Chuck Howley Makes the Hall of Awesome!
By Matt Cordon (kh). Filed in Chuck Howley, Classic Player Profiles |
The folks at Cold, Hard Football Facts have announced the formation of the Hall of Awesome, which features players who have not made the Hall of Fame but who should be in it. While Cowboys fans feel as if our players do not get the credit of, say, the 49ers or Steelers, at least we got one player from the CHFF Hall of Awesome: Chuck Howley.
Most casual fans who know Howley’s name remember that he is the only player in Super Bowl history to be named MVP while playing for a losing team (Super Bowl V). He also had a very memorable interception in the Cowboys’ win in Super Bowl VI the following year. He finished his career with 25 interceptions and also had 17 fumble recoveries. He was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 1976.
Here is more from CCFF:
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Played 13 seasons for the Cowboys. From 1964-1973, Howley and the Cowboys had scoring defenses in the top seven league-wide. Made six Pro Bowls during that run. Was MVP for losing Cowboys in Super Bowl V. Tom Landry called him the best linebacker he’d ever seen.
Why he’s in the Hall of Awesome: Look at that picture. He reeks of Awesomeness. With that chisled jaw, all of his success, all of those years in the league for a high-profile team, how can that guy not be in Canton? Oh, right. He played defense. There aren’t many stats to judge Howley by, but the ones we have are pretty remarkable. In two Super Bowls, he picked off three passes and recovered a fumble. He was the No. 2 man behind Bob Lilly on the Dallas defense and one of the great speed rushers of his era.
Reasons he’s not in the “real” Hall: He didn’t make the all-1960s team. Why, we’re not sure – he was consensus all-NFL in 1966, 1968, 1969 and 1970. Perhaps the problem was that OLBs didn’t get the respect that the great middle men did – Green Bay’s Dave Robinson, who made the all-decade team, is also not in the Hall. Also, he was out of the league as a first-round washout before the expansion Cowboys took a chance on him and made him into an All-Pro.
Chances that he’ll be “promoted” to Canton: 10 percent. Trusting the Veterans Committee is a mistake (hello, Charlie Sanders!), but we’d like to think they’ll see the light on Howley, one of the first inductees into the Cowboys Ring of Honor.
The final word: Howley was a happy-go-lucky hick with incredible wheels and a knack for the big game. He’d have been a legend in baseball, but he came of age in an NFL that was still looking for exposure, and his crowd-pleasing plays were missed by most. He has everything a Hall of Famer is supposed to have: a long, decorated career, a key role on a great team, and shining moments on the game’s biggest stage.
Other players on the list include:
* QB Ken Anderson (Cincinnati)
* S Steve Atwater (Denver, N.Y. Jets)
* RB Roger Craig (San Francisco, L.A. Raiders, Minnesota)
* DE Richard Dent (Chicago, several others)
* DT Alex Karras (Detroit)
* G Jerry Kramer (Green Bay)
* DT Big Daddy Lipscomb (L.A. Rams, Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers)
* G Randall McDaniel (Minnesota, Tampa Bay)
* Ed and Steve Sabol (NFL Films)
* LB Derrick Thomas (Kansas City)
* LB Andre Tippet (New England)
* T Gary Zimmerman (Minnesota, Denver).
At least three players (and yes, there are even more, but first things first) from the Cowboys who merit consideration for this:
(1) Harvey Martin: He was the sack master before the NFL kept official statistics on sacks. In 1977, he recorded 23 sacks in just 14 games and was named the NFL’s defensive player of the year, as well as co-MVP of the Super Bowl. He was also named to the All-Decade team of the 1970s. He was never enshrined in either the Ring of Honor or the Hall of Fame.
(2) Cliff Harris: “Captain Crash” was another member of the All-Decade team of the 1970s. He was a six-time Pro Bowlers with 29 career interceptions. The Cowboys finally enshrined him in the Ring of Honor in 2004.
(3) Drew Pearson: Yet another member of the All-Decade team for the 1970s, Pearson is often overlooked by those outside of the Cowboys because his statistics do not compare well with those who played in a more pass-friendly league. Nevertheless, no highlight film from the 1970s is complete without at least one clip of Pearson (usually the Hail Mary, but there were many more). He finished his career with 489 receptions for 7822 yards and 48 touchdowns.
Sunday, August 5th 2007 at 2:33 pm
Drew Pearson should be in because of his clutch performances. His numbers are twice as good as Lynn Swan’s, who got in specifically on his Super Bowl performances. Those Super Bowl losses to Pittsburg are probably what is costing Pearson his spot right now. But any member of any all-decade team should be in the Hall, period. And there’s just no excuse for him not being in the Ring. That also has kept him out of the Hall. Jerry needs to fix that with both Pearson and Martin, and soon.