The NFL Honors were last night and three Dallas Cowboys players heard their names called.
The event is used to name award recipients from the previous NFL season, and to announce the former players that will enter the Hall of Fame.
Let’s just say Cowboys fans had plenty to cheer for.
Dak Prescott wins Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
Dak Prescott won the award named after legendary Chicago Bears RB Walter Payton. It honors players who make a difference through community service while performing at a high level on the field.
Each team selects one player as their Walter Payton Man of the Year candidate, and Dak beat out his 31 competitors for the award.
Prescott is now the fourth player in Cowboys history to receive the honor. Previous winners include Jason Witten, Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach.
Prescott founded the Faith Fight Finish Foundation, which focuses on these four initiatives:
- Colon cancer research
- Mental health advocacy
- Suicide prevention
- Bridging the gap between law enforcement, youth and the communities they serve
DeMarcus Ware and Chuck Howley to be inducted in the Hall of Fame
Ware and Howley were both named to the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Ware was a nominee last season but was passed on.
Ware played 12 seasons in Dallas from 2005 to 2013 and registered 117 sacks; the most in Cowboys history. He went on to play three seasons with the Denver Broncos before retiring, and won a Super Bowl with the team.
Ware’s 138.5 career sacks ranks ninth in NFL history. He was also a four-time All-Pro, nine-time Pro Bowler and a member of the All-2000s Hall of Fame team.
Howley will enter Canton as a senior candidate. The 86-year-old was one of 127 nominees whose career ended before the 1998 season. After receiving more than 80% of the votes from the selection committee, Howley’s spot in the Hall was official.
Howley’s NFL career is quite unique. After the Bears drafted him in 1958, he retired after just two seasons due to a knee injury. Howley then returned to his hometown in West Virginia to run a gas station.
After dominating a West Virginia University alumni game, he got a call from the Cowboys gauging his interest in making a comeback.
Howley decided to give football another try, and went on to play 13 seasons in Big D from 1961 to 1973. He made six-consecutive Pro Bowls and five-straight All-Pro teams, along with a Super Bowl ring in the 1971 season.
The year prior, Howley famously became the only player in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP on the losing team.
Not all good news for Big D
Micah Parsons was nominated for Defensive Player of the Year, but placed second behind Nick Bosa. Though, this news wasn’t too surprising because Parsons tallied 13.5 sacks to Bosa’s league-leading 18.5 sacks.
But Micah is already using this as fuel for the 2023 season. He Tweeted this shortly after Bosa was named DPOY:
Rod Woodson was a finalist for the 2023 class of Hall of Famers, but wasn’t selected. Woodson has been on previous ballots but this was his first time making it to the final round of voting.
Woodson played 12 seasons in Dallas from 1992 to 2003. His 967 total tackles are the most in Cowboys history.
