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L.G. Dupre
Selected from the Colts in the 1960 Expansion Draft, Dupre had been a standout back for Baylor and a celebrated Texas high school running back. While at Baylor he had been given the nickname "Long Gone" by announcer Kern Tips. He led the Cowboys in rushing during their inaugural season with 362 yards. He scored 3 touchdowns in the Cowboys tie with the Giants that season. He retired following the 1961 season. Dupre died of cancer in 2001.
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Don Perkins led the Cowboys in rushing from 1961 to 1965 then again in 1967 & 68. He was one of the Cowboy's first true "stars". He was selected All-Pro once during his career and played in 5 Pro Bowls. Cotton Bowl fans chanted "Hey diddle, diddle, Perkins up the middle" when he ran the ball on first down. He walked away from the game at the age of 30 after the 1968 season, ranked 5th on the NFL's All-Time Rushing list, to spend more time with his family. Perkins is #3 on the Cowboys all-time rushing leaders list with over 6,000 yards and #6 on the Pokes all-time rushing/receiving list with over 7,000 total yards from scrimmage. He joined the Ring of Honor in 1976. He now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he works for the police department as a community liaison. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Amos Marsh
Nicknamed "Moose", Marsh was a sprinter at Oregon State when Gil Brandt signed him as a free agent in 61. He started his career at wide receiver but his speed and size quickly earned him the starting fullback job alongside Perkins. He was an excellent receiver out of the backfield and also returned kicks and punts his first couple of years. In 62 he returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown and had two catches that were over 70 yards. That year he lead the league with 5.6 yards per carry average and gained 802 yards rushing. In 65 he was traded to Detroit where he played 3 more years before retiring. |
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Dan Reeves
A quarterback at South Carolina, Reeves signed with Dallas as a free agent in 1965. He became a running back and led the team in rushing in 1966 with 757 yards and was second in receiving. He was used effectively throughout his career, occasionally threw a halfback pass and was often credited with explaining the plays to Meredith in the huddle. In 1968 he was injured and several operations could not return his running skills. He continued to play in spots and in 1971 he was named assistant coach. He remained as an assistant until 1981 when he was named Head Coach of the Denver Broncos where he lead them to 3 Superbowl appearances in the 80s. In 1993 he became head coach of the Giants and is currently head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. |
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| Walt Garrison
Chosen by the Cowboys in the 5th round of the 1966 draft, he was already active on the rodeo circuit. He took over the fullback job from Don Perkins after the 68 season and stayed there through 1974. An excellent receiver out of the backfield he led the team with 40 catches in 71. Throughout his career he continued in his first love -- rodeo. He eventually tore up a leg bulldogging a steer in Montana and retired after the 1974 season. He finished his career with a 4.3 yard average and 3,886 yards rushing. He worked as a spokesman for Skoal smokeless tobacco for several years after his football career was over. |
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| Craig Baynham
Baynham's biggest moment came in the 1967 conference playoff game against the Browns when he filled in for the injured Walt Garrison. He scored 3 touchdowns in the 52-14 win. In 1968 he subbed for Garrison gaining 438 yards on the ground and grabbed 29 passes for 380 yards. He led the team in kickoff returns in 68 with 590 yards. He didn't get much playing time behind a healthy Hill and Garrison in 69 and was traded to Chicago in 1970 and finished his career with St. Louis the next year. Nicknamed "John One Dozen" because he always signed footballs "Craig Baynham - John 1:12", he became a pastor in later years. |
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Calvin Hill became the Cowboy's first 1000-yard rusher in 1972. He was taken in the first round of the 1969 draft out of Yale. In training camp his first year Landry tried him out at tight end and linebacker before settling him at running back. His first year he won Rookie of the Year after rushing 942 yards. He lead the team in rushing in 69, 72, 73 & 74 and in receiving in 72 & 73. He made 4 Pro Bowl teams and finished his career with 6030 yards rushing. In 1975 he jumped to the WFL, then came back as a backup for the Redskins and Browns, retiring after the 1981 season. He has served as a personnel director for the Baltimore Orioles and is currently working for the Cowboys as a special personnel manager. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Duane Thomas was the Cowboys
first round draft choice in 1970 out of West Texas State. He grew up on
the streets of South Dallas. He replaced an injured Calvin Hill in the
6th game of the season against the Chiefs in 1970 and ran for 134 yards
on just 20 carries. He went on to gain 803 yards that year and was named
NFL Rookie of the Year. He played well in the playoffs gaining 135 and
143 yards against Detroit and San Francisco respectively. In the Superbowl,
the Colts held him to 35 yards and he fumbled early in the second half
near the Baltimore goal line giving the ball up to the Colts.
