Dallas Cowboys: Was Terrell Owens a real Cowboy?

Despite the bitter protest, former Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens is going into the Hall of Fame, but was he ever a real Cowboy and is he even ours to celebrate?

Tomorrow the NFL celebrates some of the all-time greats ever to play professional football. Among those players will be Terrell Owens. With 15,934 yards, Owens enters the Hall as with the second most receiving yards all-time. His 153 touchdown receptions are third all-time. By all statistical accounts, the one-time Dallas Cowboys receiver is a clear first ballot Hall of Famer.

But voters tend to look beyond the stats whether they care to admit it or not. And that’s ultimately why Owens will be skipping the formal ceremony. And contrary to some earlier reports, the Hall of Fame does not intend to wipe him from the program. On CBS Sports Radio’s “Tiki and Tierney”, David Baker the HoF President, pointed out TO will still be on the opening video and his picture will still be displayed on the front of the Hall. He’ll only be omitted from portions which require his attendance.

So Terrell Owens will be celebrated after all. But, Dallas Cowboys fans, is he ours to celebrate? Was he ever a real Cowboy?

The answer to this is probably going to be different for everyone. He only played in Dallas for three seasons of his 16-year career. And even then, he was a somewhat polarizing individual. Some of us accepted him while others could never manage to forgive and forget.

And he was tough to forget…

Owens played eight years on the San Francisco 49ers becoming one of the most dominat WR in the NFL. It was with the 49ers he made the iconic “statement?” on the Star and it was there where George Teague enshrined himself into Cowboys lore forever.

Owens later joined NFC East rival, Philadelphia, where he would go on to annoy Cowboys Nation as he helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl.

Terrell Owens came to Dallas as one of the most hated players in Cowboys Nation. It put fans in a very difficult spot. Most of all, it put Jerry Seinfeld’s “cheering for clothes” bit to the ultimate test:

And while I was among the group of fans that refused to accept him, I find myself impressed by what he accomplished with the Dallas Cowboys. The postseason success wasn’t there and we can argue why that happened (or didn’t) for days. But Owens topped 1,000 yards all three times. He also posted double-digit TD seasons all three years. His 38 receiving TDs were pretty close to Dez Bryant’s most dominant three-season stretch that delivered 41 TDs.

To refresh myself, I watched this highlight video of all of Romo and TO’s connections. It surprised me by how good it was. Much better than I have been giving him credit for these past few years. Perhaps my bias kept me from seeing how good he was with the Dallas Cowboys. Or perhaps I’m just a prisoner of nostalgia that seems to conveniently only remember the good.

Whatever it is, TO’s impact on the Dallas Cowboys is pretty hard to ignore. While he’ll always be a 49er first and foremost, his three years in Dallas were the longest he ever played outside of the Bay area.

If you ask me, Terrell Owens was never a real Dallas Cowboy. But even though I don’t particularly like him, I am appreciative of the highlights he gave us over those three seasons. As promised, it was popcorn worthy entertainment.

What do you think? Did you ever really accept TO? Is that biasing you like it is me? Can you celebrate him regardless?

• Published on 08/03/2018 at 12:01 PM
• Last updated at 08/02/2018 at 11:26 AM