Dubbed America’s Team in the ‘70s, the Dallas Cowboys have made their mark.
Born in 1960, the Dallas Cowboys failed to win a game in their inaugural season, finishing 0-11-1. But the franchise coached by future Hall of Famer would waste little time making an impact. From 1966-85, the club strung together 20 consecutive winning campaigns, still, an NFL record that could be tied this year by the New England Patriots this season. Over that span, the Cowboys appeared in five Super Bowls, winning titles at 1971 (VI) and 1977 (XII) while falling to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowls X and XIII. In the 1990s, the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in a four-year span thanks to an offense led by the “Triplets.”
So “America’s Team” has garnered quite a following. It’s also accumulated quite the roster when it comes to Hall of Famers and standout performers. So if you think it was easy narrowing this and list down to 10 players, well…
10. Jason Witten, TE
For the second time in three years, he’s no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Tight end Jason Witten entered free agency in March and joined Jon Gruden’s Las Vegas Raiders. It’s ironic that he would follow Jon Gruden because he was the head coach’s successor in the ESPN Monday Night Football booth in 2018.
In a total of 16 seasons with Jerry Jones’ squad, he played in 255 games and started all but 10 contests. He ranks fourth in NFL history with 1,215 receptions, good for 12,977 yards and 72 touchdowns. The 11-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro also made eight playoff appearances but the Dallas Cowboys never advanced past the divisional round. But the former University of Tennessee standout and third-round draft choice in 2003 has left his mark with the franchise.
9. Mel Renfro, CB
He’s the second gentleman on the right and to the left of wide receiver Charlie Joiner. And that would make sense considering Cowboys’ cornerback Mel Renfro was usually close to a pass-catcher during his 14 seasons in the National Football League. And the 10-time Pro Bowler (all in his first 10 years in the league) obviously had the gift of grab during his impressive career with Tom Landry’s well-schooled club.
In a total of 174 regular-season games, the former University of Oregon standout picked off 52 passes and also recovered 13 fumbles. Renfro was the 17th overall pick in 1964, which in those days was a second-round selection. He was also drafted in the 10th round by the AFL’s Oakland Raiders. As a rookie, the speedy performer led the NFL in both punt returns and kickoff returns. And during his stay in Irving, he appeared in 21 postseason contests, picked off four passes and recovered another fumble.
“My whole game was beating the man in front of me…, explained Renfro (via the Pro Football Hall of Fame). It was a matter of studying the opponent as well as you can and knowing the tendencies. You had to have the speed, agility and quickness to get the job done.”
8. Drew Pearson, WR
Along with linebacker Chuck Howley (more on him soon), Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Drew Pearson is another player that many believe is an omission from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. USA Today’s Barry Werner points out the fact that the big-play performer is the only member of the 1970s All-Decade team not to be enshrined in Canton.
He certainly had his share of memorable moments, especially in clutch time. While “Bullet” Bob Hayes has a Hall of Fame bust and certainly made a big play impact as well, Pearson was steady, effective and reliable. He played 11 seasons for Tom Landry’s club and named to three Pro Bowls and also earned All-Pro accolades on three occasions. The former undrafted free agent finished with 489 catches, good for 7,822 yards and 48 score. There were also 68 grabs for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns in 22 postseason contests.
He was on the end of Roger Staubach’s 50-yard “Hail Mary” TD pass late in the fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Vikings in the 1975 NFC Divisional Playoffs. He was also the difference in a comeback win over the Falcons in Atlanta in the 1980 playoffs and hauled in Clint Longley’s Thanksgiving Day bomb in 1974 to stun the Redskins. Will he one day get the call to the Hall?
7. Chuck Howley, LB
Like wide receiver Cliff Branch of the Raiders, Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker Chuck Howley is a name often associated with being a big omission when it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Originally a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears, his career looked like it would be over after two seasons and a knee injury. But he would be traded to Tom Landry’s club in 1961 and ended up finding a home. The six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro remains the only player in Super Bowl history to capture game MVP honors in a losing effort.
In a total of 15 NFL seasons, 13 with the Cowboys, the former University of West Virginia standout and seventh overall pick in 1958 picked off 25 passes and recovered 18 fumbles – the vast majority of that with Landry’s club. In the Super Bowl V loss to the Colts, he finished with four tackles and a pair of interceptions. One year later in the team’s 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI, there were a pair of stops, another pick and a fumble recovery.
The Cowboys have had their share of defensive stars and it remains surprising that Howley hasn’t yet gotten a bust in Canton. But he remains one of this franchise’s legendary performers.
6. Troy Aikman, QB
He is the NFL’s all-time rushing leader not only in yards (18,355) but attempts (4,409). And no performer in league history has reached the end zone more times via the ground (164). Only fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (208) has scored more total touchdowns in NFL history than Emmitt Smith (175). The 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft would soon make an impact on a club that prior to his arrival won one game. Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys finished 7-9 and were on the verge of quite the run.
As for Smith, he would lead the NFL in rushing yards in four of the next five seasons starting in 1991. He was the catalyst of a balanced offense that featured an imposing offensive line, an accurate quarterback in Troy Aikman and a receiving corps spearheaded by wide receiver Michael Irvin and tight end Jay Novacek.
Besides his regular-season numbers, Smith is also the NFL’s all-time leader with 1,586 yards rushing in the postseason. The eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro earned Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player honors when the Cowboys repeated as champions in 1993. He spent the final two years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals and was the ultimate workhorse runner.
