OXNARD, Calif. _ Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones moved one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday when he was named as one of the two finalists in the "contributors" category for the class of 2017.
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was the other contributor nominee. The contributor category is for individuals who made outstanding contributions to professional football in capacities other than playing or coaching.
A final decision will be made on Jones, Tagliabue and seniors candidate Kenny Easley along with the 15 other finalists on Feb. 16, 2017, the day before Super Bowl LI in Houston.
"I can't tell you about how humble and gratified I am," Jones told the Hall of Fame after being notified he was a finalist.
Not only has Jones led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles since buying the team in 1989, he has gone from outside maverick to one of the most powerful and influential owners in the NFL.
Former coach Jimmy Johnson posted a congratulatory message for Jones on Twitter, writing: "Congratulations to Jerry Jones as Finalist Pro Football HOF. I know his passion and contribution he has made to the growth of the NFL."
Jones has helped grow the league in terms of television rights and marketing. He recently helped spearhead the move to put football back in Los Angeles with the Rams relocating from St. Louis.
Coach Jason Garrett said Jones' eventual induction should be a no-brainer.
"For me, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer," Garrett said. "If you think about the impact he's had on this league since 1989, it's way above my pay grade, but I know he's had a huge impact in how we do TV contracts, how we market teams. I think he's helped grow this league as much as any owner I know of. There's no question the league is very different now than it was in 1989 and he's been in the forefront of so many of these big changes, these big developments, this growth that we've had. I just think he's done an amazing job."
Former Cowboys great and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin concurred when he visited training camp last week.
Irvin, who now works for the NFL, said Jones definitely deserved a spot in the Hall of Fame.
"Don't underestimate what Jerry has meant to this league," Irvin said. "Don't underestimate what Jerry has meant to this league financially. He's done some incredible things. He's thought outside of the box and had brought outside the box money to this league and everybody has prospered. You can say a lot of things, but you cannot say he was not good for this league."
The contributors committee is comprised of nine members of the overall selection committee. Through mail vote, the 2017 contributor nominees were reduced to a list of 10 semifinalists. Then, on a rotating basis, five of the nine members of the committee meet at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to discuss each of the contributors semifinalists and today selected Jones and Tagliabue.
Jones and Tagliabue must receive the same 80 percent voting support from the entire selection committee that is required of all finalists during the annual selection meeting to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
The Hall's selection committee, at its annual meeting on the eve of Super Bowl LI, will consider 18 finalists, including two contributor finalists (Jones and Tagliabue), one senior finalist (Seattle Seahawks safety Kenny Easley who was named by the seniors committee), and 15 modern-era finalists to select a class of no fewer than four or more than eight.
The list of modern-era nominees for 2017 will be revealed in mid-September.