Going into the 1971 season, he held out wanting his low-dollar contract to be renegotiated. In an infamous press conference, he called Coach Tom Landry a "plastic man, actually no man at all," and General Manager Tex Schramm "sick, demented, and completely dishonest,". After an aborted trade to New England he was back in a Cowboys uniform a few games into the season. On the field he never missed a beat. He gained 95 yards in the Superbowl victory over the Dolphins. Although most players said they liked him, most admitted that they didn't understand him. He was often joined by his "advisor" former NFL great Jim Brown. During training camp in 72 Thomas increasingly marched to a different drummer, talking to no one, practicing when he felt like it. Before training camp was over he was traded to San Diego for Billy Parks and Mike Montgomery. He sat out the entire year in a contract dispute. He went to Washington in 73 but never could break into the lineup. In 74 he led the Skins in rushing touchdowns and in his last NFL game he ran 8 times for 102 yards. In 1975 he moved to the World Football League's Hawaii team, he played in only 5 games and pulled a muscle in the second game. By this time his vegetarian diet and practice of running long distances had slimmed him down and taken away his explosiveness that had made him such a powerful runner in his early days with the Cowboys. The WFL folded after 11 weeks. He returned to Dallas and asked Landry to give him another chance but he missed much of training camp due to a pulled hamstring and failed to show the speed he once had. He was cut at the end of the preseason. He tried out again with the struggling Packers in 78 and 79 but never made the team. He published an autobiography in 1988 called "Duane Thomas and the Fall of America's Team" where he berated the Cowboys administration. Who knows, if Thomas's off field antics hadn't harmed his career, the Cowboys may have continued a power in the NFC during the mid 70s and we may have never met another Cowboy who wore #33 (TD).
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| Robert Newhouse
Newhouse came to the Cowboys from the University of Houston in the 2nd round of the 1972 NFL draft where he ended his collegiate career as Houston's all-time leading rusher. As a Cowboy he led the team in rushing with 960 yards in 1975 the same year he also caught 34 passes. He threw a memorable touchdown pass to Golden Richards in Superbowl XII against Denver. He is the Cowboys 5th all-time leading rusher with 4,784 yards rushing. His career average was just over 4 yards per carry. Newhouse retired after the 1983 season. Newhouse is now employed by Texas Stadium. |
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Preston Pearson never played a down of college football, but that didn't stop Don Shula from drafting him for the Colts. After 8 solid years with the Baltimore and Pittsburgh the Cowboys picked Pearson up on waivers near the end of the 1975 pre-season. With the retirement of Garrison and the departure of Hill, the Cowboys were in desperate need of a dependable running back. Peason won the starting job in 1975 four games into the season. Teamed with fullback Robert Newhouse he gained 509 yards on 133 carries and had 27 catches for 351 yards. Missing most of the 76 season due to injury, he came back in 77 where he started the first 9 games before giving way to rookie Tony Dorsett. He took on a new role, he became "Mr. Third Down". In 1979 he had only 26 receptions for 333 yards, but 23 of those catches were for first downs or touchdowns. He retired in 1981. He wrote an autobiography in 1985 called "Hearing the Noise". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Doug Dennisonwas
a free agent out of Kunztown State in 1974. He filled in for injured
Preston Pearson in 1976 and led the team in rushing with 542 yards. He
had a knack of finding the end zone during his Cowboy days. In 1974
he had only 16 carries, but 4 were for touchdowns, in 75 he lead the team
in touchdowns with 7. With the arrival of Dorsett in 77 his playing
time was dramatically reduced. He was traded to Cleveland in 79 and
played the next year in the CFL and ended his career in 84 in the USFL.
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Tony Dorsett came to the Cowboys after winning the Heisman Trophy at Pittsburgh in 1976. He was NFL Rookie of the Year in 1977 when he led to Cowboys to a Superbowl victory over the Broncos. He holds the NFL record for the longest run from scrimmage with a 99 yard scamper against the Vikings in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football. Tony finished his career with Denver in 1988 as the 2nd leading rusher in the NFL behind only Walter Payton. He is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ron Springs started his career in 1979 as a tailback out of Ohio State, behind Tony Dorsett. During his first year he filled in for an injured Dorsett during two games and convinced the Cowboys that they needed to get him in the lineup on a regular basis. Springs put on 10 pounds during the off-season and won the fullback job from Robert Newhouse. He was injured in the 3rd game and wasn't able to earn the job back until the 1981 season. In 81 he gained 984 yards rushing and receiving combined and lead the team with 12 touchdowns and 46 catches. In 1983 he set a club record for running backs with 73 catches for 589 yards, that year he also rushed for 541 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. He was released just before the 1985 season and signed with Tampa Bay where he played through 1986. He later became an assistant coach at Howard University under his former Cowboy roommate, Steve Wilson. His son Shawn is a standout defensive back in the NFL. |  |
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Herschel Walker
The Cowboys "wasted" a 5th round pick in the 1985 draft on the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner out of Georgia. At the time, Walker was the marquee player in the USFL for the New Jersey Generals. In the Generals 3 seasons, Walker rushed for 5,562 yards, caught 1,484 yards in passes and scored 61 touchdowns! His 2,411 yards rushing in 1985 remains a professional football record. When the USFL suspended play in 1986, Walker became property of the Cowboys. A dream backfield of Heisman winners was set. Walker at fullback and Dorsett at tailback. In his first year Walker rushed for 737 yards and caught 76 passes for 837 yards and scored 14 touchdowns The Heisman backfield was proving that even Big-D wasn't big enough for two superstar backs. The Cowboys sent their all-time leading rusher, Dorsett to Denver prior to the 1988 season. Walker responded by rushing for 1,514 yards and 505 yards in catches in 1988 and was named All-Pro and to his 2nd Pro Bowl. He was the only bright spot in a 3-13 season. In 1989, the Johnson era began. Johnson took his only marketable commodity and at mid-season he pulled off one of the biggest deals in NFL history. He traded Walker to Minnesota for five players and six draft picks. (Those picks yielded Emmitt Smith, Kevin Smith and Russell Maryland among others). Walker played with the Vikings who eventually released him, he played
3 years with Philadelphia and one with the Giants before coming back home
to Dallas in 96 where he was an outstanding kickoff returner and fill in
at fullback.
