Former Dallas Cowboys Terrell Owens and Everson Walls among Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists
By Jay Betsill
The finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 were announced on Tuesday night with two former Dallas Cowboys making the cut on the way to Canton. The new class will be elected and announced on “Selection Saturday” before Super Bowl LII in Minnesota.
Terrell Owens, who played for the Cowboys from 2006-2009, had a storied career that began with the San Francisco 49ers, continued with the Philadelphia Eagles and wrapped up with stints with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
Owens is second all-time in receiving yards and third all-time in receiving touchdowns and is in his third year of being a finalist. T.O. had three straight 1,000-yard seasons and 38 touchdowns in his time in Dallas.
While Owens is a no-brainer Hall of Fame player from his numbers, this year may be complicated by the inclusion of fellow wide receiver Randy Moss in his first year of eligibility.
Everson Walls began his career with the Cowboys, playing for Dallas from 1981-89 and also played with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. Walls made four Pro Bowls in his time with the Cowboys.
Walls, in his 20th year of eligibility, is a first-time finalist.
Better chance to get into #PFHOF18: Randy Moss or Terrell Owens?@MikeSilver: “If Randy gets in and T.O. doesn’t, that’s laughable.” pic.twitter.com/Ak1JYMIQZO
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 3, 2018
The full list of modern-era finalists is:
Ray Lewis, LB
Brian Urlacher, LB
Edgerrin James, RB
Randy Moss, WR
Terrell Owens, WR
Isaac Bruce, WR
John Lynch, S
Brian Dawkins, S
Everson Walls, DB
Ty Law, CB
Tony Boselli, OT
Kevin Mawae, C
Joe Jacoby, OT
Steve Hutchinson, OG
Alen Faneca, OG
The modern-era finalists join three other finalists to comprise 18 finalists under consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.
The two Senior Finalists are former Houston Oilers linebacker Robert Brazile and Green Bay Packers guard Jerry Kramer.
The Contributor finalist is former Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard.
To be elected, a finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent during the annual selection meeting.
There is also a fan vote at nfl.com/hofvote
