It's the highest honor a football fixture can achieve: enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Saturday, Aug. 8, the sport's pre-eminent club will canonize six new members into the Hall's home in Canton, Ohio. Included in the Class of 2009 are five players and one owner. Two of the members will be inducted posthumously.

Bob Hayes
Wide receiver
Dallas Cowboys / 1965-74
San Francisco 49ers / 1975

The Facts: Born Dec. 20, 1942, in Jacksonville, Fla. ... Attended Florida A&M and played running back. ... Selected as a seventh-round future pick by Cowboys in the 1964 NFL draft. ... Also selected in the 1964 AFL draft by the Denver Broncos but never played for them. ... Won a pair of gold medals in the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo, including one in the 100-meter dash, earning him the nickname "World's Fastest Human." ... Led Cowboys in receiving yards as a rookie with 46 receptions for 1,003 yards. ... His world-class speed gave him the nickname "Bullet Bob." ... Defenses applied more double-teams and bump-and-run coverage to try to slow him down. ... Hayes possessed not just straight-line track speed but what opponents called speed "in a football sense," as well as great natural football instincts. ... Hayes' speed also was utilized on kickoff returns, where he gained 26.5 yards per return in his first year in the league.  Hayes finished his career with 25.3 yards per return. ... Hayes was named first- or second-team All-NFL four times. ... He led the Cowboys in receiving three times and still holds the club record for career touchdown receptions with 71. ... For his career, Hayes finished with 371 receptions for 7,414 yards and 71 TDs. ... Elected to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 1966-68. ... Started at wide receiver in Super Bowls V and VI for the Cowboys. ... Gained 11.1 yards per punt return over the course of his career and took three back for touchdowns. ... Gained 20 yards per reception over the course of his career. ... Died of liver failure on Sept. 18, 2002, at the age of 59.

Randall McDaniel
Guard
Minnesota Vikings / 1988-99
Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 2000-01

The Facts: Born Dec. 19, 1964, in Phoenix, Ariz. ... McDaniel was an All-American and started all four years as a collegian at Arizona State. ... Was the 19th overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft by the Vikings. ... Started 15-of-16 games as a rookie and named second-team All-NFC. ... Earned All-Rookie honors, as well, during the 1988 season. ... Made 202 consecutive starts to close out his career. ... In addition to McDaniel's impressive regular-season streak, he started 13 straight playoff games for the Vikings. ... Over his 14 seasons in the NFL, McDaniel missed only two games. ... Earned nine straight All-Pro selections from 1990-98 and 12 Pro Bowls in all. ... Leader of a dominant  Minnesota offensive line in 1994 that allowed one sack for every 22.7 pass attempts, the second-best ratio in team history. ... A key part of the 1998 Vikings offense which scored a then-record 556 points. ... Allowed only 1½ sacks that year. ... In 2000, his first season with the Buccaneers, McDaniel helped pave the way for the team to rush for more than 2,000 yards. He was awarded his 12th and final Pro Bowl berth for his efforts. ... McDaniel blocked for six different 1,000-yard rushers and five 3,000-yard passers during his 14-year career. ... McDaniel was named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 1990s. ... Vikings coaches viewed him as such talented player that he was given two goal-line carries in 1996.  Pro Bowl coaches that year also utilized McDaniel in an interesting way, as he caught a two-yard touchdown pass in the game, making him the first guard to catch a touchdown in Pro Bowl history.

Bruce Smith
Defensive end
Buffalo Bills / 1985-99
Washington Redskins / 2000-03

The Facts: Born June 18, 1963, in Norfolk, Va. ... Starred at Virginia Tech, where he won the Outland Trophy. ... First overall pick of the 1985 draft by the Bills. ... A ferocious defensive end with a devastating combination of speed and strength, Smith owns the NFL's all-time sack record with 200 career sacks. ... After being selected first overall in 1985, Smith went on to become the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. ... Smith was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1996, as well as the AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1996. ... Smith was a consistent member of the NFL All-Pro team, earning first-team honors nine times. ... Smith was selected to play in 11 Pro Bowls. ... Many believe that 1990 was Smith's greatest season, as he recorded 19 sacks and was the definition of a game-changer. ... In a game against the Colts in 1990, Smith sacked QB Jeff George four times in the game's first 20 minutes. ... In Super Bowl XXV, Smith was responsible for one of the biggest plays of the game when he sacked Giants QB Jeff Hostetler in the endzone for a safety, giving the Bills a 12-3 lead. ... Smith started at right defensive end in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII and XXVIII. He recorded 13 solo tackles in these Super Bowls as well as two sacks. ... In addition to his record-breaking sack total, Smith had two career interceptions and two safeties. ... Smith still holds the record for most seasons with 10 or more sacks with 13. ... Durability was never a concern for Smith.  He played in 279 games over 19 seasons, missing more than four games in a season only once.

