One of the best teams in NFL history, the Dallas Cowboys are known as “America’s team.”
It is a club that has produced many big-time stars throughout the years and is one of only four teams in league history to have won at least five Super Bowls. Because of this, it is very challenging to determine which players in the team’s history are the best.
In order to answer this question, FOX Sports Research analysed the data and ranked the top ten Cowboys players of all time.
When examining their results, we found several unexpected names that made our list, even if there are some clear picks near the top.
What is the ranking of your favourite cowboy?
Let’s examine:
10. Witten, Jason
In the 2000s and 2010s, Witten, one of the all-time great tight ends, improved the Cowboys’ offence. For the majority of his career, he was a consistent Pro Bowl player, winning the award 11 times during his 16 seasons with the Cowboys. Most of those seasons coincided with winning years in Dallas, and he had at least 900 receiving yards in seven of those seasons. Despite never winning a Super Bowl in Dallas, Witten became one of the best tight ends in the history of the game. He ranks sixth all-time in tight end touchdown receptions (74), and he is second all-time in receptions (1,228) and receiving yards (13,046). Regardless of position, his overall number of receptions is so high that it ranks fourth all-time.
9. Renfro Mel
Renfro was among the first outstanding players in the Cowboys’ history. Renfro joined the squad in 1964 and made an immediate impression as a rookie, earning his first of ten consecutive Pro Bowl selections. The Cowboys became a contender in the latter part of their period. He assisted them in winning two Super Bowls and making it to the next one, where he intercepted a pass that gave the Cowboys the victory over the 49ers in the 1970 NFC Championship Game. The season before that, he finished his career with 52 interceptions, the most in the league. That total is the highest in Cowboys history as well as the fifth-highest among all safeties.
8. Irvin Michael
The Cowboys’ historic run in the 1990s depended heavily on “The Triplets” trio, of whom Irvin was one of three members. With six receptions for 114 yards and two scores against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII in 1992, the Cowboys wide receiver was especially crucial to the team’s victory. Irvin recorded seven 1,000-yard seasons over eight years in the 1990s and was a five-time Pro Bowler. Due to a spine injury he sustained during the 1999 season, his career ended quite early and suddenly, but it’s evident that he established himself as one of the greatest players in Cowboys history by contributing to the team’s three Super Bowl victories.
7. White, Randy
Two Cowboys players were included among the top 10 interior defensive linemen by FOX Sports. Although White was ranked lower than the other player, he had an incredible career in the 1970s and 1980s, helping the Cowboys win another Super Bowl in 1977. His performance in that game, which slowed down the Denver Broncos’ offence in the victory, won him co-Super Bowl MVP honours. In addition, White recorded at least 10 (unofficial) sacks in five different seasons that year, marking the first of nine consecutive seasons he was selected a Pro Bowler. Throughout his 14-year career, he recorded 111 unofficial sacks.
6. Dorsett, Tony
Dorsett became an immediate team star after earning Offensive Rookie of the Year and contributing to the Cowboys’ 1977 championship season. In the Super Bowl victory, he also ran for a touchdown. Dorsett produced one of his eight top-10 rushing yard finishes the following season and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time out of his four Pro Bowl selections. In 1981, Dorsett recorded a career-high 1,646 running yards, one of eight seasons in which he rushed for 1,000 yards or more. With 12,739 yards at the end of his 12-year career, Dorsett ranks 10th all-time.
5. Allen, Larry
After being draughted in 1994, Allen only had the opportunity to participate in one of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl victories in the 1990s. He nevertheless made a name for himself as one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history and one of the greatest players in Cowboys history. Over the course of his 14-year career, he was named to the Pro Bowl 11 times and was named an All-Pro six times. He received 10 of those selections during his 12 seasons in Dallas. Throughout his career, Allen moved fluidly over the offensive line, and his performances at guard and left tackle during his time with Dallas earned him Pro Bowl recognition. One of the few players to ever be selected to two NFL All-Decade teams, he received the honour for the 1990s and 2000s for his contributions along the Cowboys’ offensive line.
4. Bob Lilly White’s Hall of Fame career came before his successful spell leading Dallas’ interior defensive line. During his 14-year career (1961–74), Lilly was a Pro Bowler for all but three of those seasons and helped the Cowboys become one of the best teams in the game in its first few seasons as a team. In 1971, after several seasons of competition, Lilly overcame the Super Bowl hump. His 29-yard sack of Miami Dolphins quarterback Brian Griese is considered one of the game’s pivotal plays, and it helped Dallas win Super Bowl VI. Lilly finished his career with 95.5 sacks, with at least eight (unofficial) sacks in five seasons. Lily was ultimately put into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honour as the first player ever.
3. Smith, Emmitt
Smith is perhaps the best rushing back in NFL history in addition to being one of the greatest players in Cowboys history. Since no running back has ever rushed for more yards (18,355) and touchdowns (164), Smith was named #1 on FOX Sports’ ranking of the best 10 running backs. In the 1990s, his ability to rush helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls and establish one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the game. The sole MVP award in the team’s history was given to him in 1993, when he ran for 1,486 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. He ran for at least 1,400 yards in five different seasons, including that one. His 132-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII earned him the MVP award as well.
2. Aikman Troy
As the quarterback of one of the most iconic offensive units in the history of the game, Aikman led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s. Even if he didn’t win MVP like Smith, Aikman was a productive passer in his day. Throughout his career, he finished in the top 10 in yards per attempt six times, in the top 10 in passer rating six times, and in the top 10 in completion percentage eight times. He was chosen a Pro Bowler six times. With an average of 229.7 passing yards and a passer rating of 111.9, he completed 70% of his throws in each of the Cowboys’ three Super Bowl victories. In Super Bowl XXVII, he excelled, throwing for 273 yards and four touchdowns to win MVP as they defeated the Bills.
1. Staubach, Roger
With nicknames like “Captain America” and “Roger The Dodger,” Roger Staubach’s brilliance made the Cowboys the most popular team in the country. He won two of the four Super Bowls he led them to, most notably Super Bowl VI in 1971, where he was named MVP. Staubach earned six Pro Bowl selections and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for having the most wins of any quarterback between 1969 and 1979 (85). In addition, he is the only quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and win the Heisman Trophy.
Respectful Remarks:
Hayes, Bob
Ware, DeMarcus
Pearson, Drew
Haley, Charles
Howley, Chuck
Wright, Rayfield
Martin, Zack
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