Former Dallas Cowboys safety Cliff Harris makes Hall of Fame; Drew Pearson denied again
Former Dallas Cowboys safety Cliff Harris tossed and turned in his bed at 3 a.m. Wednesday like a kid the night before Christmas.
His prayers were answered when he got a call from David Baker, the Pro Football Hall of Fame executive director, saying he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2020 Centennial Class.
It was a semi-sweet day for long-time Cowboys fans since receiver Drew Pearson was painfully denied again, but for Harris it was a day long overdue.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion and thought about the players and my mom and dad,” said Harris, 71, adding that he felt his knees buckle as he took the call from his office in Dallas while he was surrounded by 10 to 15 friends and family. “It’s a strong feeling right now. It’s been a crazy morning, a surreal experience.”
Harris, nicknamed “Captain Crash,” played with the Cowboys from 1970-79. He appeared in five Super Bowls, winning two, and was named to the Pro Bowl six consecutive times. Harris was also named a first-team All-NFL player for four straight seasons by The Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers Association.
Harris, an undrafted free agent from tiny Ouachita Baptist University, was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s and was a finalist for the Hall of Fame in 2004.
And, 16 years later, Harris said he had almost given up on his dream of making the Hall of Fame. The call was sweet, and one during which he shed tears of joy.
“Every year, as one more year passed, I thought that dream was getting further and further away,” Harris said. “To have it really happen, I can’t describe what it’s like. It’s just incredible. It is just unbelievable when you think about the long journey that it has been. I have been a blessed guy. God has blessed me.”
Pearson heartbroken
Pearson, however, must wait again.
Pearson, 69, played for Cowboys from 1973-1983 and retired as the team’s all-time leading receiver.
He played on the Super Bowl XII championship team, was a three-time Pro Bowl player, a five-time All-Pro selection and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s.
With Harris’ selection to the Hall of Fame, Pearson is now the only member of that 1970’s All-Decade team not to receive admission to Canton.
“Those guys that got it, they deserve it, but man, they broke my heart,” said an emotional Pearson, who was surrounded by family and friends in his home. “They broke my heart.”
Pearson’s cause could be taken up again by the Hall of Fame senior’s committee in 2021.
Harris joins former two-time Super Bowl champion coach Jimmy Johnson as representatives of the Cowboys in the 2020 Centennial Class.
Cowboys Hall of Famers
There are now 20 former Cowboys in the Hall of Fame, including Jerry Jones, Gil Brandt, Terrell Owens, Larry Allen, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Rayfield Wright, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Deion Sanders, Charles Haley, Bob Hayes and Roger Staubach.
The 15-member Centennial Class was created in conjunction with the 100-year anniversary of the NFL, in part, to correct some past omissions. This year’s class includes: Harris, Johnson, former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, Steelers safety Donnie Shell, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Harold Carmichael, Chicago Bears tackle Jim Covert, Green Bay Packers defensive back Bobby Dillon, New York Jets tackle Winston Hill, Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, Chicago Cardinals tackle Duke Slater, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mac Speedie, Bears defensive end Ed Sprinkle and New York Giants general manager George Young.
The Hall’s Centennial Class was selected by a special blue-ribbon panel, which included members of the Hall’s board of selectors, league historians and Hall of Famers and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Five modern-era players will also comprise the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020, and the committee making those selections will convene in Miami Beach on Feb. 1, the day before Super Bowl LIV.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 9:38 AM.