Derrick Thomas
Linebacker
Kansas City Chiefs / 1989-99

The Facts: Born Jan. 1, 1967, in Miami, Fla. ... Thomas was the fourth overall pick in the 1989 draft out of Alabama. ... Won the Butkus Award and was a consensus All-American in college. ... Thomas recorded 10 sacks in his rookie season en route to earning the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. ... Thomas' relentless pass-rushing ability translated into nine consecutive Pro Bowls. ... Thomas' most memorable game was Nov. 11, 1990, when he recorded an NFL-record seven sacks against the Seahawks. ... That season, Thomas recorded 20 sacks as well as six forced fumbles, five pass deflections and 35 quarterback pressures. ... Thomas was a member of the All-Pro team three consecutive years from 1990-92. ...He was elected to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s. ... Thomas was a key cog in turning around the Chiefs' franchise. Prior to his arrival, the team had made just one playoff appearance since 1971. In his 11 years in Kansas City, the Chiefs finished first or second in the AFC West 10 times. The organization earned seven playoff appearances and three division titles. ... Thomas had 10 or more sacks in a season seven times. ... In addition to his sack totals, the linebacker had one career interception, four fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns and three safeties. ... Thomas was a very durable player, missing just seven games in his 11-year career. ... He recorded the most NFL sacks in the 1990s, with 116½. ... Thomas' life was cut short after going into cardiac arrest on Feb. 8, 2000. It occurred 16 days after a car accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Ralph Wilson Jr.
Owner
Buffalo Bills / 1960-present

The Facts: Born Oct. 17, 1918, in Columbus, Ohio. ... Wilson first got into football when he bought a minority stake in the Detroit Lions. ... In 1959, he formed the Buffalo Bills, one of the eight original AFL teams. ... Wilson and the seven other AFL owners rallied around their self-prescribed moniker, "The Foolish Club," for their decision to start a new league. ... Wilson was instrumental in the merger of the AFL and NFL, initiating talks with then-Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom in 1965. ... During Wilson's tenure as owner, the Bills have won four AFC titles (1990, '91, '92, '93) and two AFL championships (1964, '65). ... The Bills' 103 wins during the 1990s was second-most in the NFL. ... In addition to serving as president of the AFL, Wilson served on the AFL Expansion Committee as well as the AFL-NFL Negotiations Committee. ... Wilson led the AFL through some tough early times and was critical to the league's survival. At one point, he went so far as to invest in another AFL organization to prevent it from collapsing. ... Wilson continues to be a key contributor among NFL owners, often regarded as the "voice of reason" on tough problems. ... Wilson currently serves on the Board of NFL Charities, the Super Bowl Site Selection Committee and the NFL's Expansion Committee. ... Wilson has been described as the "conscience of the NFL." ... The Bills have won seven AFC East championships with Wilson as owner. ... Wilson has previously served as the chairman of the NFL Pension Committee and the NFL Labor Committee. ... The Bills' home venue, Ralph Wilson Stadium, stands as a tribute to their owner.

Rod Woodson
Defensive back
Pittsburgh Steelers / 1987-96
San Francisco 49ers / 1997
Baltimore Ravens / 1998-2001
Oakland Raiders / 2002-03

The Facts: Born March 10, 1965, in Fort Wayne, Ind. ... The Steelers selected Woodson with the 10th overall pick in the 1987 NFL draft. ... During his career at Purdue, Woodson played running back, wide receiver, cornerback and safety. He also returned punts and kickoffs. ... Primarily played cornerback and returned kicks in his first few years with the Steelers.  He made his first Pro Bowl in his third season. ... Woodson recorded 100 tackles in 1992. ... In 1993, he won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors after he posted a team-leading 79 solo tackles in addition to eight interceptions, two forced fumbles and two sacks. ... Woodson played extensively at both safety and cornerback throughout his 17-year career, recording 71 interceptions with 1,483 interception yards. His interception return yards are an NFL record and his career interceptions rank third all-time. ... All of his 7,256 return yards were accumulated in his first eight seasons. ... Scored 17 touchdowns, including an NFL-record 12 of them off interceptions. ... Was a threat to score any time he had the ball in his hands.  Gained 20.9 yards per interception return and 22.2 yards per kickoff return. ... Named to 11 Pro Bowl teams and made All-Pro six times. ... Started at free safety for the Ravens in their Super Bowl XXXV victory over the Giants. Woodson recorded five tackles and one assist in that game.  Also played in Super Bowls XXX and XXXVII... The NFL named Woodson to its All-Decade Team for the 1990s.

Kickoff is coming! Be sure to buy copies of the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports 2009 NFL preview magazine, as well as the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Guide 2009, both of which are now available at bookstores, newsstands and retail outlets where magazines are sold. Or order your copies online at PFWStore.com.