By Alex

Bob Hayes was a remarkable athlete. And all but a forgotten one - except possibly in the city of Dallas - for a younger generation of sports fans.

Excellent in two-sports at Florida A&M in college, Bullet Bob was a double Olympic gold medalist at the 1964 games in Tokyo in the 100 meter and 4×100m relay and eventually ended up in pro football. He played wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys (and later San Francisco 49ers) in the NFL earning three first all-Pro selections and Pro second all-stars between 1965 and 1975.

Always an offensive threat, the ‘bump and run’ and ‘zone’ coverage strategies were developed and attributed to his stupendous speed.

After losing Super Bowl V to the Baltimore Colts 16-13, Hayes helped remove the bitter taste of defeat to spur the Cowboys to a 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. It was Dallas’s first victory and was the beginning of what was to become a great decade for the Cowboys. A decade dominated by Dallas and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Between them they reached the Super Bowl nine times with Dallas winning twice in five tries and Pittsburgh winning all four of their appearances including two against Dallas.

One of the all-time great Cowboys, Hayes is the holder of 10 team offensive records and was inducted into the famed ‘Ring of Honor’ in 2001.

However, there remained one last hurdle to jump over for this heralded athlete.

Up until 2008, it remained a mystery why Hayes was kept out of the Pro Football of Fame.

But Hayes was finally inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame for class of 2009. While, his omission was curiously controversial, the Hayes saga still possessed an added plot. In a bizarre (and tiresome) twist, a woman - Lucille Hester- claiming to be his sister released a letter she claimed was written by Hayes in 1999 three years before his death. Delivered in front of an audience, it provided a poignant moment for all who witnessed it.

The letter’s integrity soon came under suspicion when it was discovered the font, of all things, was in Calibri; a font that was not available until after Hayes’ death. What should have clinched it, and I’m sure Dallas fans noticed, was the fact that the legendary name of quarterback Roger Staubach was spelled ‘Stauback.’ Or was it Starbuck?

Whatever.

The family is challenging the veracity of the letter. We aren’t going to follow up on this story. Hey, at least we’re honest. It’s a side-kick to a larger story.

It’s a shame that such a wonderful career has come under the sway of such an odd circumstance.

Regardless, his induction was the final bit of recognition Bob Hayes deserved.