5. Tony Dorsett, RB
What a start to an NFL career. Consider that running back Tony Dorsett was a pivotal part of the Pittsburgh Panthers’ 1976 national championship team. That year, he won the Heisman Trophy and his collegiate club went 12-0 on the way to being voted the best team in the land.
In 1977, the Dallas Cowboys moved up to the second spot in the draft and grabbed Dorsett. Tom Landry’s team won its first eight games, finished 12-2 and would go on to defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. A year later, a club returned to the big game only to fall to the very-talented Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31, at the Orange Bowl in Super Bowl XIII.
After 11 seasons in Irving, Dorsett spent his final season in the league with the Broncos. All told, he still ranks 10th in NFL history with 12,739 rushing yards. He also finished his career with 90 total touchdowns and a combined 16,293 yards from scrimmage – the latter 13th in NFL annals. And it’s somewhat interesting to note that 12,036 yards on the ground with Dallas would probably be a franchise record for other teams. Of course, there was this other Cowboys’ running back…
4. Michael Irvin, WR
He proved to be the final first-round draft choice of the Tom Landry Era with the Dallas Cowboys. Wide receiver Michael Irvin was a flamboyant performer at the University of Miami and part of some very-talented collegiate football teams. He was the third of the six wide receivers selected in the 1st round live in 1988 NFL draft. The former Hurricane went 11th overall behind fellow future Hall of Famer Tim Brown (6th) – selected by the Los Angeles Raiders – and Green Bay Packers’ star Sterling Sharpe (7th).
In 1989, Irvin’s collegiate coach at Miami took over in Dallas. Jimmy Johnson took over 3-13 team that was in dire straits and the club finished 1-15. But there was a method to the madness and it would come in the form of clever drafting and some aggressive moves via trade. And it’s worth noting that Irvin missed a combined 16 games his first three seasons.
Over the next eight years, he would finish with at least 1,000 receiving yards seven times. His career totals read 750 receptions for 11,904 yards and 65 scores. There were also 87 grabs for 1,315 yards and eight TDs in 16 postseason tilts. And he was clearly the leader of a team that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span from 1992-95.
3. Emmitt Smith, RB
He is the NFL’s all-time rushing leader not only in yards (18,355) but attempts (4,409). And no performer in league history has reached the end zone more times via the ground (164). Only fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (208) has scored more total touchdowns in NFL history than Emmitt Smith (175). The 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft would soon make an impact on a club that prior to his arrival won one game. Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys finished 7-9 and were on the verge of quite the run.
As for Smith, he would lead the NFL in rushing yards in four of the next five seasons starting in 1991. He was the catalyst of a balanced offense that featured an imposing offensive line, an accurate quarterback in Troy Aikman and a receiving corps spearheaded by wide receiver Michael Irvin and tight end Jay Novacek.
Besides his regular-season numbers, Smith is also the NFL’s all-time leader with 1,586 yards rushing in the postseason. The eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro earned Super Bowl XXVII Most Valuable Player honors when the Cowboys repeated as champions in 1993. He spent the final two years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals and was the ultimate workhorse runner.
2. Bob Lilly, DT
He was the franchise’s first-ever draft choice in 1961, although the Dallas Cowboys first took the field one year earlier. He is also in the conversation with the greatest defensive tackles in the history of the league. And he also made one of the biggest plays, literally, in Super Bowl history when he sacked Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Bob Griese for a 29-yard loss in Super Bowl VI at Tulane Stadium. It was a fitting effort that day as the franchise won its first NFL title and held Don Shula’s team without a touchdown in a 24-3 triumph.
Former TCU defensive tackle Bob Lilly played 14 seasons and never missed a regular-season contest. Sacks were not an official individual stat during his tenure but he spent his share of time in opposing backfields. And he did finish with an impressive 18 fumble recoveries. The first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame selection in 1980 was an 11-time Pro Bowler and seven-time All-Pro.
Cowboys’ head coach Tom Landry had this to say about “Mr. Cowboy” in 1972. “A man like that comes along once in a lifetime. He is something a little bit more than great. Nobody is better than Bob Lilly.” Who would argue with a Hall of Fame coach?
1. Roger Staubach, QB
A Heisman Trophy winner from Navy, a 10th-round draft choice in 1964 who didn’t play until 1969 and a quarterback that early in his career seemed to have more designs on carrying the ball than throwing it. But how many more players have been more dangerous late in games than Dallas Cowboys’ field general and Pro Football Hall of Fame signal-caller Roger Staubach?
What he wound up being is the perfect player for head coach Tom Landry. Four seasons into his career and a combination of injuries and circumstances saw him missing more games (25) than playing. But he was a 10-game start in 1971 when the club went to Super Bowl VI. He was the game’s Most Valuable Player vs. the Dolphins that day and if you include Dallas’ three-game postseason run that year, Landry’s club won all 13 games the efficient Staubach started.
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He would appear in four Super Bowls for the franchise, winning titles in 1971 and ’77 but running into the Steelers in Super Bowls X and XIII at the Orange Bowl. His career numbers really don’t do him justice compared to today’s statistics. But “Captain Comeback” made the “Hail Mary” pass a thing in the 1975 playoffs at Minnesota. And his fourth-quarter heroics on numerous occasions are legendary.