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SAN FRANCISCO – Charles Haley knows exactly what it takes to win the Super Bowl – he should know, since he won it five times in his Hall of Fame career.
The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys legend actually got a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy a sixth time Tuesday, as the NFL tabbed him to unveil it at the Super Bowl LX fan experience as part of honoring a longtime FedEx employee.
“He’s on my team now, he’s an All-Pro to me,” Haley told Fox News Digital of Jesse Alvarado, a FedEx driver of 32 years.
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Charles Haley of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the field during the game against the Atlanta Falcons at 3 Comm Park in San Francisco. (Tom Hauck/Allsport)
Haley saw similarities between Alvarado and the five championship teams he was on.
“Hard work, dedication, and keeping that hunger going,” Haley said. “It’s the players. When you talk about the team, you talk about the Cowboys, Jerry [Jones] was selling the star, but the players are the stars. That’s what’s gotta be understood. Everything comes down to the players – the way they gel, the way they practice, the way they sacrifice for each other, that’s going to determine who’s going to be here next year.”
Charles Haley address the crowd during halftime during the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings at Levi Stadium on September 14, 2015, in Santa Clara, Calif. The 49ers defeated the Vikings 20-3. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
Haley’s five rings helped him earn a bust in Canton a decade ago, but he had to wait his turn. He did not get into the Hall of Fame until his sixth ballot.
Somehow, some way, both Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft will be waiting until at least next year. It’s led to calls for changes in the voting system, but Haley urged Belichick, Kraft and anybody else to simply be patient.
“I think it’s fair now. They changed the way it was, you have to earn it,” he said. “I was on number six before I got in. I’m not the one to ask about that. If you deserve to be there, you’ll get there.”
Charles Haley of the San Francisco 49ers in action during an NFL football game circa 1988 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Haley played for the 49ers from 1986-91 and 1998-99. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
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Haley retired with 100.5 sacks and two First-Team All-Pro nods. Belichick and Kraft each have six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, while Belichick has two more from his days as the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator.
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