It’s about time.

That’s what I said when I heard the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction committee announced Drew Pearson would be a member of the 2021 Hall of Fame class. The induction of one of the best wide receivers to ever play, was long overdue.

Pearson played collegiately at the University of Tulsa from 1970-72, and went on to have a stellar career in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.

Pearson becomes the fourth former Tulsa football player inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Bob St. Clair, a 1990 inductee, and 1995 inductees Jim Finks and Steve Largent.

At TU, Pearson began his career as a quarterback, and later became a receiver. He started four games at quarterback his sophomore season before making the switch to receiver. Pearson caught 22 passes for 429 yards and three touchdowns his junior season, and as a senior, he led Tulsa with 33 receptions for 690 yards and three touchdowns.

He caught 55 passes for 1,119 yards, six touchdowns and had a 20.3-yard average per catch in his career, at TU. He was named to The University of Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985.

Pearson signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 1973, and went on to play 11 years in the NFL. He had 489 receptions for 7,822 yards and was selected to the All-Pro team three years. He was named to the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade team. In fact, Pearson becomes the last member of the all-decade team to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. What a travesty.

In Dallas, Pearson helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl appearances and a victory in Super Bowl XII in 1978. He also scored a touchdown in Super Bowl X.

He was known as “Mr. Clutch” for his numerous clutch catches in game-winning situations, especially the Hail Mary reception from Roger Staubach that sealed the victory over the Vikings in a 1975 playoff game, one of the most famous plays in NFL history. He also caught the game-sealing touchdown in a 1973 playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams and the game-winning touchdown pass from reserve quarterback Clint Longley in the 1974 Thanksgiving game against the Washington Redskins.

Upon his retirement, Pearson held the Cowboys’ records for receptions (489), receiving yards (7,822), postseason receptions (67), postseason receiving yards (1,105), postseason touchdowns (8), and consecutive postseason games with at least one reception (22).

Pearson, 70, expected to be enshrined last year, when the Hall of Fame announced an expanded Centennial Class, designed to induct some of the most glaring omissions from the past several decades. Former Dallas teammate Cliff Harris and Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson were part of that 20-person class. Pearson, his family and his fans, were left wondering if the Hall of Fame had made yet another error.

This year was different, finally, but the way they broke the news to Pearson was also a bit out of the ordinary. After the Hall of Fame’s selection committee voted on Jan. 19 to induct Pearson and seven others — Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, John Lynch, Alan Faneca, Tom Flores and the late Bill Nunn — with football’s highest honor, a Cowboys official called Pearson and asked him to meet with owner Jerry Jones and Roger Staubach to discuss a potential real estate deal.

However, this was all a set up. Staubach became one of the most prominent real estate developers in Dallas after finishing his Hall of Fame career and collaborated with Jones on a hotel adjacent to the Cowboys headquarters, and Pearson has proven to be a star entrepreneur in his post-football life. He didn’t suspect that the “meeting” had anything to do with the Hall of Fame.

He met Staubach at the team’s headquarters in the lobby before they were directed to a nearby conference room where Jones awaited. Then came a knock on the door. It was David Baker, the Hall of Fame’s executive director, flanked by a camera crew.

At that moment, Pearson knew what was going on and he began to cry.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming in,” an emotional Pearson said. “Not this, though. I’ve always wanted this for a long time. To have Roger here and Mr. Jones, I promise I’ll live up to what the Hall of Fame is all about. And now, you’re giving me a chance at immortality.”

Pearson becomes the 21st Cowboy inducted into the Hall of Fame.

I hate to use the cliché, better late than never, but it is true for Pearson and the Hall of Fame. His wait is finally over, and it’s about time.