AN OCCASSIONAL SERIES The Cowboys began a tradition of producing NFL legends with their first draft pick. It was as if Bob Lilly set in motion a stack of silver-and-blue dominoes that followed his path through Pro Bowls and Super Bowls and into the Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame. Running back Don Perkins and linebacker Chuck Howley came aboard with Lilly in 1961, joining quarterback Don Meredith, a rookie on the inaugural team. Linebacker Lee Roy Jordan arrived in 1963, followed by cornerback Mel Renfro in 1964, receiver Bob Hayes in 1965 and offensive tackle Rayfield Wright two years after that.
Roger Staubach took the keys in the 1970s and proceeded to drive the Cowboys to dominance. The team had played in two Super Bowls when defensive end Randy White signed on in 1975 followed by running back Tony Dorsett in 1977.
All those players' skills were molded by a quiet gentleman who paced the sidelines of the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium in his fedora. Tom Landry built "America's Team" with 20 consecutive winning seasons, five NFC titles and two Super Bowl victories. The only coach the Cowboys ever had for 29 years closed his career with a record of 270-178-6.
Under new owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys put together a new generation of stars. The club's second No. 1 draft pick, quarterback Troy Aikman, would also make it to the Hall of Fame, bringing with him receiver Michael Irvin and, before long, running back Emmitt Smith. The "Triplets" went 3-for-3 in Super Bowls and rewrote practically every offensive club record.
Fifty years, so many great talents. Considering the countless feats accomplished, how could The News' panel of current and former beat writers, columnists and veteran editors rank one over another?
Very closely.
The Top 50 by the numbers
There are a few surprises when comparing the Top 50 by stats. For example, Danny White carded some big numbers but lacked the big games. He also had a big surprise that resulted in a big reaction from coach Tom Landry. In a key game against the Redskins, White called an audible that resulted in a 2-yard loss. Said the usually stoic Landry: "No, no, no, Danny, no!" White, however, still holds the team records for career punts (612), most punts in a game (11) and most punts blocked (five) in a season.
CHECK OUT our Classic Cowboys section for our accounts of every game, a look at past drafts, records against each opponent, information on the team's Pro Football Hall of Famers and Ring of Honor members and much more.
dallasnews.com/sports/Football/classic/
Quarterbacks
Top 50 Player Comp.-Att. Yards TD INT
2 Roger Staubach 1,685-2,958 22,700 153 109
5 Troy Aikman 2,898-4,715 32,942 165 141
14 Don Meredith 1,170-2,308 17,199 135 111
30 Danny White 1,761-2,950 21,959 155 132
47 Tony Romo 1,047-1,666 13,495 98 53
Running backs
Top 50 Player Att.-Yards Avg. Long TDs
3 Emmitt Smith 4,052-17,162 4.2 75 153
6 Tony Dorsett 2,755-12,036 4.4 99 72
22 Don Perkins 1,500-6,217 4.2 59 42
40 Daryl Johnston 232-753 3.2 18 8
41 Calvin Hill 1,166-5,009 4.3 55 39
43 Herschel Walker 818-3,491 4.3 84 27
48 Robert Newhouse 1,160-4,784 4.1 54 31
Emmitt Smith was the highest-ranked running back among the Top 50 Cowboys , coming in at No. 3 on our list. Smith rushed for more than twice as many touchdowns as any other Cowboy and for 5,126 more yards than sixth-ranked Tony Dorsett.
