The Cowboys are eight-deep in the recent list of nominees for next year’s Hall enshrinement ceremony. We review the careers of each. | From @KDDrummondNFL, @ToddBrock24f7
Not every player who enters the NFL has a chance to win a championship. As one of just 53 players on a roster, close to 70 if counting practice squads and 80 if counting IR, a single individual cannot change the fortunes of an entire franchise. One man can only control his own contributions, and in that vein, earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the lifetime achievement every player strives for.
The Dallas Cowboys, winner of five Super Bowls, have had their fair share of both champions and Hall of Famers. After the most recent enshrinement, that total has climbed to 22 (the club claims). Will they get any more in the near future? On Tuesday, the Hall announced this year’s class of nominees, all 173 of them. Dallas has their fair share, with seven names on the list. With no first timers, the odds are unlikely any get in, but that doesn’t mean they are any less deserving of consideration.
Here’s a look at who the seven are and where they rank on the club’s Top 100.
Earnie Shavers, one of the hardest punchers in the history of boxing, reportedly has died at 78.
One of the biggest punchers in history is gone.
Earnie Shavers, the longtime heavyweight contender who had more knockouts (68) than most boxers have fights, reportedly died at the age of 78 on Thursday. No cause of death was reported.
A remarkable 50 of his stoppages came within three rounds, 23 of them in the first round.
Shavers (74-14-1) never reached the heights of contemporaries Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier or George Forman during a golden age of heavyweights in the 1970s, but only Foreman rivaled him in terms of power even though Shavers was only 6-feet tall and weighed around 210 pounds at his peak.
Ring Magazine in 2018 ranked Shavers No. 10 on its list of the 100 top punchers pound-for-pound in history, No. 4 among career-long heavyweights. Joe Louis was No. 1, Jack Dempsey No. 7 and Foreman No. 9.
Shavers couldn’t beat his best opponents, losing a title fight to Ali, a title eliminator against Larry Holmes and then his second and final championship fight in a rematch with Holmes. However, he hurt Ali badly in their fight and put Holmes down in their first meeting.
Ali said famously, “Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa.”
Holmes paid tribute to Shavers’ power by saying, “Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. … Being hit by Mike Tyson was like getting hit by a speeding Ferrari. Being hit by Earnie Shavers was like being hit by a Mack Truck.”
And Shavers had some important victories, including a first-round knockout of future Hall of Famer Ken Norton in 1979 that led to his title shot against Holmes. He also stopped Jimmy Ellis, Jimmy Young and Joe Bugner.
Shavers, who lived in Warren, Ohio, turned professional in 1969 and “retired” for the first time in 1983. He returned in 1987, won one fight and then retired again. He then made one more comeback in 1995, winning once and then being stopped at the age of 51 by journeyman Brian Yates.
The kind, approachable Shavers was a regular at boxing events and autograph shows after finally retiring for good.
Earnie Shavers, one of the hardest punchers in the history of boxing, reportedly has died at 78.
One of the biggest punchers in history is gone.
Earnie Shavers, the longtime heavyweight contender who had more knockouts (68) than most boxers have fights, reportedly died at the age of 78 on Thursday. No cause of death was reported.
A remarkable 50 of his stoppages came within three rounds, 23 of them in the first round.
Shavers (74-14-1) never reached the heights of contemporaries Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier or George Forman during a golden age of heavyweights in the 1970s, but only Foreman rivaled him in terms of power even though Shavers was only 6-feet tall and weighed around 210 pounds at his peak.
Ring Magazine in 2018 ranked Shavers No. 10 on its list of the 100 top punchers pound-for-pound in history, No. 4 among career-long heavyweights. Joe Louis was No. 1, Jack Dempsey No. 7 and Foreman No. 9.
Shavers couldn’t beat his best opponents, losing a title fight to Ali, a title eliminator against Larry Holmes and then his second and final championship fight in a rematch with Holmes. However, he hurt Ali badly in their fight and put Holmes down in their first meeting.
Ali said famously, “Earnie hit me so hard, it shook my kinfolk back in Africa.”
Holmes paid tribute to Shavers’ power by saying, “Earnie hit me harder than any other fighter, including Mike Tyson. … Being hit by Mike Tyson was like getting hit by a speeding Ferrari. Being hit by Earnie Shavers was like being hit by a Mack Truck.”
