Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has his sights set on some big things that he’d like to add to his list of football accomplishments. A Lombardi Trophy or three would no doubt top the list. An MVP award might be nice. He’s already got the 2016 NFL Rookie of the Year Award on his mantle, along with a couple Pro Bowl nods, twenty Dallas franchise records (so far), and a Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination. That doesn’t even count his SEC and Mississippi State school records that still stand.
But his latest accolade comes for just a handful of days in early 2016 spent among the cream of the college crop in Mobile, Alabama.
Prescott has been chosen for induction in the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame, it was announced Thursday.
He’ll join Bills linebacker Von Miller, former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, former Patriots running back Kevin Faulk, and former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
Following his final year at Mississippi State, Prescott represented the South Team at the collegiate all-star event, hurling a touchdown pass in a 27-16 win. Despite playing just the second quarter, he was named the game’s MVP.
It was during the week leading up to the game, though, that Prescott really impressed the Cowboys coaching staff, who was leading the North Team that year.
The #Cowboys staff, who were coaching the North squad, were blown away by Dak during the “team swap” part of Senior Bowl week. The rest is history. Congrats, @dak!
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 21, 2022
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Prescott was taken by Dallas in the fourth round of the draft a few months later. By opening day of the 2016 season, he was the starting quarterback, having taken over for an injured Tony Romo and bypassing an injured Kellen Moore on the depth chart.
Safe to say that without the Senior Bowl and Prescott’s experience in Mobile that January, his pro career would likely have started out much differently.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted as part of such a distinguished class of 2022,” Prescott said in a statement. “I view my week in Mobile as a game-changer in terms of competing against the very best and helping me prepare for moving on to the NFL. I will forever be grateful to the community leaders, bowl executives, and sponsors who present this game every year, and for the fans of Mobile who provide the support that makes it so very special.”
Prescott and the Class of 2022 will be honored at an induction ceremony to be held in across the bay from Mobile in Point Clear, Alabama on June 26. The ceremony will include a special spotlight for current Chiefs center Creed Humphrey as 2021 Rookie of the Year; Prescott won that award in 2017.
Among the legends already enshrined in the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame are Cowboys players Lee Roy Jordan, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Bob Hayes, Chuck Howley, Larry Allen, Terrell Owens, DeMarcus Ware, Jay Novacek, and coach Tom Landry.