Cowboy icons DeMarcus Ware and Chuck Hawley in new Pro Football Hall of Fame class

PHOENIX (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – Six-time All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thomas and cornerback Darrell Revis were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on their first try.

Thomas and Revis join a new class of Hall of Famers announced Thursday, which also includes comeback finalists DeMarcus Ware, Zach Thomas and Rhond Barber. Senior nominees Joe Cleco, Chuck Hawley and Ken Riley, and coaching candidate Don Coryell were also elected to Hall and will be inducted in Canton, Ohio this summer.

The headliners of this class are Joe Thomas and Revis, two first-round picks in the 2007 draft who have traveled very different paths to this top honor.

Revis tossed around the teams looking for the best opportunities to win and prosper financially, while Thomas didn’t budge.

Drafted 3rd by Cleveland, Thomas started as a starter and didn’t budge until a triceps rupture ended his final season in 2017.

Prior to this injury, Thomas played 10,363 straight snaps, one of the few solid roles in one of the NFL’s saddest franchises.

“The one topic that has probably been closest to my heart when people ask, ‘What are you most proud of in your career,’ is the fast hitting streak because of what it represents to me,” Thomas said. . . “Count on me.” That was the motto that was always in my head: “Lean on me.” When times get tough and you want to know who to look up to, count on me.”

Thomas was a professional bowler for all 10 healthy seasons, making the All-Pro First Team six times and being selected to the Second Team for two more years.

But he never even made the playoffs for the Browns with a .287 team winning percentage when he ranked fifth among 1,353 players who played at least 150 games during the Super Bowl era.

Revis was always on the move, following the best receivers from one side of the field to the other, being the best cornerback of his era.

Revis’ best stretch came in New York with the Jets, where he was on the All-Pro First Team from 2009 to 2011 and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2009 when he repeatedly cut off top wide receivers by sending them to the “Isle of Revis”.

Revis spent one year in New England, helping the Patriots win the Super Bowl in 2014, and also played for Tampa Bay and Kansas City, and made a second appearance for the Jets. Revis has earned over $124 million in his career – more than ever for a cornerback – as he was able to maximize his value as well as covering receivers.

Ware, Barber and Zach Thomas waited longer before being voted in the Hall. Ware was also a finalist last year, while Barber made it to the stage for the third time and Thomas for the fourth time.

Ware was a four-time All-Pro in Dallas and then helped Denver win the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. He led the NFL in sacks twice and finished his career with 138 1/2 sacks.

Barber was a key cog in the Tampa 2 defensive scheme as a quarterback for the Buccaneers. He was a three-time All-Pro, led the NFL with 10 steals in 2001, and won the Super Bowl the following season.

Zach Thomas was a five-time All-Pro who spent 12 of his 13 seasons in Miami before finishing one year in Dallas. He won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1996, with at least 100 tackles in his first 11 seasons.

Coryell did not achieve team success comparable to other coaches to get into the Hall, winning 111 regular season games for the Cardinals and Chargers and never winning the Super Bowl.

But his impact on the game with his famous Air Coryell offense in San Diego was transcendent, as he took advantage of the rule changes that opened up the passing game in the late 1970s and created an offense that still influences the game today.

Hawley was a five-time All-Pro in 15 seasons in Chicago and Dallas, and his biggest achievement was being the only player on a losing team ever to be selected as Super Bowl MVP. Hawley became the MVP after intercepting two Super Bowl V passes as Dallas lost 16-13 to Baltimore. He found himself on the winning side the following season when he had an interception and fumble recovery in a 24-3 win over Miami.

Kleko was a mainstay of the Jets’ famed “New York Sack Exchange”, earning Pro Bowl honors for bow tackle, defensive tackle, and defensive end in a 12-year career that ended with a single season with the Indianapolis Colts.

Cleco has been an All-Pro twice, including in 1981 when he unofficially led the NFL with 20 1/2 sacks and finished second to Lawrence Taylor in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Riley’s 65 career interceptions in 15 seasons in Cincinnati rank fifth in NFL history and second behind Dick “Night Train” Lane with 68 interceptions for players who were exclusively cornerbacks.