And Shavers had some important victories, including a first-round knockout of future Hall of Famer Ken Norton in 1979 that led to his title shot against Holmes. He also stopped Jimmy Ellis, Jimmy Young and Joe Bugner.
Shavers, who lived in Warren, Ohio, turned professional in 1969 and “retired” for the first time in 1983. He returned in 1987, won one fight and then retired again. He then made one more comeback in 1995, winning once and then being stopped at the age of 51 by journeyman Brian Yates.
The kind, approachable Shavers was a regular at boxing events and autograph shows after finally retiring for good.
The College Hall of Fame has started their process for the 2023 class and several Cowboys-related folks made the first cut. | From @NoHuddle
Despite Canton, OH being the ultimate individual prize football has to offer in the form of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there’s still plenty of room for players to find their honor in other hallowed grounds. There are rings of honor, numbers being retired, and then there’s the College Football Hall of Fame.
Five former Dallas Cowboys have been nominated for that exact honor and while none of them have a gold jacket or their name circling AT&T Stadium, they all have special place in the hearts of Cowboys Nation.
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably …
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date
Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo
Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling
Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably the most-important fight in boxing history. The “Brown Bomber” was set to face Max Schmeling in a rematch of their 1936 meeting, in which the German stopped a young Louis in a significant upset. The rematch was scheduled for June 22, 1938 at Yankee Stadium, during the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Louis became a symbol of good, Schmeling of evil. However, before that fight could take place, Louis had to defeat solid, but limited Harry Thomas two-plus months earlier in Chicago. The result was predictable. Thomas, a veteran from Minnesota, fought bravely but didn’t have the tools to cope with Louis’ all-around game. The champion put the challenger down multiple times (five, according to UPI) before finishing the job at 2:50 of Round 5. Now it was on to Schmeling, who Louis felt he had to defeat to be the genuine heavyweight champion. “Now I know I can beat that Schmelin’,” Louis said after stopping Thomas. “I always did think I could beat him, but he just happened to beat me that time. I know how to do it, too. I’ll step out and set the pace.” Schmeling lasted 124 seconds.
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably …
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date
Harry Thomas endured the fate of most of Joe Louis’ opponents. AP Photo
Joe Louis wins warm-up for showdown with Max Schmeling
Joe Louis’ title defense on this date in 1938 was a warm-up for arguably the most-important fight in boxing history. The “Brown Bomber” was set to face Max Schmeling in a rematch of their 1936 meeting, in which the German stopped a young Louis in a significant upset. The rematch was scheduled for June 22, 1938 at Yankee Stadium, during the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Louis became a symbol of good, Schmeling of evil. However, before that fight could take place, Louis had to defeat solid, but limited Harry Thomas two-plus months earlier in Chicago. The result was predictable. Thomas, a veteran from Minnesota, fought bravely but didn’t have the tools to cope with Louis’ all-around game. The champion put the challenger down multiple times (five, according to UPI) before finishing the job at 2:50 of Round 5. Now it was on to Schmeling, who Louis felt he had to defeat to be the genuine heavyweight champion. “Now I know I can beat that Schmelin’,” Louis said after stopping Thomas. “I always did think I could beat him, but he just happened to beat me that time. I know how to do it, too. I’ll step out and set the pace.” Schmeling lasted 124 seconds.
On this date: Ken Norton stunned Muhammad Ali in the first of their three fights.
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date
Ken Norton upsets Muhammad Ali in the first of their fights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYtHaduVZ8
Muhammad Ali had few genuine rivals. The most obvious one was Joe Frazier, who lost two of three classic fights to “The Greatest” but took him to hell in the process. And there was Ken Norton. The strapping heavyweight also met Ali in a three-fight series, the first a non-title bout on this date in 1973 at the Sports Arena in Norton’s adopted hometown of San Diego. Ali proved his toughness by fighting 11-plus rounds with a broken jaw but the underdog, younger and fitter than his iconic opponent, outworked him to earn a 12-round split-decision victory that established him as a major player in the division and spoiled Ali’s immediate plans to challenge champion George Foreman. They fought again less than six months later, with a better-conditioned Ali emerging with a split-decision victory in the rematch. Still, it was Norton who would get first crack at Foreman. And things didn’t go well for him, as he failed to survive two full rounds. Seven months after that Ali would make boxing history but stopping Foreman in arguably the greatest victory of his magnificent career. Ali and Norton would meet for the final time in 1976, with Ali winning a unanimous decision in another close fight. Some believe Norton should’ve had his hand raised in the all three fights.
