Who Should Be the Cowboys Next Ring of Honor Inductee?
By Mark Lane
Ever since 1994 when Jerry Jones took control of the franchise in a manner only Fransisco Franco would applaud, the fans whined about what a sinister practitioner of revisionist history he was to not include Drew Pearson in the Dallas Cowboy’s Ring of Honor. Never mind that Tex Schramm had five seasons to get it done himself. No, Jerry Jones collaborated with Nero’s ghost to keep Drew Pearson out of the Ring of Honor.
Even if you didn’t have a vendetta against Jerry Jones, as though his production company stole your mineral rights, there was an agreement amongst Cowboys fans that Drew Pearson should be the next in the Ring of Honor. It finally happened on November 6th, 2011.
Now before the Cowboy body politic is a new Ring of Honor inquiry: who’s got next?
Here’s my top five of who should go soon:
1. Darren Woodson — If the Cowboys’ all time leading tackler can’t get in, then Baylor Medical Center should do a pilot study on the neurological effects of botulism. Woodson was also a 5-time Pro Bowler as well as a 4-time All Pro. And he was very key in our three Super Bowls in the early to mid 1990’s.
2. Harvey Martin — He holds the Cowboys’ unofficial single season sack record with 23. He was defensive player of the year in 1977, when the Cowboys crushed the Broncos in Super Bowl XII. While he was only a first team All Pro once, he made the All Decade team. There would be nothing more beautiful than to see the late Harvey Martin enshrined forever in the Ring of Honor.
3. Cornell Green — Having not played football at all at Utah State, Cornell Green went on to become a 5-time Pro Bowler and 3-time All Pro. Here’s a guy who started 145 consecutive games and never missed a one of his 168 games. That’s 13 seasons of perfect attendance. He switched from cornerback to strong safety in 1970, which helped the Cowboys make two consecutive Super Bowl appearances. He’s currently tied for fifth in all-time team interceptions.
4. Daryl Johnston — There’s an anecdote out there that Emmitt Smith commissioned a painting for Daryl Johnston. The picture shows the two hitting a hole, but Emmitt is in gray while “Moose” is highlighted in color. He was a very instrumental part of Emmitt’s success and also the team’s success in the 1990’s. Walt Garrison and Don Perkins are up there, so adding a fullback wouldn’t be unprecedented.
5. Jimmy Johnson — Regardless of whether or not Jerry Jones does it is irrelevant. Jimmy Johnson deserves to be there. He took a team from a 1-15 disgrace to a Super Bowl champion three seasons later. Then, he repeated the feat. He built a team that won three Super Bowls in four years, even if he wasn’t around for the last one. Even if he wasn’t as tenured as Tom Landry, he still brought back great luster to the Star that we’re still living off of to this day.
My sincere hope is that Jerry Jones won’t do something dunderheaded and induct Deion Sanders to the Ring of Honor. That would be like putting a statue of Idi Amin in the Capitol Rotunda or casting Steve Buscemi as James Bond. I mean, I’d rather see Bill Bates, Dat Nguyen, Rich Dalrymple, or Crazy Ray go into the Ring of Honor before Deion Sanders.
At least the conversation will be less vitriolic this go-around.