Emmitt Smith (Creative Commons: johntrainor)
When it comes to great football players, the Dallas Cowboys have had more than their share since 1965. During the 60s and 70s, the Cowboys had a ton of great players play under coach Tom Landry. Jimmy Johnson coached the Cowboys to Super Bowl wins after the 1992 and 1993 seasons. The Cowboys were obviously well stocked during that time frame. Barry Switzer won another Super in 1995 with the core of players left over from Jimmy Johnson. Things have been leaner in subsequent years. Personally, I favor the Cowboys under Tom Landry’s era. That’s just me, but hey, it’s my list.
10. Michael Irvin
Personal confession: Michael Irving is my least favorite guy on this list. I find Michael’s mugging for the camera nauseating. Having said that, I couldn’t bring myself to bump him from this list for Bob Hayes or Drew Pearson. When he was on the field, Irving was indeed a playmaker. In 12 seasons with the Cowboys, Irving caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards and 65 TDs. In 16 playoff games, Irvin added eight more TD catches. Michael was named to the Pro Bowl five times and was named All Pro once.
9. Chuck Howley
Chuck played for the Cowboys from 1961–73. Howley was named All Pro from 1966–70. He was also named MVP of Super Bowl V. He was also outstanding in Super Bowl VI when the Cowboys finally got the monkey off their back and won their first Super Bowl. Howley had a nose for the ball. During his time with the Cowboys, Chuck picked off 24 passes and recovered 17 fumbles. Chuck gets the nod over other outstanding Cowboys linebackers such as Lee Roy Jordan whose career roughly paralleled Howley’s.
8. Tony Dorsett
Tony gave the Cowboys a sleek, home run back during his 11 seasons with the Cowboys. Dorsett’s career with the Cowboys included TD runs of 84 and 99 yards, each of which was the longest run in the NFL for that season. Dorsett scored 85 TDs for the Cowboys, rushing for 72 and catching passes for another 13. Tony picked up over 1000 yards rushing eight times while in Dallas. While not a big back Dorsett was durable, twice carrying the ball more than 300 times in a season. Tony gets the call over other notable Cowboys backs such as Calvin Hill, Duane Thomas and Don Perkins.
7. Everson Walls
Everson Walls gets the nod over a number of great Cowboys defensive backs in part because of his longevity. Walls spent nine years in a Cowboys uniform, picking off 44 passes. Three times Walls led the NFL in interceptions, topping out in his rookie season with 11. Everson was a Pro Bowler four times and was named to the All-Pro team in 1983. Deion Sanders, Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters, Darren Woodson, and Deion Sanders all got consideration as Cowboys corners or safeties, but Wall wins the decision on this list.
6. Larry Allen
The Cowboys have had some great offensive linemen from 1965 forward, and Larry Allen is probably the greatest one of all. Once again, it’s hard for a fan to really evaluate the offensive line play in the NFL, but when a guy makes the Pro Bowl team 11 out of 12 seasons, he was probably pretty good. Allen was named to the All-Pro team from 1996–2001. Rayfield Wright was also given consideration for this list. He was a Pro Bowler six times and an All Pro three times. That would be good enough for most of these top 10 lists, just not the Cowboys.
5. Randy White
After the Cowboys figured out the Manster wasn’t a linebacker, he went on to become one of the greatest defensive linemen in the history of not only the Cowboys but the NFL. Nine Pro Bowls and seven All Pro teams are a measure of White’s greatness. Randy was named co- MVP of Super Bowl XII along with Harvey Martin when the Cowboys demolished the Broncos 27–10. White recorded 52 sacks with the Cowboys and anchored one of the best defensive lines in the NFL for years.
4. Troy Aikman
Aikman saw some really lean seasons with the Cowboys before they evolved into Super Bowl winners three times during the 90s. Troy was a Pro Bowler from 1991–96. Aikman’s regular season passing rating of 81.6 seems rather low by today’s standards, but Troy upped his rating to 88.3 in the playoffs. Troy’s passing yardage and TD stats were somewhat suppressed because the Cowboys had some great running backs and offensive linemen during Aikman’s tenure with the team. While Aikman wasn’t spectacular, he was an excellent QB who led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships. That’s a pretty impressive resume.
3. Emmitt Smith
Smith is one of the reasons why Aikman’s stats weren’t as high as they could have been. Emmitt is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. In 13 seasons with the Cowboys, Emmitt accumulated 17,162 of those yards. Four times Smith led the NFL in rushing. Three times he led the NFL in rushing attempts. He was amazingly durable. Three times he led the NFL in rushing TDs, maxing out at 25 in 1995. Emmitt also caught 486 passes and scored another 11 TDs through the air. Emmitt was an eight-time Prow Bowler and was named to the All-Pro team from 1992–95. I knew he was great, but looking at his stats is staggering.
2. Bob Lilly
While statistics make it easier to document the greatness of Emmitt Smith, the same can’t be said for Bob Lilly. Being named to the Pro Bowl 11 times and being named to the All-Pro team seven times is a measure of Lilly’s greatness. Lilly made a memorable play when the Cowboys recorded their first Super Bowl win over the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI when he sacked Dolphins QB, Bob Griese, for a 23-yard loss. The Cowboys have had some great defensive linemen in their history, including Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin, but Lilly is considered the greatest of them all.
1. Roger Staubach
One of the reasons I made this list from 1965 on is that I like to list guys I’ve likely seen play. Roger Staubach is a prime reason why I do that. If you just look at Roger’s QB rating of 83.4 you might wonder what the big deal with Roger Staubach is. If you watched him play, you know. The dude was a winner. If the game was close in the fourth quarter, you felt that Staubach would find a way to win it for the Cowboys. The combination of Coach Tom Landry and QB, Roger Staubach is the greatest in Cowboys history.
