Travis Frederick among former Cowboys nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced its list of Modern-Era Players nominated for inclusion in the Class of 2025. Of the 167 players up for a bronze bust this year, 16 are eligible for the first time, including one Cowboys great.
Center Travis Frederick is in good company, with Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Marshawn Lynch, and Adam Vinatieri among the other first-time nominees.
A screening committee will pare the list down to 50 names in mid-October before 25 semifinalists (and then 15 finalists) are named ahead of the selection meeting that will determine next year's class. Of the 167 nominees, only three to five will be chosen for enshrinement, as per Hall of Fame bylaws.
Here's a look at the former Cowboys who have taken a first but important step toward Canton.
QB Tony Romo
The undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois didn't get a combine invite and did nothing more than serve as the holder for placekicks for his first three pro seasons. But after a Week 7 game in 2006 when he replaced an ineffective Drew Bledsoe, he quickly became one of the most beloved Cowboys ever. Over the next 11 seasons, he would amass more than 34,000 yards, throw for 248 touchdowns, and lead 28 fourth-quarter comebacks- all franchise records- en route to four Pro Bowl nods and six playoff appearances.
OC Travis Frederick
Frederick was a first-round draft selection in 2013. Considered by some draft analysts to be a reach at the time, the Wisconsin native started every game over his first five seasons and earned a Pro Bowl nod in the last four of them. He met with considerable adversity in 2018, though, when a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome cost him the entire 2018 campaign. Frederick returned in 2019, once again starting every game and being named to the Pro Bowl, before announcing his retirement in spring of 2020.
OT Erik Williams
"Big E" was on track to be perhaps one of the greatest offensive linemen in Cowboys history until a serious automobile accident sidelined him for the back half of his fourth NFL season. He returned to the field in 1995 and played another six seasons, although most believe he was never the same player. Nevertheless, Williams helped the dynasty teams of the '90s win three Super Bowls, and he personally earned four Pro Bowl nods and was named a first-team All-Pro three times.
DT La'Roi Glover
A onetime fifth-round draft pick by the Raiders in 1996, Glover really earned his reputation during a five-year stint in New Orleans before joining the Cowboys in 2002. He played for Dallas for four years- appearing in every single game over that time- and was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his seasons in Dallas.
LB Ken Norton Jr.
The son of a former heavyweight boxing champ, Norton was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 1988. He proved to be an instrumental part of the team's turnaround from 1-15 doormats to back-to-back Super Bowl winners, earning two rings with the Cowboys before moving to San Francisco to claim another. Norton went on to a second career in coaching and is currently the Commanders' linebackers coach.
Safety Darren Woodson
Woodson is a Hall of Fame nominee for an incredible ninth time, even though his achievements over his 12-year career should have punched his ticket to Canton long ago. The franchise’s all-time leading tackler. Three-time Super Bowl champ. Five-time Pro Bowler. Four-time first-team All-Pro. Ring of Honor member since 2015. Woodson is a two-time finalist for Canton.
Others with notable Cowboys experience
RB Eddie George
LB Keith Brooking
Kicker Mike Vanderjagt
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Travis Frederick among former Cowboys nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
