It’s official: the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2020 class will have to wait even longer for enshrinement. The cancellation of the first exhibition game of the year between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers was announced Thursday morning and is set to be made up next year; it was only a matter of time before this news followed.
The class that was to be the biggest in the NFL’s storied history, with 20 players, coaches, and contributors slated to receive the famed bronze bust split into two ceremonies, will have to wait even longer for their moment in the sun.
For the Cowboys, two greats are affected. The first is former head coach Jimmy Johnson, the architect of the ’90s dynasty that resulted in three world championships. Johnson, of course, ended up with just two of those rings before his relationship with owner Jerry Jones soured and became untenable. The other is safety Cliff Harris, who played in five Super Bowls throughout the 1970s, won two of them, and was a member of the All-Decade team.
HOF postponed until 2021…so got to wait another year!
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) June 25, 2020
Harris was one of two positional players of the All-Decade team that had yet to receive the call from Canton. The other, of course, is wide receiver and the original 88, Drew Pearson.
Johnson’s pro coaching career lacked the length that many Hall of Fame coaches enjoyed. He lasted just nine years and won only 80 games.
The wait for a gold jacket has been long overdue for both Dallas legends. Now the wait will be just a little longer.