Looking Back at HOF Contributors: Jerry Jones

Two contributor finalists will be selected on Thursday, August 23. The Contributor category is for individuals who made outstanding contributions to professional football in capacities other than playing or coaching. The HOF Bylaws to the selection process was instituted in August 2014 in which a contributor will be included among the annual list of finalists for election.
 
The Committee is comprised of nine members of the overall selection committee. Through mail vote, the 2019 Contributor nominees are being reduced to a list of 10 semifinalists. Then, on a rotating basis, five of the nine members of the committee met at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to discuss each of the Contributors.
 
This week we take a look back at the five HOF contributors - Bill Polian, Ron Wolf, Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Jerry Jones and Bobby Beathard - who have been elected since the new HOF Bylaws.
 
Jerry Jones’ road to the Hall of Fame began on Aug. 16, 2016 when he was named a contributor finalist.
 
“I can’t tell you about how humble and gratified I am,” Jones stated after learning he was selected as a senior finalist.
 
He was officially elected on Feb. 4, 2017. The selection meeting was held inside the Super Bowl LI Media Center in downtown Houston and capped a year-round selection process.
 
Jones bought the Cowboys franchise in 1989 and quickly restored a winning tradition in Dallas. Under his leadership, the Cowboys captured three Super Bowl championships over a four-year period with victories in Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX. In addition, the team has won nine division titles during Jones’ era. The Cowboys owner has also had great influence on the growth of the NFL. His impact in areas of sports marketing, promotion and development greatly enhanced the league’s success and also altered the American sports culture over the past three decades.