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About the series
Each week, staff writer Ray Buck takes a look at the history of the Cowboys - from a great game to a singular moment to a memorable player - in his online-exclusive offering, Old 'Boys Club.
Next Friday
"The catch" by "Bullet" Bob Hayes that turned Tom Landry’s head for the first time. Hint: The game was played in Oklahoma.
Each week, staff writer Ray Buck takes a look at the history of the Cowboys - from a great game to a singular moment to a memorable player - in his online-exclusive offering, Old 'Boys Club.
Next Friday
"The catch" by "Bullet" Bob Hayes that turned Tom Landry’s head for the first time. Hint: The game was played in Oklahoma.
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Ed “Too Tall” Jones remains a household name in the NFL.
Unfortunately, that same moniker followed him into the ring in 1979 when he chose to leave the Cowboys to pursue a boxing career.His sharpest critics predicted — even prayed — that he would fall flat on his face. Too Tall ... Too Easy to hit. Timberrrrrrrrrrr!“I got a lot of what I would now call ‘unfair bashing’ but I didn’t lose any sleep over it,” said the 6-foot-8 Jones, who turns 57 on Saturday.“Too Tall” played 15 seasons for the Cowboys — five before boxing, 10 after his return to the team in 1980. In ’79, he was 28 years old, full of resolve, fully in the prime of his NFL career. He was a No. 1 overall draft pick who actually played like one.“Boxing has always been my No. 1 sport,” Jones said. “It was something I always wanted to do.”To him, this wasn’t a whim, or an experiment, or a leave of absence as it turned out to be. “My intentions were never to play football again,” Jones said. “I gave the Cowboys a year’s notice. This was not a contract ploy.”In fact, Jones was no longer under contract after the ’78 Cowboys season that ended with a Super Bowl XIII loss to the Steelers.“I assumed [the Cowboys] believed me,” Jones said. “They drafted Larry Bethea [defensive end, Michigan State, first round of ’78]. I really tried to make sure I did everything right.”Jones fulfilled his original contract, which he signed out of Tennessee State in 1974. He even played out his ’78 option year.“My mom told me: ‘Ed, I honor and respect you for doing what you really want to do. But burn no bridges,’ " Jones recalled. “I was ready to quit after my third year [1976]. “But I listened to my mom. I didn’t want to burn a bridge.”Jones had Larry Holmes in his corner — literally — as the then-heavyweight champion of the world sat shoulder-to-shoulder next to him at an Italian restaurant in New York City where the announcement was made.At one point, Holmes told reporters, “Whenever this man is ready to fight for the title, I will give him the opportunity.”Jones began training six days a week at the legendary Times Square Gym. He hired Murphy Griffith, uncle of former welterweight champ Emile Griffith, to be his trainer. “It was the hardest thing I ever did — the training part,” Jones said. “The fights themselves were easy.” Jones made it clear to everyone that he was now an ex-football player with a boxing management team and a two-year fight plan. Jones elected to be hands-on and adamant about the picking of his opponents.“I’m not going to fight bus drivers,” he told his handlers. “I want to fight guys with winning records. And I want to fight contenders after two years.” In ’79, Jones wasn’t ready — and he knew it — to go up against heavyweight contenders. Muhammad Ali pondered coming out of retirement about that same time. On July 14, 1979, he fought an eight-round exhibition against Lyle Alzado of the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. (Note: No winner was declared but Alzado took a round, maybe two, from Ali, according to ringside accounts.)
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