Terrell Davis Selected For Pro Football Hall Of Fame

HOUSTON (CBS4/The Sports Xchange) - Former Broncos running back Terrell Davis got the call.

He'll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this August in Canton, Ohio.

Announced Saturday evening, the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class includes Davis, LaDanian Tomlinson, Kurt Warner, Jason Taylor, Morten Anderson, Jerry Jones and Kenny Easley.

Former safeties John Lynch and Brian Dawkins and cornerback Ty Law -- all who played for the Broncos at the end of or late in their careers -- were also under consideration but were not selected.

Despite having a career cut short due to injuries, Davis is the Broncos all-time leading running back, racking up 7,607 yards on 1,655 attempts, with another 1,280 yards receiving, and 65 total touchdowns.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Davis won the NFL rushing title in 1998, along with the AP's Most Valuable Player, and his second of two Super Bowls.

In the previous Super Bowl victory, despite missing the second quarter due to a migraine, he was the game's MVP.

Davis is one of only seven NFL players to rush for 2,000 or more yards in a single season.

Along with the rest of the 2017 class, Davis will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 5.

Easley was a nominee of the Hall's veterans committee for players whose careers ended at least 25 years ago. The only knock on Easley was a short career (seven years), but he was a five-time Pro Bowl player and defensive player of the year in 1984.

Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and became the first owner whose team went to the Super Bowl four times in his first seven years with the franchise. Jones is widely involved in NFL ownership committees, including marketing, sponsorship, television, stadium management, labor negotiations and television.

Warner, one of only three quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl for two different franchises, was a finalist for the third time. Warner played in three Super Bowls -- two with the St. Louis Rams and another with the Arizona Cardinals -- and has the three highest passing yardage totals in the game's history. The rags-to-riches story was bagging groceries and playing in the Arena Football League in Iowa before he caught on with the Rams as a free agent in 1998.

Tomlinson, the league's No. 5 all-time rusher, made the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The fifth overall pick in 2001 spent nine seasons with the Chargers and played two years with the New York Jets, rushing for 13,684 yards and compiling 162 total touchdowns (17 receiving). Tomlinson had a 100-catch season, a rarity for running backs, and was a four-time All-Pro.

Taylor, a three-time All-Pro who played primarily with the Miami Dolphins, is seventh on the NFL's quarterback sacks list with 139.5. Only Julius Peppers, who is fifth with 143.5 sacks, and DeMarcus Ware -- both of whom played in the NFL last season -- are not in the NFL among the 10 players with the most sacks.

Andersen was a semifinalists for the fifth time. He entered the NFL in 1982 and retired in 2004 after 25 seasons. He set the record for career points (2,544), field goals (565) and game played (382). Andersen played for the Saints, Falcons, Giants, Chiefs and Vikings.
Owens, whose receiving yardage total is exceeded only by Jerry Rice, could face a bigger hurdle next year, when Randy Moss is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time. Owens, a finalist for the second year in a row, was such a disruptive teammate that two teams, San Francisco and Philadelphia, got rid of him at the peak of his career.

In 2018, notable first-time Hall of Fame eligible players include Moss, Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber.