Dallas Cowboys all-time Mount Rushmore

1. Bob Lilly, DL (1961-1974)

“Mr. Cowboy,” Bob Lilly is the number-one player on the Mount Rushmore for the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first draft selection ever made by the team, was the first player named to the team’s Ring of Honor, and first Cowboy inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Lilly was fantastic. Playing on the defensive line, he caused mayhem and made plays throughout his career playing for America’s Team and the “Doomsday Defense”.

The Cowboys drafted the Texas native with the 13th-overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft out of TCU. Shortly after, he became an impact player for Tom Landry.

Lilly made 11 Pro Bowls, was named to seven All-Pro teams, and won a lone Super Bowl. That championship came in 1971, when Lilly and the defense held the Miami Dolphins to just three points in the franchise’s first Super Bowl win. As you can see, Lilly was a part of a lot of firsts for this organization.

Evaluating Lilly today is hard. Why? Because other than historians who watched him play, it is difficult to understand his significance because stats were not officially compiled the way they are today when he played in the 60’s and early 70’s.

On most data bases, there are zeros in almost every significant stat column. Therefore, some people may not be able to understand how important Lilly was to the Cowboys.

Even with the likes of Landry, Staubach, Randy White, Aikman and so on, no one rivals the importance Lilly holds to this franchise. You do not get the nickname “Mr. Cowboy” for no reason.