Drew Pearson's omission from the Pro Football Hall of Fame haunted the Dallas Cowboys legend, as he believed the centennial class was his opportunity to join football's immortality. Pearson was heartbroken when his name wasn't called earlier in the week, as his reaction went viral on social media.
Days after Pearson's snub, the former Cowboys wide receiver had time to process the omission. Even though Pearson is upset at the Hall, he's not about to slight the selection committee over the voting process.
"I'm not going to be no Terrell Owens and all that kind of stuff and disrespect the Hall," Pearson said, via 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket. "If they call my name, I'm clearing my schedule, I'll be there. I ain't that crazy. I have that passion to still want to be there.
"As a kid growing up, there are so many emotions and things you think about as you go through this process and you're thinking that it might happen, you think about where you came from and how you did things. And when I think about it, sports has been my whole life. That's the only thing I care about."
Owens had a highly publicized production when he was finally called to the Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility. Instead of attending the enshrinement ceremony in Canton, Owens decided to have his own ceremony at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
"There's been a lot of speculation and false reports as to why I chose not to be there (in Canton)," Owens said during his enshrinement speech in 2018. "I would like to set the record straight: It's not because of how many times it took for me to be voted to the Hall. It's about the mere fact that the sportswriters aren't aligned with the mission and the core values of the Hall of Fame."
Pearson certainly has his case for enshrinement into Canton. The only member of the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team that is not currently in the Hall of Fame, Pearson earned three All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl nods from 1974 to 1977. During that span, he helped the Cowboys appear in two Super Bowls that included a victory in Super Bowl XII. In 21 career playoff games, Pearson caught 68 passes for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 16.6 yards per reception. His greatest postseason moment came in the 1975 playoffs, when he was on the receiving end of the first Hail Mary pass in NFL history.
Pearson can still get in the Hall of Fame via the Senior Committee, but the centennial class appeared to be his best opportunity for induction. taking the high road on the Hall of Fame snub could bode well for Pearson in the future.
