Charlie Waters celebrates Cowboys teammate at Pro Football Hall of Fame induction

Aug. 19—Charlie Waters, a North Augusta native and former Dallas Cowboys safety, introduced his teammate Cliff Harris into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 7.

The ceremony, held in Canton, Ohio, allowed Waters to celebrate his teammate's accomplishments in the NFL.

"I was really pleased that Cliff was able to be in the Hall of Fame. It was just a special time. It really was. He was loving, I was enjoying it, I had a lot of fun," Waters said. "He is now immortal, which really scares me."

"When we got to the line of scrimmage and the quarterback would point out where Cliff Harris was because they were so afraid of him and all the receivers knew where he was so they could protect themselves because he would knock them out of the game," Waters said.

"I really thought that was a telltale sign that he was different. He was special from the rest of them. He reminded us that football and the NFL is a physically tough sport and he reminded us all of that," Waters said.

Waters, who played at Clemson for four years, was with the Dallas Cowboys for 12 seasons as a safety. He helped lead the team to several Super Bowls during the 1970s.

The duo of Waters and Harris had an immediate impact on games. They also co-authored a book, "The Tales from the Dallas Cowboys," and shared their experiences on the gridiron.

"Without him, I wouldn't be here today," Cliff Harris said during the Hall of Fame speech. "... our different styles complemented each other perfectly. We were the Doomsday Defense."

Harris went to six straight Pro Bowls on behalf of the Cowboys and was part of the NFL 1970s All-Decade team.

Waters is thankful for the support of his family in his career, holding accolades in the North Augusta Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

"I am very appreciative of my family supporting me because let me tell you you never make it on your own ever," Waters said. "There's always a lot of people helping you and my wife was a professional on Broadway, and she taught me a lot about discipline and applied that to my career and she has always been supportive of my career."

Samantha Winn covers the city of North Augusta, with a focus on government and community oriented business. Follow her on Twitter: @samanthamwinn and on Facebook and Instagram: @swinnnews.