Card: Action Packed 1992
Acquired: In Person, Dallas Cowboys Training Camp 1994.

Charles Haley is perhaps one of the craziest players I’ve had the pleasure of getting an autograph from and unfortunately this reputation has denied him from entry into the Pro Football HoF.

There’s always that guy you hear ‘stories’  and rumors about- The one who pulls out his manhood and runs down the hall peeing on Carmen Policy’s office wall. The guy who masturbated during team meetings and talked about other player’s wives while he did it.  The guy who attacked head coaches (George Seifert) and had a wonderful vocabulary that he loved to share with the media but they couldn’t print it. The guy who was so crazy it was rumored that Ronnie Lott was assigned to keep him in line. A guy who nicknamed himself “The Last Naked Warrior” -but it wasn’t his fantasy football team.  The guy who once received bananas in his locker as a joke because of his Neanderthal-like ways.  That’s what I heard.

But there’s the guy who you hear the straight up truth about what he left on the field as a player and father. He’s also the guy who suffered from Bi-Polar disorder, was manic, and was only diagnosed with it a few years after football. He’s the only guy who’s won 5 SuperBowl rings (49ers and Cowboys) and is modest enough not to wear one. He’s the guy who’s daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia and decided to retire. He’s the guy who came back for a final season despite injuries ‘for the love of the game’. He’s the guy who racked up 100.5 sacks over his career as a budding situational pass-rusher and then later defensive end. He’s the guy who wrote his wife poetry when they dated at James-Madison. He’s the guy who loved to go on shopping sprees- for his mother. He’s the guy who walks with a slight bend after constant back surgeries and through therapy, self-discovery and medication has come to understand what he’s done.  He’s the guy who with a committee that values winning over statistical performance, both which he’s demonstrated- still has not gotten into the NFL HoF.

The latter is Charles Haley today and that’s how I choose to remember him, and despite my penchant for hating on Cowboys- I really liked him.

In 2011, although drafted by the San Fransisco 49ers, Charles was honored by the Dallas Cowboys who selected him to announce their 2nd round pick during the NFL draft, and also with an induction into the Cowboys Ring of Honor along with Larry Allen and Drew Pearson.

G/Gs 169/109     Tac  485     Sac 100.5      Fum 26        Int 2    Yds 9   Avg 4.5      Td 0     Lg  8