Two former Dallas Cowboys are heading to Canton, Ohio.
Defensive end DeMarcus Ware and linebacker Chuck Howley were among the players elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2023 at the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday night in Phoenix, the site of Super Bowl LVII.
Former Cowboys safety Darren Woodson was among the 15 finalists for this year's class but he wasn't selected.
The Cowboys selected Ware with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Troy University thanks to team owner Jerry Jones's decision to overrule former head coach Bill Parcells, who preferred to draft LSU defensive end Marcus Spears instead (Dallas went on to select Spears with the 20th overall pick).
Ware made an immediate impact in his rookie season, finishing fourth in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He ended the season tied with Greg Ellis for the team lead in sacks (8) and led the team in tackles for loss (15).
Ware, who wasn't elected into the HOF in his first year of eligibility last year, spent the first nine years of his NFL career with the Cowboys, earning seven Pro Bowl selections, four All-Pro selections, and leading the NFL in sacks twice (2008, 2010). Ware remains the Cowboys' all-time leader in sacks.
Ware was a salary cap casualty after the 2013 season and was quickly scooped up by the Denver Broncos, where he would play for three seasons. Ware went to the Pro Bowl twice with the Broncos and earned a Super Bowl ring in 2015.
Howley, a member of the Cowboys Ring of Honor, was selected after being named as a finalist as a senior candidate. The linebacker is the only player in league history to win Super Bowl MVP honors as a member of the losing team.
After waiting 15 years to advance past the semifinal round of 25 candidates, Woodson will have to wait at least one more year for his name to be called.
Woodson's vacancy in the Hall of Fame remains a glaring omission in the eyes of many, including 105.3 The Fan’s very own Bryan Broaddus.
“I’ve been with Darren Woodson and I’ve been with (Hall of Fame finalist) LeRoy Butler,” Broaddus said on the GBag Nation when Woodson didn't make the finals last year. “100 out of 100 (times), give me Darren Woodson as a football player, as a safety. And I love LeRoy Butler.”
In 2015, Woodson became just the eighth defensive player in franchise history to be enshrined in the Cowboys' prestigious Ring of Honor. In his 12 NFL seasons, all with the Cowboys, Woodson earned four All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl selections. He remains the Cowboys' all-time leader in tackles.