Former ASU, Cowboys standout Darren Woodson among Hall of Fame finalists
Darren Woodson, a three-year defensive starter at Arizona State who went on to win three Super Bowls during 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, is among 15 finalists announced for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2023 class.
Woodson had been a semifinalist on six previous occasions, but this is the first time he has advanced to the finalist list. Inductees will be announced on Feb. 9 during Super Bowl week.
Woodson played high school football for Phoenix Maryvale High School. He was a walk-on in 1988 at ASU, and eventually became a starter at linebacker for the Sun Devils from the 1989-91 seasons.
Woodson was selected by Dallas in the 1992 draft and spent his entire career with the Cowboys. He primarily played safety in the NFL and won Super Bowls with Dallas after the 1992, '93 and '95 seasons. He retired in 2004.
If selected, Woodson would become the sixth former ASU player induced into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The others are: Curley Culp, Mike Haynes, John Henry Johnson, Randall McDaniel and Charley Taylor.
The Cowboys have 20 former team members in the Hall of Fame.
Other modern-day finalists for 2023 in addition to Woodson include Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Ronde Barber, Albert Lewis, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Patrick Willis.
Three first-ballot candidates – Darrelle Revis, Dwight Freeney and Joe Thomas – are among the 15 modern-day finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
Revis was widely considered the NFL’s premier shutdown cornerback during a well-traveled 11-year NFL career that included stints with four teams, including two tours with the New York Jets. He earned four first-team all-pro selections, seven Pro Bowl nods and helped the New England Patriots win a Super Bowl during the 2014 campaign.
Freeney played for six teams in his 16 seasons, including the Cardinals in 2015, but 11 of those years came with the Indianapolis Colts, where he was one of the league’s best edge rushers.
Thomas spent his entire 11-year career with the Cleveland Browns. Despite playing on just one team that produced a winning record, the former left tackle was the fifth player in league history to earn Pro Bowl selection in each of his first 10 seasons and was a first-team all-pro pick six times.
The slate of finalists reflects a logjam of wide receivers, with four advancing to the next round: Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne and Devin Hester, whose impact was most significant as one of the best kick-returners in NFL history.
In addition to the modern-day finalists, the panel will also consider Don Coryell in the coach/contributor category and three finalists from the pool of seniors: Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley.
The Class of 2023 will be selected later this month by the Hall’s panel of 49 voters, then revealed during the NFL Honors show on Feb. 9.
(USA Today contributed to this article).
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former ASU, Cowboys standout Darren Woodson among Hall of Fame finalists
