Darren Woodson, Wade Phillips head Texas Sports Hall of Fame class

Darren Woodson did interviews Tuesday afternoon in the Tom Landry Theater surrounded by Dallas Cowboys’ memorabilia. One voter approached the former Cowboys safety, who retired in 2003, and apologized for it taking so long for Woodson to enter the Texas Sports Hall of Fame among the team’s other all-time greats.

“That’s all right,” Woodson said with a chuckle. “We’ve been slow in a lot of ways. This ain’t the only Hall of Fame we’re slow in.”

Woodson joined Rita Buck-Crockett, Dave Elmendorf, Pat Henry, Flo Hyman, Nastia Liukin, Eric Metcalf and Wade Phillips in the Class of 2017.

He already was inducted in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame and the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. Woodson, though, has yet to find a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“It is really hard to talk about my game and say, ‘Yeah, I’m deserving of this,’” Woodson said. “That’s not the way I’m built, never has been the way I’m built. I’m not going to promote myself. Let everyone else promote me. Let those coaches and players I played with or played against talk about my game. …I just know I played multiple positions and I have versatility that I could still play in this type of game today.”

Six of Woodson’s former teammates have busts in Canton. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will join them in August, having earned a spot in the Class of 2017.

Woodson became a first-time semifinalist in 2015, but has not advanced to the list of 15 finalists.

“I wish I had him,” said Phillips, now the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. “He’s been up there [among the candidates]. I think he’ll get in one day. He was a great player. It’s players that dominate their era no matter what position they played, and he was one of those. I think he’ll get in.”

Only seven pure safeties – plus three others who started their careers at cornerback before spending most of their career at safety – are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brian Dawkins and John Lynch both made the list of 15 finalists and advanced to the final 10 before being eliminated.

Safeties Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu are likely first-ballot inductees in coming years.

“I don’t think the position has been appreciated,” said Woodson, who in 12 seasons with the Cowboys made 813 tackles and 23 interceptions. “…But it is what it is. We’ve got to wait our turn, and hopefully I’m not in a wheelchair when I’m going in.”

Phillips became emotional when discussing his induction. A native Texan, Phillips joins his father, Bum Phillips, in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Phillips went 34-22 in his four seasons as the Cowboys head coach. He also spent three games as the interim head coach of the Houston Texans in 2013, but failed to win a game.

“This one is really special,” said Phillips, who also is in the University of Houston’s Hall of Honor. “Being from Texas is the key I think. You look at how big sports are here, especially football. Being a Texan, you can’t think of anything better than joining this hall of fame.

“My hero was my dad, and he’s in here. So those two things make me proud standing here.”

This story was originally published February 21, 2017 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Darren Woodson, Wade Phillips head Texas Sports Hall of Fame class."