Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio – Mrs. Honeywell saw greatness in Mel Renfro long before any gridirons did. Forty-four years later, pro football put its stamp of approval on that greatness by inducting Renfro into the Hall of Fame.

Renfro was enshrined Saturday with offensive linemen Lou Creekmur and Dan Dierdorf, wide receiver Charlie Joiner and coach Joe Gibbs in the Class of '96. That culminated an 18-year wait by Renfro following his retirement from the Cowboys, 14 years after he first become eligible.

Renfro admits that he didn't know if this day would ever arrive. But Mrs. Honeywell, his fifth-grade teacher back in Portland, Ore., did.

AP

Mel Renfro was picked in the second round of the 1964 draft by Tom Landry.

"She pulled me aside when I was 10 years old and said, 'I see something special in you, Melvin. One day you're going to be someone,' " Renfro said. "I didn't know what she meant. I knew I could run a little faster than some of the kids. But she saw in me a vision – a vision of a professional athlete. She encouraged me to stay on the right path. I took her words to heart. I stuck with athletics."

That conversation occurred so long ago – 1952 – that Renfro can't even remember Mrs. Honeywell's first name. But he never forgot her or her words.

"I never saw her or heard from her after grade school," Renfro said. "But the one thing I want to tell her today is thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Honeywell. If you're out there, please call me. Thank you. Thank you."

Renfro became the seventh member of the Cowboys enshrined in the Hall of Fame, joining coach Tom Landry, general manager Tex Schramm, defensive tackle Bob Lilly, quarterback Roger Staubach, running back Tony Dorsett and defensive tackle Randy White.

But the clock was ticking on Renfro's candidacy. Players remain eligible for selection for 15 years following retirement. Then they fall under the jurisdiction of the Hall's seniors' committee, which nominates one player each year. Creekmur, the 1996 nominee, waited 37 years for his induction.

"As each year went by my friends would say, 'You'll make it next year, Mel,' " Renfro said. "This seems to have happened to me before."

That's because before it was "Next year, Mel," it was "Next year, Cowboys."

"We were always labeled next year's champions," Renfro said.

The Cowboys were loaded with talent in the late 1960s but always finished short of the goal. They suffered back-to-back losses to Green Bay in NFL championship games in 1966-67, then back-to-back losses to Cleveland in conference title games in 1968-69. The city of Dallas did not take those defeats lightly.

"There were times when we couldn't even venture out of our homes, that we couldn't even go to a grocery store," Renfro said.

The Cowboys finally reached a Super Bowl following the 1970 season. As was their history, they lost to Baltimore on a field goal in the closing seconds. But the Cowboys returned to the Super Bowl on Jan. 16, 1972, and this time captured the championship, whipping the Miami Dolphins, 24-3. Good things do indeed come to those who wait.

The Cowboys returned to two more Super Bowls, losing to Pittsburgh in 1976 and beating Denver in 1978. That 27-10 triumph over the Broncos was the final game of Renfro's 14-year career. Then came his 18-year wait.

"I can honestly say I wasn't sure that this day would ever arrive," Renfro said. "Now I've made it at the last second. I'm so very thankful."

Renfro was Deion Sanders for the Cowboys long before Sanders ever donned a football uniform. He returned punts and kickoffs in addition to playing safety in his first three seasons in Dallas. He intercepted a team-leading seven passes and led the NFL in both kickoff and punt return yardage as a rookie in 1964 to earn a Pro Bowl berth.

The Cowboys moved him to running back at training camp in 1966. He had been an All-America ball carrier in college at Oregon and wanted a shot there with the Cowboys.

"So I put him at tailback and changed our offense," said Landry in his presentation speech of Renfro on Saturday. "Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury [in the preseason] and before he got back I moved him back to defense because that's where I needed him anyway."

And history says that's where Renfro belonged. He was selected to 10 Pro Bowls, including the final four at cornerback.

"One of the pleasures of coaching is to have the privilege of coaching a player of Mel's outstanding abilities," Landry said. "You could play Mel Renfro at any skill position on the football field and you'd have a Pro Bowl player."