Bob Hayes' Sister Reads His Words After Posthumous Hall of Fame Selection

TAMPA, Fla. -- The best moment of this Super Bowl week took place this afternoon in a conference room at the Super Bowl media center, when Lucille Hester, the sister of former Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes, read a letter that her late brother wrote to her before he died, detailing what he wanted to say if he was ever selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

That selection came today, and the letter that Hester read brought goose bumps and audible gasps to those in the room.

Hayes' letter said:

I would like to thank everyone who supported me to get into the NFL Hall of Fame. Thank the Dallas Cowboy organization, all of my teammates and everyone who played for the Cowboys. Thank the San Francisco 49ers too.

Thank the fans from all around the country and the world. Thank the committee who voted for me and also some who may not have. Thank mother and my family. Thank Roger Staubach and tell all my teammates I love them. Thank the Pro Football Hall of Fame, all the NFL teams and players, Florida A&M University.

Thank you to everyone who attended Matthew Gilbert High School. Thank everyone in Jacksonville and Florida and everyone especially on the East Side of Jacksonville, where we were raised. Thank everyone in the city of Dallas, and the state of Texas, and just thank everyone in the whole world. I love you all.

[Signed]
Bob Hayes.

Hester also thanked Rick Gosselin and Paul Zimmerman, two Hall of Fame voters who have long championed Hayes' induction.

Hayes won two Olympic gold medals in 1964 and was the world's fastest man, with a 10.0-second 100-meter dash. The Cowboys drafted him that year, thinking a player with his raw athletic ability had a chance to become a threat as a wide receiver.

Hayes exceeded all expectations on the football field. He led the league in receiving touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, as opposing defenses simply had no answer for his blazing speed. Eventually teams began to use zone defenses against the Cowboys and Hayes became less effective, but the very fact that new defensive tactics were deployed to stop Hayes was considered a strong point in his favor, according to Hall of Fame voters I talked to.

Hayes retired after one year with the San Francisco 49ers in 1975. He died in 2002 at age 59.