By Jordan Long
On Tuesday, the NFL Hall of Fame announced two finalists in the contributor category for 2017. Those are current Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Do they deserve it and who are they missing?
Jerry Jones has been the Dallas Cowboys owner since he bought the team in 1989 for $140 million. The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in that span. For all that success the Cowboys have gone through seven head coaches. Those are Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips, and Jason Garrett. Besides his on the field accomplishments he helped the league with sponsorships. Those include Nike, Pepsi, and American Express. Without those sponsorships, who knows where the NFL would be.
Paul Tagliabue was the NFL Commissioner from 1989 to 2006. During his tenure the NFL expanded from 28 teams to 32 teams. There were also 20 new stadiums built. One of his greatest accomplishments was negotiating a new TV deal which was worth $25 billion in 2006.
Paul Tagliabue and Jerry Jones will still need to be voted into the Hall of Fame. They will find out their fate in February 2017. Both of these men are worthy of being in the NFL Hall of Fame. One owner who should be there, once again will have to wait another year.
Bowlen has been the owner of the Denver Broncos since 1984. The Broncos have a record under him of 313-197-1. That is a winning percentage of .614. Denver has appeared in 7 Super Bowls, winning 3 of them. The Broncos have only had an amazing 5 losing seasons. Those accomplishments on the field alone should have gotten him in.
Off the field, Bowlen served on 9 NFL committees. One of them was to help secure a record, at the time of $18 billion TV rights deal in 1998. Bowlen was big instrumental international expansion. The Broncos have played in London, Tokyo, Berlin, Barcelona, Sydney, and Mexico City. This was all to expand NFL football outside the United States.
According to the Denverpost.com former Broncos’ quarterback Jake Plummer said, “He definitely deserves to be in the (hall), as does Jerry Kramer and many others. Pat was more than an owner; he did a lot for the NFL and he did it quietly.”
This always seems to happen. When a Bronco is up for the Hall of Fame he is passed over. Bowlen is one of the best owners in NFL history. His record says it all. The NFL might not have the exposure on TV today without him. The next time Bowlen is up for the Hall of Fame, they need to take a long hard look. He is a Hall of Famer in my book.
What do you think of the NFL Hall of Fame passing on Pat Bowlen?
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