Emmitt Smith: Vote in Michael Irvin Now

Emmitt Smith: Vote in Michael Irvin Now

Published: 2/4/06, 6:45 AM EDT
DETROIT (AP) - Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman were eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend. And the third member of Dallas Cowboys' vaunted Triplets thinks they both belong.

Emmitt Smith, the NFL's career rushing leader, campaigned Friday for his former teammates. Aikman is eligible for the first time; Irvin is making his second try, and Smith believes voters held the receiver's off-the-field problems against him last year.

He hoped that wouldn't happen Saturday when the election results were announced.

"This is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not the Life Hall of Fame. His stats are what they are. They are not going to change," Smith said. "But you're going to try to bring this personal side of it? This is what he's done off the field - what has that got to do with what he's done on the football field?

"There should be a set criteria in terms of understanding ... what it takes to get to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. If you're an athlete and you've got credentials like Michael Irvin - Pro Bowls, records, Super Bowls, all those things - if you stack up against that, whoever the panel is, somebody needs to sign off on it."

Smith will be eligible for the Hall in four years. Aikman, considered along with the late Reggie White as the front-runners for enshrinement, was hopeful he and Irvin would be recognized together.

"If we went in together it would mean a lot," the quarterback said. "I'm biased. If there was ever a receiver that had a Hall of Fame career, in my opinion it's Michael Irvin."

Other first-time finalists were Warren Moon and Thurman Thomas.

Also on the ballot were Harry Carson, L.C. Greenwood, Russ Grimm, Claude Humphrey, Bob Kuechenberg, Art Monk, Derrick Thomas and Gary Zimmerman. John Madden and Rayfield Wright are senior candidates.

Three to six of the finalists were to be selected for the class of 2006 and will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, on the weekend of Aug. 5-6. A 39-member panel voted on the finalists. A candidate must get 80 percent of the vote to be elected. If fewer than three got 80 percent, the candidate with the next highest percentage will be elected.

Irvin set a record with 11 100-yard receiving games in 1995, when the Triplets won their third Super Bowl. He finished his career with 750 receptions for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns.

Irvin was arrested in November for an outstanding warrant on an unpaid speeding ticket, then charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched his car.

In 1996, Irvin pleaded no contest to felony cocaine possession in exchange for four years of deferred probation, a $10,000 fine and dismissal of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges. He also was arrested on drug possession charges in 2000, but they were later dropped.

"I was with Michael last year before they did the vote, and I know how much it meant to him last year," Aikman said. "I know how devastated he was when he was not elected."

Aikman has sterling credentials, too. He led the Cowboys to three championships in four seasons as one of the most accurate passers the game has seen.

"I played it to win championships and win as many games as I could," Aikman said. "I feel like I did it as well as anybody that's played the game. I'm happy that we won three world championships. If 39 guys somewhere in there find that's worthy of being amongst a pretty select group of guys, then I'll be very humbled with the thought of that."

White, who suffered from sleep apnea and sarcoidosis, died Dec. 26, 2004, at age 43. Considered one of the great defensive ends of his era, he was the career sacks leader with 198 when he retired.

White also was the first major free agent to sign with the Packers, in 1993. That helped turn the storied franchise back into winners, and he won the 1997 Super Bowl with Green Bay.

Moon could become the first black quarterback in the hall.

"It would solidify everything that's been talked about the position back in the '60s and '70s, when blacks first wanted to play that position," said Moon, who played for Houston, Minnesota, Seattle and Kansas City in the NFL after starring in the CFL. "All the stereotypes that were out there - that we couldn't lead, that we couldn't think, that we couldn't throw the football - all the different things that were talked about us ...if you can get into this elite group as the best ever who played the game at quarterback, then those questions can all be answered."
Credit BellSouth

I thinkt at all three Micheal Irvin,Troy Aikman and Emmit Smith should be inducted into the Hall of Fame as they were such a huge part of the success of the Dallas Cowboys Superbowl wins..The sad thing is though when individuals get admitted to the HOF that thy forget about the other people on the team s that helped them get to be so called stars.
Reggie White was a great servant of the game and was not just known for the great player that he was it was also for his ministerial work that he did off field.If it had not been for his untimeley death last year iam sure that he would have gone on to be a great coach as well.

I am a huge fan of Emmitt Smith's abilities both on and off the field. I don't agree with him on Michael Irvin's arrests and drug charges keeping him out of the Hall of Fame. Once you're a Hall of Famer, you carry that title for the rest of your life and because of Irvin's actions off the field I don't think he diserves to be in. Perfect example of this is Pete Rose. The man is the MLBs all-time hit king and because of gambling he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Once they let Rose in, then I'll think about Irvin getting his shot.

Michael deserved to go into the Hall this year but they'll probably get in next year cuz if you think bout it most of the people who deserved to go in did cept in my mind John Madden and an old Giant great Harry Carson. But they should have replaced them with emmit and michael as they did deserve it. but like I said they'll probably get in next year.