I’ll admit that I was a little worried after last year. There are plenty of well-deserving Cowboys that have been excluded from the Hall of Fame, and many of them didn’t have the off-the-field problems Irvin has had during his career.

But, he’s finally in it.

And it is well-deserved. As many have said in the past few months, Michael Irvin was the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys. It just wouldn’t be right for him to be passed by because of off-the-field behavior.

How dominant was Michael? He holds the Dallas record for most receptions in a season and in a career, and most yards in a season and a career. He also holds the NFL record for most 100 yard receiving games in a season (11), is tied for most 100 yard receiving consecutive games (7), and is third on the all-time list for most 100 yard receiving games (47) behind Don Maynard (50) and Jerry Rice (73).

Perhaps it shouldn’t have been doubted that Irving would make the Hall of Fame, but we are talking about the same Hall of Fame that hasn’t elected Drew Pearson, so when it comes to a Dallas player unless they are named Emmitt we definitely must hold our breath.

But, it should be a Cowboy rich for the next few years. Emmitt Smith, Larry Allen, and Deon Sanders are all no-brainers when it comes to the Hall of Fame. I’d hope that Darren Woodson would also get a good shot at it, but it is definitely much harder for a defensive player to get into the Hall of Fame than an offensive player.