Darren Woodson Desire for Hall of Fame? 'I Burn Hot!' Says Dallas Cowboys Legend

Being the best "is something I worked toward,'' says Cowboys Hall of Fame candidate Darren Woodson. "I wanna go hard all the time. This is a moment that I'm not going to take lightly. I burn hot every single day.''

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys legend Darren Woodson has, over the years as the Pro Football Hall of Fame has passed him by, played it pretty cool.

He couldn't quite do that on Thursday, as he joins fellow Cowboys icon DeMarcus Ware as a Class of 2023 finalist.

Cool here at The Star? Not exactly.

"It's been on my mind,'' said Woodson, who has been a semifinalist six times since retiring following the 2003 season. "And it's something I worked toward. ... I wanna go hard all the time. This is a moment that I'm not going to take lightly.

"I burn hot every single day.''

And Ware and Woodson are still in the mix.

Woodson has been a semifinalist for the HOF on those six occasions, and coming into this year had never advanced beyond that. Woodson retired following the 2003 season as the franchise's all-time leading tackler who was also a five-time Pro Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro, and a three-time Super Bowl champion.

Ware, the all-time sack leader for the Cowboys with 117 sacks, finished his career with seven All-Pro selections (four first-team), nine Pro Bowls honors, two sack titles (2008, 2010) a Super Bowl win with the Denver Broncos and a spot on the NFL 2000s All-Decade team.

Additionally, Cowboys great Chuck Howley is a senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2023. The former Super Bowl MVP linebacker was a five-time first-team All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler.

The final inductees will be announced on Super Bowl week on Feb. 9 during the NFL Honors TV show, and there will be other deserving candidates of course. The full list, featuring Ware and Woodson, is here. …

Woodson said he wants into Canton in part to represent the 90's Cowboys defenses that helped win those three Super Bowls.

"They were so damn good,'' Woodson said. "I'm representing my brothers.''

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