Gibbs Tops List Of Candidates For Football Hall

Former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, Cincinnati quarterback Ken Anderson and Pittsburgh center Mike Webster are the first-time nominees on the list of 15 finalists announced Thursday for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

They were joined by Dan Dierdorf and Dwight Stephenson, offensive linemen from the 1970s and 1980s who barely missed induction a year ago. They were automatically returned as finalists based on finishing in the top six in the 1995 election balloting.

Other finalists are defensive ends Carl Eller and L.C. Greenwood, wide receivers Charlie Joiner, John Stallworth and Lynn Swann, guard Tom Mack, cornerbacks Mel Renfro and Mike Haynes and defensive end Jack Youngblood. The seniors nominee is Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lou Creekmur (1950-59).

The finalists were determined by a vote of the hall’s 36-member board of selectors. The board will meet on Jan. 27 in Phoenix to elect the class of 1996.

Dallas line gels

There is no question that the Dallas Cowboys have the best offensive line in football. Four starters were named to the Pro Bowl. They gave up the second-fewest number of sacks in the league with 18. They have some of the biggest, smartest and most athletic players in the league.

They have been so good, so dominant, that they have some players and coaches in the league complaining about their tactics.

Some players and coaches around the NFL are convinced that some of the Cowboys players break the rules by applying a silicone gel on their upper bodies, mainly on their arms. Opponents say the banned substance makes it difficult for a defender to get a firm grip as they try to push them out of the way.

Several players and coaches in the league interviewed over the last several weeks say that for the last several years Cowboys linemen have used the substance and the league has done nothing about it.

“We bend the rules but we don’t do anything illegal,” said guard Nate Newton. “What they felt was the sweat off our bodies. We may be fat and puffy but we play hard. We don’t have to cheat. We’re well-coached. We’re America’s team.”

The accusations first came out this season when the New York Giants played Dallas on Dec. 17.

Lewis declares

All-American linebacker Ray Lewis of Miami has joined the list of juniors in the NFL draft.

Lewis was among 25 underclassmen who applied for early entry to the April draft. The final list was released by the NFL on Thursday, one day after the application deadline.

The final list included several players whose decisions weren’t announced or widely reported before Thursday. The most prominent were Lewis and All-Pac-10 linebacker Duane Clemons of California.

Also on the list were running backs Alfred Shipman of Miami, Terrell Willis of Rutgers, Clarence Matthews of Northwestern State and Jermaine Johnson of Vanderbilt; receiver Terry Guess of Gardner-Webb; defensive backs Ricky Bell of North Carolina State and Jamie Coleman of Appalachian State; and defensive linemen Keith Drayton of Georgia, Jevon Langford of Oklahoma State and Regan Upshaw of California.

Haselrig guilty

Former NFL guard Carleton Haselrig pleaded guilty to driving across the grounds of a Pittsburgh seminary in December 1994 and faces up to 23 months in prison.