Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Former Cowboys DE Charles Haley selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

IRVING, Texas – You can no longer spell Pro Football Hall of Fame without Charles Haley.

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones often said his teams of the 1990s would not have been able to spell Super Bowl without the acquisition of Haley from the San Francisco 49ers in 1992.

On Saturday, Haley was selected to the Hall of Fame on his sixth try. On Aug. 8, he will join 1990s teammates Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders and Larry Allen in enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.

Haley is the only player in NFL history to win five Super Bowls. He was the catalyst for the Cowboys’ victories in Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX, and he won two Super Bowls with the 49ers. In 12 seasons, Haley played on 10 division championship teams and in six NFC Championship Games in a seven-year span.

Haley played in just 63 games with the Cowboys but was added to the team’s Ring of Honor in 2011. He had 34 sacks with the Cowboys and 100.5 for his career. He was one of the best pass-rushers of his generation.

For the Cowboys, he brought an attitude to a unit that needed some bite. He played hurt and battled back injuries at different times, but he played big at the biggest moments. His 4.5 sacks are a Super Bowl record.

"Charles was the difference maker for us," Jerry Jones said. "He put the 1990s Cowboys over the top.

"He brought a personal spirit and a competitive drive to our organization that changed the course of Cowboys history.

"Intelligence, toughness, will and determination are what Charles means to me. He was a great pass-rusher who could stop the run. He was a guy that teams had to game plan for. He was a defensive playmaker and a game changer -- a complete player, a great teammate who demanded, and expected, excellence from himself and the players around him."

He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Year twice (1990, 1994) and was voted to the Pro Bowl five times. He earned All-Pro honors twice, first as an outside linebacker with the Niners and then as a defensive end with the Cowboys.

Haley is the 22nd player, coach or front office member for the Cowboys to earn selection to the Hall of Fame. Allen was the most recent Cowboy to be enshrined, in 2013.

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