Also on this date: Larry Holmes stopped hulking Leroy Jones in eight rounds in defense of his heavyweight title in 1980. And Mike Weaver stunned undefeated John Tate by scoring a knockout in the 15th and final round of a fight he was losing on the cards to win a heavyweight belt.
On this date: Ken Norton stunned Muhammad Ali in the first of their three fights.
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date
Ken Norton upsets Muhammad Ali in the first of their fights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYtHaduVZ8
Muhammad Ali had few genuine rivals. The most obvious one was Joe Frazier, who lost two of three classic fights to “The Greatest” but took him to hell in the process. And there was Ken Norton. The strapping heavyweight also met Ali in a three-fight series, the first a non-title bout on this date in 1973 at the Sports Arena in Norton’s adopted hometown of San Diego. Ali proved his toughness by fighting 11-plus rounds with a broken jaw but the underdog, younger and fitter than his iconic opponent, outworked him to earn a 12-round split-decision victory that established him as a major player in the division and spoiled Ali’s immediate plans to challenge champion George Foreman. They fought again less than six months later, with a better-conditioned Ali emerging with a split-decision victory in the rematch. Still, it was Norton who would get first crack at Foreman. And things didn’t go well for him, as he failed to survive two full rounds. Seven months after that Ali would make boxing history but stopping Foreman in arguably the greatest victory of his magnificent career. Ali and Norton would meet for the final time in 1976, with Ali winning a unanimous decision in another close fight. Some believe Norton should’ve had his hand raised in the all three fights.
Also on this date: Larry Holmes stopped hulking Leroy Jones in eight rounds in defense of his heavyweight title in 1980. And Mike Weaver stunned undefeated John Tate by scoring a knockout in the 15th and final round of a fight he was losing on the cards to win a heavyweight belt.
On this date: A 136-round fight and successful defenses by Louis, Holmes
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date
Looooooong fight
One must admire the conditioning of a boxer who can go the 12-round distance. How about 136? That’s the number of rounds lightweights Arthur Chambers and Johnny Clark did battle on this date in 1879 in Chippewa Falls, Ontario. The bout lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes, one of longest contests in boxing history, according to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Chambers, from England, knocked out his American counterpart to end the marathon. How could 136 rounds be squeezed into about 2½ hours? We can’t be certain, although a round ended when one fighter went down in those days. Maybe it was as much a wrestling match as a boxing contest. Some consider it the first great lightweight fight. Chambers, who settled in Philadelphia, went on to become an early financial backer and advisor to the first heavyweight champion of the modern era, John L. Sullivan. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Pioneer in 2000.
Also on this date: Joe Louis stopped Abe Simon in six rounds to retain the heavyweight championship in 1942 at Madison Square Garden. And, in 1983, Larry Holmes successfully defended his heavyweight belt by easily outpointing Lucien Rodriguez at Watres Armory in Scranton, Pa.
On this date: A 136-round fight and successful defenses by Louis, Holmes
A LOOK back AT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON this date
Looooooong fight
One must admire the conditioning of a boxer who can go the 12-round distance. How about 136? That’s the number of rounds lightweights Arthur Chambers and Johnny Clark did battle on this date in 1879 in Chippewa Falls, Ontario. The bout lasted 2 hours, 23 minutes, one of longest contests in boxing history, according to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Chambers, from England, knocked out his American counterpart to end the marathon. How could 136 rounds be squeezed into about 2½ hours? We can’t be certain, although a round ended when one fighter went down in those days. Maybe it was as much a wrestling match as a boxing contest. Some consider it the first great lightweight fight. Chambers, who settled in Philadelphia, went on to become an early financial backer and advisor to the first heavyweight champion of the modern era, John L. Sullivan. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Pioneer in 2000.
Also on this date: Joe Louis stopped Abe Simon in six rounds to retain the heavyweight championship in 1942 at Madison Square Garden. And, in 1983, Larry Holmes successfully defended his heavyweight belt by easily outpointing Lucien Rodriguez at Watres Armory in Scranton, Pa.
