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When will Jerry Jones add more to the Cowboys' Ring of Honor?

By Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - The crowd began to roar. Tears welled in the eyes of Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson.

His emotion went out to friend and former Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, taking his final ride around Texas Stadium upon being given the Cowboys' highest honor, induction into the Ring of Honor.

As Pearson helped the roaring crowd celebrate Staubach and his remarkable career that fall afternoon in 1983, he couldn't help thinking that one day, he might also see his name on the wall ringing the stands at Texas Stadium.

"I have closure on my career," said Pearson, owner of a marketing and merchandising company. "But (getting in the Ring of Honor) would be icing on that closure. I don't think about it much anymore, but I think I deserve it and belong up there with those guys."

It has been three years since owner Jerry Jones has inducted anyone into the Ring. Despite a lengthy and growing list of qualified ex-Cowboys, Jones seems in no hurry to add to the 10 members.

His reluctance to induct more members, or specify rules for inclusion, along with an expanding list of qualified candidates, has Ring members and those who feel they belong asking for changes in the nebulous selection process.

The recent retirements of Jay Novacek and Charles Haley, who helped return the Cowboys to prominence with three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, also add to the feeling among old-time Cowboys stars that they might be passed over forever.

"It's a dilemma," Pearson said. "Now some of his players are starting to retire. Does he place some of those players in the Ring over guys in the past?"

Pearson, the team's all-time leading receiver, isn't the only one who has a strong case for inclusion. There is Tex Schramm, former president and the only member of the Cowboys to be in the NFL Hall of Fame but not in the Ring. Other former Cowboys greats - including Bob Hayes, Charlie Waters, Cliff Harris, Rayfield Wright, Harvey Martin, Ed Jones and Everson Walls - are wondering if they will ever take that final magical ride around Texas Stadium.

Jones said a ceremony is not planned for this year and he doesn't know when another player will be so honored.

"It's not supposed to be an every-year thing," Jones said. "It could conceivably be next year. It always has been an exercise that takes several years. There are several players who arguably could be considered, and he (Pearson) is one." Leveling criticism

Schramm started the Ring of Honor in 1975 to honor players who "made the greatest contributions to the football team."

Defensive tackle Bob Lilly was the first inductee in 1975. Other members are Staubach, defensive back Mel Renfro, coach Tom Landry, defensive tackle Randy White, running back Tony Dorsett, linebacker Chuck Howley, linebacker Lee Roy Jordan, quarterback Don Meredith and running back Don Perkins. All but Jordan, Meredith, Perkins and Howley are in the NFL Hall of Fame.

The biggest gap between induction ceremonies has been four years. And that has happened on four occasions, the last coming between Jordan's inclusion in 1989 and Landry's induction in 1993.

Jones, who as Schramm did, serves as a one-man selection committee, declined to comment on the lag in inductions. Some ex-Cowboys, however, point the finger at Schramm for the problem. Many of the players considered top candidates, including Pearson, retired before Jones bought the team in 1989. If the players were worthy, why didn't Schramm induct them during his reign, they ask.

Staubach said Jones has been placed almost in a "no-win situation."

"Jerry's trying to figure it out and make the right decision," Staubach said. "It shouldn't be Jerry's problem. It has become his problem because he controls the whole history of the team. Any criticism should go back to the previous administration."

Schramm said Pearson was one of several people he would have liked to induct. He said Pearson's exclusion was not based on merit, but on the times.

"I liked to do things when we were upbeat," Schramm said. "We weren't very upbeat in 1987 and 1988. He (Pearson) is one of several who should be strongly considered. He meant a lot to the franchise." No agreement on criteria

The argument about who should and should not get in has brought the Ring of Honor to a crossroads, forcing Jones to re-examine the criteria and the selection process.

He hints at change, but does not offer specifics. He said he considered the idea of a committee, but has ruled against it. He has talked about making the Ring available only to NFL Hall of Fame members, but isn't closing the door on non-Hall of Fame members.

What is certain is that Jones wants it to remain a very exclusive club, just as Schramm intended it to be.

"It's for players that have made the highest and best contributions to the franchise," Jones said.

Schramm said he wanted to build a tradition with the Ring of Honor that transcended sports and put the Cowboys and Texas Stadium on par with the monuments at Yankee Stadium and the banners at Boston Garden.

