Sometimes, it is difficult to take the voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame seriously. While the no-doubt-about-it guys get into the Hall in their first year eligible, the Hall of Fame selection committee often lets other deserving players wait years for the call.
In former Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson’s case, that wait can last decades.
On Wednesday, Pearson gathered family, friends and reporters to watch the Hall of Fame announcement for the 2020 class. Pearson had to watch again as his name went uncalled.
Pearson, now 69 years old, played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 to 1983. He was a three-time Pro Bowler, a three-time First-Team All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion. He was named to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team, but somehow, he has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame. He should have been inducted years ago, but he’s still not.
Many were convinced the Hall of Fame voters would finally fix this one, especially this year, given they had 15 extra members in this year’s class to commemorate the league’s 100th season.
Pearson is the only member of the 1970’s All-Decade Team to not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Every team and their fanbase in the league thinks there are about four or five players from their team deserving of being a Hall of Famer but in reality, only one or two of those guys should get in.
Pearson was clearly one of the best players from his era, especially at wide receiver. On the All-Decade team, he is the only skill player that isn’t going to Canton, Ohio. The Hall of Fame voters just put in Harold Carmichael, a Second-Team All-Decade player for the Eagles. Drew Pearson is still on the outside of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It’s no secret the Cowboys are a franchise rich in history. Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, they were becoming America’s Team. There were so many iconic moments that made the Cowboys either the most-liked or most-hated team in the league.
Several of those moments involved Pearson, but none are more iconic than the pass he caught that now has a universal name attached to it. You can’t think of the Hail Mary without mentioning Drew Pearson. It’s safe to say Pearson put his name in not only Cowboys’ lore but the league’s as well.
88 is an iconic number in Cowboys history for wide receivers. Years before Michael Irvin wore it, Pearson did.
It doesn’t seem like a character thing, which sometimes makes voters hesitate to give a guy their vote; this is not one of those cases.
Drew Pearson deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. This was the year they could’ve finally righted the wrong, but they didn’t. With each passing year, Pearson continues to be snubbed.
