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Who is the greatest Cowboy ever?
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Fifty players for 50 years.
The Dallas Cowboys have had their Hall of Famers and their All-Pros and their Pro Bowlers, and a lot of outstanding players on outstanding teams. It adds up — from our viewpoint — to the most glamorous, most publicized, most envied franchise in the NFL, regardless of the current state of the team.The Star-Telegram picks the 50 Greatest Cowboys to commemorate the 50th season of the franchise.Roger StaubachQB (1969-79): Michael Jordan. Mariano Rivera. Roger Staubach ... guys you want to have the ball in their hands at the end of a game. No one was more competitive than Staubach (just ask Craig Morton). Six-time Pro Bowler. Super Bowl MVP. Heisman Trophy winner. Known as "Captain Comeback" for obvious reasons — 23 NFL come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter — which meant a Cowboys game was never over. Also known as "Roger the Dodger" because of his penchant for scrambling, which often drove Tom Landry crazy. Available in the 10th round of the ’64 draft because of his five-year military commitment, which included Vietnam. Spent a few R&Rs at Thousand Oaks before joining the Cowboys full time in ’69. When informed that Staubach was No. 1 on the Star-Telegram’s list of 50 Greatest Cowboys, no less an expert than Bob Lilly said: "Definitely, I think he deserves it."Bob Lilly2DT (1961-74): If Staubach is the face of the franchise, Lilly is its foundation. First No. 1 draft pick. First Hall of Famer. First Ring of Honor member. No Cowboy has appeared in more Pro Bowls than "Mr. Cowboy," a nickname (given to him by Staubach) that still "embarrasses" Lilly a bit to this day. The self-effacing superstar grew up in Throckmorton, starred at TCU ... and brought a refuse-to-lose attitude to an upstart franchise that needed it.Troy Aikman3QB (1989-2000): Stoic triggerman of The Triplets. Won more games in one decade (the ’90s) than any NFL QB in history. Three Super Bowl rings. Six Pro Bowls. Completed a Super Bowl-record 70 percent of his passes (for a QB in multiple SB games), which was just a microcosm of his career. Most accurate quarterback in team history (61.5 percent). Also had the most attempts (4,715), completions (2,898), yards (32,942) and TD passes (165). Tony Dorsett4RB (1977-87): It’s not enough to fixate on one never-to-be-broken 99-yard run from scrimmage on a Monday Night Football game 27 years ago. Dorsett created a new dynamic for a Landry offense. Instant home-run hitter, 4.8 yards per carry as a rookie ... capped by a Super Bowl XII title. Eclipsed 1,000 yards in his first eight non-strike seasons. Ranks seventh (12,739) among NFL rushers. One of eight Heisman Trophy winners in the Pro Football HOF.Emmitt Smith5RB (1990-2002): Before his rookie season, Emmitt wrote his career goals on a piece of paper. One was the NFL rushing record. Smith nailed it 12 1/2 years later on a historic 11-yard run at Texas Stadium. "Little Train That Could" mentality. His 18,355 yards and 164 TDs are league rushing records, along with 1,586 postseason yards and five Super Bowl TDs. Also team-record 20,174 combined yards from scrimmage. Shoo-in for first-ballot Hall of Fame honors in 2010.
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