Rest of Hall of Fame Centennial Slate named

Published 12:04 am Thursday, January 16, 2020

The Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced who will join Port Arthur native Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher as Centennial Slate inductees for the class of 2020.

Ten players and three contributors will enter the hall along with Johnson and Cowher, both Super Bowl-winning coaches, Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio. Two former Dallas Cowboys, safety Cliff Harris and wide receiver Harold Carmichael, have been elected, along with tackle Jim Covert (Chicago Bears), safety Bobby Dillon (Green Bay Packers), tackle Winston Hill (New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams), defensive tackle Alex Karras (Detroit Lions), safety Donnie Shell (Pittsburgh Steelers), tackle Duke Slater (three teams), end Mac Speedie (Cleveland Browns) and defensive end/linebacker/end Ed Sprinkle (Bears).

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, late NFL films president Steve Sabol and late Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants general manager George Young will be inducted as contributors.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

Johnson, a 1961 Thomas Jefferson High School graduate, is the first head coach to win major-college national and Super Bowl championships. A player on the University of Arkansas’ 1964 Football Writers Association of America championship team, Johnson coached the University of Miami (1987 season) and Dallas Cowboys (1992 and 1993) to titles.

Cowher led the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowls, losing in the 1995 season to Barry Switzer’s Cowboys and beating the Seattle Seahawks in the 2005 season.

The Centennial Slate was selected in commemoration of the NFL’s 100th season. A Blue Ribbon Panel that includes coaches, reporters and former executives voted on the 15-person slate from a finalist pool of 38.

Five more members of the Hall will be selected Feb. 1, the day before the Super Bowl.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

email author More by I.C.