That message has certainly hit home. Considering that the Ring of Honor has only 10 members in the 37 years of the franchise, it has conceivably been tougher to get in the Ring than the NFL's Hall of Fame, which inducts new members each year.

Landry made the Hall of Fame in 1990, the Ring of Honor in 1993. White and Dorsett were elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994 and inducted into the Ring of Honor that fall.

"I wanted something to be a lasting remembrance of the contributions of our people," Schramm said. "In the growth of the team, that sometimes gets forgotten along the way. But I wanted to create the type of tradition and sense of class for people that were part of the organization who made the greatest contributions that goes beyond just being a winner."

Although Staubach believes that the team's tremendous success during the past 37 years should lead to more ex-Cowboys being included, other former players have no problem with the exclusivity angle.

The mystery for them, however, is how Schramm and now Jones base their decisions on who has given the "greatest contribution to the franchise."

"I thought it was whoever Tex wanted to go in there," Dorsett said jokingly.

Jones said the criteria have never been "set in stone." He is considering making induction in the Hall of Fame one of the criteria, but "it's entirely not exclusive to that," he said.

Dorsett said it would be ridiculous to use the Hall of Fame as a measurement because "some of the names there now would have to come down."

"Hall of Fame shouldn't have anything to do with it," Dorsett said. "It should be what that person's career has meant to the Cowboys franchise." 'Keep it a limited group'

Schramm agrees with Jones on the Hall of Fame issue.

"I think it should be in essence that tight," he said. "That's certainly a good criterion, though there conceivably could be players that make great contributions to the Cowboys and not get in the Hall of Fame."

What Schramm isn't saying is that such a criterion would make it tough for Jones to continue to exclude Schramm from being a part of the legacy he built. Schramm, president and general manager of the Cowboys from 1960-1988, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1991.

Schramm and Jones clashed immediately when Jones bought the team in 1989. Schramm resigned shortly thereafter.

Neither will discuss their differences. Schramm, however, said it would be "hypocritical to say (getting in the Ring) wouldn't be a tremendous honor."

"I would be extremely proud to have my name up there with the people I worked with and followed," Schramm said. "I am very proud of the Cowboys and the Ring of Honor. It means more to me than to most other people."

Jones declined to talk about Schramm's candidacy, only saying that he's "pretty much bent on making it exclusive to the people who had an impact on the field, players and coaches."

The fact that personal bias is keeping Schramm out of the Ring while history suggests that he so richly belongs there is ironic. Because of a personal feud, Schramm played a similar hardball game with Jordan - considered by many to be the best middle linebacker in the Cowboys' history - by keeping him out of the Ring of Honor.

Jones finally gave Jordan his due in 1989, the same year Schramm left the organization and 13 years after Jordan retired.

Many in the Ring of Honor believe that type of rift is reason enough to scrap the one-man, one-vote selection process in favor of a formal selection committee.

Staubach, understanding that it's "Jerry's prerogative as the owner to make the decision just like Tex did before him," would like to see a committee formed.

"It would offset emotions or personal biases," Staubach said. "That would be a better process than what has historically been the process."

Dorsett agrees, saying that it could include the current members of the Ring of Honor.

"I've never been in total agreement with the one-man committee," Dorsett said. "I think a committee, inclusive of the Ring members, is a good idea."

Jones, however, remains partial to the old way.

"I looked at (a committee) and decided against it," Jones said."I get better input and less biased influence if it's not on a formal basis. It ultimately rests with me. But I get input from every constituency - fans, media, former players and coaches."

Jones insists that he is not keeping anyone out because of personal bias.

"All that's at play here is trying to keep it a limited group," Jones said.

Looming on the horizon as a possible solution to honor former greats is a Cowboys Hall, similar to the Packers Hall of Fame in Green Bay, Wis. Jones has talked about building such a facility as part of future expansion and remodeling plans for Texas Stadium.

"There is no projected time frame," Jones said. "We'd like it sooner than later. But we've talked about that as something we could do in conjunction with what we would do at the stadium. A Hall of Fame could serve as a compliment and mirror the Ring of Honor.

Staubach, who could list dozens of players he thinks belongs in the Ring of Honor, supports the Cowboys Hall of Fame idea wholeheartedly.

"I would love to see something where people could go back and see the great teams we fielded in the 1960s and 1970s," he said. "That would be a nice touch."

(c) 1997, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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