In the shadow of last weekend's induction of Emmitt Smith into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, a few other Cowboys legends are finding enshrinement not in Ohio, but in Waco, Texas.
Harvey Martin, Dan Reeves and Chuck Howley were announced, along with seven others, as members of the 2010 class of inductees to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Martin, a defensive end, was a member of the All-Decade Team for the 1970s, a four-time Pro Bowler and the co-MVP of Super Bowl XII (along with Randy White), a 27-10 victory over Denver. The Dallas-native was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1977, and is generally considered one of the all-time great defensive players in Cowboys history.
Howley came before Martin, but was equally integral in the refinement of the "Doomsday Defense" in the late-sixties and early-seventies. A six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, Howley is the only player in NFL history to be named Super Bowl MVP as a member of the losing team--the linebacker had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in Super Bowl V, a 16-13 loss to the Colts. He, and the Cowboys, went on to win the big game the following year, a 24-3 drubbing of Miami.
Playing on that team was a young running back named Dan reeves. Reeves, known better these days as a coach, played eight seasons in the NFL, all with Dallas. He was involved in two Super Bowls, as well as the ever-infamous (around Dallas) Ice Bowl in 1967. Reeves very nearly returned to the team before last season, as a consultant, but the two sides were unable to agree on terms.
Joining the three Cowboys in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame class of 2010 are Bud Adams--owner of the Titans, co-founder of the AFL and founder of the Houston Oilers; Max Williams--who helped organize the Dallas Chaparrals, the ABA franchise that would become the San Antonio Spurs; Houston Astros' outfielder Lance Berkman; former Baylor football standout Lawrence Elkins; former Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooton, who played his college ball at the University of Texas; NFL quarterback and Rice-alum Tommy Kramer; and Kim Mulkey, the Baylor women's basketball coach.
