Charles Haley Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio – Former football All-American Charles Haley became the first James Madison student-athlete to be enshrined into a major professional hall of fame as he took his rightful place into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Haley was introduced by Edward DeBartolo, Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers prior to his speech to the capacity crowd in Canton. He was one eight individuals to join pro football's most exclusive club, as he was accompanied by linebacker Junior Seau, guard Will Shields, running back Jerome Bettis, wide receiver Tim Brown, center Mike Tinglehoff and NFL executives Bill Polian and Ron Wolf.

Charles Haley Induction Speech

A four-year letterwinner for the Dukes from 1982-85, he was twice named an Associated Press All-American. As a senior, Haley was named the Richmond Touchdown Club's Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team AP I-AA All-American.

"I am truly blessed," Haley said during his enshrinement speech. "I have played with some of the greatest players in the history of football and I've learned a lot. The one thing I learned from all the guys was unselfish play. Team matters – we need to go back to that. It's not about individuals, it's about team and that's the only way we can have success."

Haley capped off his speech by stating, "When I stepped out on the field, I was determined to be the best every play, not just some plays."

He is JMU's all-time leader in total tackles with 506 and led the Dukes in tackles twice in his career, recording 143 in 1983 and 147 in 1984. Haley had a career-high 22 tackles at Shippensburg during the 1983 season, currently tied for the eighth-highest, single-game total in Madison history. A three-time JMU Defensive MVP, he was also named the JMU Male Athlete of the Year in 1985-86. Haley graduated from JMU in 1987, and in 1999, the Athletic Department named the Defensive MVP award after him.

Haley became the first player in JMU history selected in the National Football League Draft when he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 1986 draft. He immediately made an impact, playing in 16 games as a rookie, recording 12.0 sacks. He played 12 seasons in the NFL, seven with the 49ers in two different stints and five with the Dallas Cowboys.

He earned five Super Bowl rings (two in San Francisco and three in Dallas), the only player in NFL history to have played on five Super Bowl champion teams. A five-time Pro-Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro selection, Haley finished his career with 100.5 career sacks, including a career-high 16 in 1990, the first year he was honored as an All-Pro. He was also a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year and played on 10 division championship squads during his 12-year career.

A native of Gladys, Va., Haley was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Hall of Fame committee consists of 32 votes of writers from the NFL cities, 13 at-large members and one from the Pro Football Writers of America. Each candidate was required to receive at least 80 percent approval votes from the Committee to be enshrined.