Wide receivers
Top 50 Player Rec.-Yards Avg. Long TDs 8 Michael Irvin 750-11,904 15.9 87 65
11 Bob Hayes 365-7,295 20.0 95 71
20 Drew Pearson 489-7,822 16.0 67 48 34 Tony Hill 479-7,988 16.7 75 51
Tight ends
Top 50 Player Rec.-Yards Avg. Long TDs
29 Jason Witten 488-5,523 11.3 53 26
32 Jay Novacek 339-3,576 10.5 49 22
44 Billy Joe DuPree 267-3,565 13.4 42 41
Defensive backs
Top 50 Player INTs Yards Avg. Long TDs
9 Mel Renfro 52 626 12.0 90 3
18 Cliff Harris 29 281 9.7 60 1
23 Darren Woodson 23 271 11.8 94 2
25 Cornell Green 34 552 16.2 59 2
26 Everson Walls 44 391 8.9 37 0
27 Charlie Waters 41 584 14.2 56 2
28 Deion Sanders 14 273 19.5 71 2
45 Bill Bates 14 122 8.7 29 0
Sacks
Top 50 Player Sacks
4 Bob Lilly 94.0
7 Randy White 111.0
13 Chuck Howley 26.0
21 Harvey Martin 114.0
24 Ed Jones 106.0
36 DeMarcus Ware 61.5
37 Jethro Pugh 95.5
39 George Andrie 97.0
46 Jim Jeffcoat 94.5
The Top 50
The Top 50 Cowboys as decided by a panel of writers and editors, with position, years with the organization, accolades, comment by staff writer Bill Nichols and voting point totals:
Panelists: Sam Blair ( Cowboys writer 1960-63; columnist 1964-78), Todd Davis (editor), Bob St. John ( Cowboys writer 1967-78; state, metro columnist 1978-2000), Tim Cowlishaw ( Cowboys writer 1986-87, 1992-94; columnist 1998-present), Steve Waggoner (editor), Damon Marx (editor), Kevin Gray (editor), Jean-Jacques Taylor ( Cowboys writer 1995-2006; columnist 2006-present), Kevin Sherrington (columnist 2000-present), Bill Nichols ( Cowboys writer 2000, 2009), Todd Archer ( Cowboys writer 2003-present), David Moore ( Cowboys writer 1998-99, 2003-present), Brandon George (staff writer), Barry Horn (staff writer), Carlos Nava (Al D?a, Cowboys writer 2004-present), Chuck Carlton (staff writer), Gary Myers ( Cowboys writer 1981-85; NFL columnist 1986-89), Dave Renbarger (editor), Brad Townsend (staff writer), Rick Gosselin ( Cowboys writer 1990-91; NFL columnist 1992-present)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
RING OF HONOR MEMBER
HALL OF FAMER
SUPER BOWL APPEARANCE*
SUPER BOWL WIN*
PRO BOWL SELECTIONS*
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
1. Tom Landry
2. Roger Staubach
3. Emmitt Smith
4. Bob Lilly
5. Troy Aikman
6. Tony Dorsett
7. Randy White
8. Michael Irvin
9. Mel Renfro
10. Tex Schramm
11. Bob Hayes
12. Rayfield Wright
13. Chuck Howley
14. Don Meredith
15. Jimmy Johnson
16. Lee Roy Jordan
17. Jerry Jones
18. Cliff Harris
19. Larry Allen
20. Drew Pearson
21. Harvey Martin
22. Don Perkins
23. Darren Woodson
24. Ed Jones
25. Cornell Green
26. Everson Walls
27. Charlie Waters
28. Deion Sanders
29. Jason Witten
30. Danny White
31. Charles Haley
32. Jay Novacek
33. John Niland
34. Tony Hill
35. Nate Newton
36. DeMarcus Ware
37. Jethro Pugh
38. Erik Williams
39. George Andrie
40. Daryl Johnston
41. Calvin Hill
42. Ralph Neely
43. Herschel Walker
44. Billy Joe DuPree
45. Bill Bates
46. Jim Jeffcoat
47. Tony Romo
48. Robert Newhouse
49. Pat Donovan
50. Flozell Adams
Others receiving votes: Terrell Owens (97), safety Roy Williams (90), Ken Norton (87), Frank Clarke (83), Tom Rafferty (62), Larry Brown (38), Eugene Lockhart (37), Clint Murchison (35), Dan Reeves (29), Herb Scott (25), La'Roi Glover (22), Blaine Nye (15), Mat McBriar (14), Bob Breunig (11), Leonard Davis (9), Michael Downs (9), Mark Stepnoski (9), Gil Brandt (8), Rafael Septien (8), Leon Lett (5), Jerry Tubbs (5), Peter Gent (1), Ernie Stautner (1), Doug Cosbie (1). Total points based on 50 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 50th-place vote.*as a Dallas Cowboy
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