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The Monitor's 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame picks

The Christian Science Monitor has taken a hard look at the 17 nominees for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and picked seven men who would get our vote.

Charles Haley

  • By Ross Atkin

Defensive end/linebacker

6 ft. 5 in., 242 lbs.

San Francisco 49ers (1986-91, 1999), Dallas Cowboys (1992-96)

Birthplace: Gladys, Va.

Alma mater: James Madison

Haley, it appears, faces competition for his election from four other players and a team owner. One could easily make a case for defensive standouts Cortez Kennedy, Chris Doleman, Kevin Greene, and Aeneas Williams, plus there is also team owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., who signed many of Haley’s paychecks. DeBartolo was the popular owner of the San Francisco 49ers from 1977 to 2000, a span that saw the team become the first to win five Super Bowls (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX). While that’s impressive, we lean toward putting a higher priority on recognizing players before executives.  A handful of 49ers from the championship years have already made the Hall of Fame, but it seems that Haley, the only player in league history to play on five Super Bowl–winning teams, deserves a place in Canton. He earned two championship rings with the 49ers, and three with the Dallas Cowboys. Along the way he was named to five Pro Bowls and was selected the National Football Conference’s Defensive Player of the year twice. To top it off, Haley showed his versatility in playing both defensive end and linebacker. 

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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