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The Cowboys defensive end finally gets into the Hall.
This year marked Charles Haley's sixth time as a finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame. How he wasn't voted in previously is still a mystery, but most attribute it to some in the press never forgiving him for his adversarial behavior in his playing days. Finally, they have rectified this and Haley is now a Hall of Famer.
Charles Haley was brought to the Dallas Cowboys in 1992. Dallas needed one more piece to the puzzle and that was a dominant pass-rusher from the edge. Haley was just what the doctor ordered. He had excelled in San Francisco but had worn out his welcome with abnormal and sometimes scandalous behavior (Haley was diagnosed as bi-polar in 2002). When Haley was added to an already very good Dallas defense, that unit rose to elite and dominated teams for the next few years.
Haley started his NFL career as a fourth-round draft pick from James Madison in 1986. He was an immediate success in San Fran, getting 12 sacks in his first season. He was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 (San Fran) and again in 1994 (Dallas). He was picked for five Pro Bowls while he was active in the NFL. In all, he totaled 100.5 sacks and is the only NFL player with five Super Bowl rings (two in San Fran, three in Dallas).
Haley is already enshrined in the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2011. Now, he's reached the ultimate individual goal for an NFL player, the Hall of Fame.
Also on the ballot as a finalist but not making it this year was former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson. Johnson was the coach that brought Haley to Dallas and together they won two Super Bowls, 1992 and 1993. Johnson coached Dallas from 1989 to 1993 before he and Jerry Jones had their famous falling out. He eventually coached the Dolphins before retiring and becoming a television analyst. Even though Cowboys fans remember him fondly for turning the franchise around and producing back-to-back Super Bowls, his coaching time was short, and he never captured the magic again in Miami. This is probably holding him back from entering the Hall.
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