back-to-back NFL championship appearances in 1966 and 1967 and went to three Pro Bowls over his nine-year playing career. After his playing days, he was an actor and broadcaster, famous as the original color analyst for Monday Night Football. He was inducted into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor in 1976. He still sits sixth all-time in franchise history in: passing attempts, completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. Meredith died in 2010; he was 72.
CB Everson Walls (1981-1989)
Walls is probably most immediately remembered by Cowboys fans for his transcendent 1981 season, when he snagged a whopping 11 interceptions as an undrafted rookie. Others may know him as the defender who got posterized by the 49ers' Dwight Clark as he made "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Championship, the unfortunate costar of one of the most instantly recognizable photographs in sports history. Walls led the NFL three times in picks and remains in the NFL's top 15 all-time for interceptions.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 5 Cowboys legends advance in Hall of Fame Seniors vote
Category: Football