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Paul Palmer
After "The Deal" the Cowboys found themselves with Paul Palmer as their premier back midway through the season. In the only Cowboy victory that year Palmer gained 110 yards in the 13-3 victory over the Redskins. He did lead the team in rushing with 446 yards on 112 carries. Even though he was the team's leading rusher, he didn't even dress out for the Cowboys final game in 89. He left after the season and never played in the NFL again, but later played for Barcelona in the WLAF.
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Emmitt Smith
Drafted in the first round of 1990 with a year of eligibility left at the University of Florida, he was considered too small and too slow for the NFL. He won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award in 1990. He set the team record of 1,713 yards rushing in a season in 1992 and touchdowns with 22 in 1994. He was the 1993 NFL Player of the Year and Bert Bell Award winner that same year. He won the 1996 Bob Lilly Award and was named the 1994 Sporting News Sportsman of the Year. One of the all-time great running backs in NFL history, amassing over 15,000 rushing yards, four NFL rushing titles, three Super Bowl titles and a league (1993) and Super Bowl (XXVIII) MVP award. When looking at Smith’s career numbers, NFL history provides a short list of players with which to compare him. Smith already stands third in NFL history in rushing yards. Smith is the NFL’s career rushing touchdowns leader and stands second in league annals in total touchdowns with 147. Already the first player in NFL history with five straight seasons with over 1,400 yards rushing, Smith and Jim Brown are the only players with seven straight 10-touchdown seasons to start their career. Smith became the second player in NFL history to rush for1,000 yards in nine consecutive seasons. Smith scored 100 career touchdowns in just six seasons, the fastest anyone in league history has reached that mark (he tied Brown’s NFL record by scoring 100 touchdowns in just 93 career games). Along with establishing a NFL record with 25 touchdowns in a season in 1995, Smith has also set NFL records for most touchdowns over a two (47 touchdowns), three (62), four (76), five (91), six (104),seven (115), eight (119) and nine-year (134) span. Smith is one of only three players in Dallas history with three career 100 point seasons, and he is the only non-kicker to accomplish the feat. His value to the Cowboys’ success can be seen in the club’s 82-14 mark when he carries the ball 20-or-more times a game and 53-9 record when he rushesfor 100 yards. The century mark has become a big number in Smith’s career, having rushed for 100 yards in 132-of-239 games dating back to high school (45-of-49 at Escambia H.S., 25-of-34 at Florida and 62-of-156 at Dallas, including playoffs). Included in Smith’s club-record 55 regular season 100-yard rushing games are 11 of the top 15 performances in team history and 17 days with over 150 yards (the fifth highest total of 150-yard games in NFL history). In NFL annals, Smith’s 55 100-yard rushing games rank him fifth all-time. One reason Smith has become such a workhorse in the Dallas offenseover the years has been his ability to answer the bell at gametime, starting 164 of a potential 168 games with Dallas – including playoffs. The only missed start he has in hiscareer due to injury came in the season finale at the N.Y. Giants on Dec. 24, 1994. Smith has accumulated a number of NFL postseason records, including rushing touchdowns (18), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (eight) and 100-yard rushing games (seven). His 1,487 yards rushing in the postseason is the second highest figure in NFL history behind Franco Harris’ 1,556 yards. Not limited to rushing and scoring, Smith isfourth on the Cowboys all-time reception list with 415 career catches. |
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Daryl "Moose" Johnston
As lead blocker for Emmitt Smith, Johnston is one of the most popular players on the team. He was given the nickname "Moose" by Cowboy radio color man Babe Laufenberg. Fans throughout the NFL yell "Mooooooooooooooose" whenever he gets an occasional carry. He is often used as a "safety valve" receiver for Aikman. He's been to two Pro-Bowls in his career. Before an injury in the 1997 season he had never missed a regular season or playoff game. Johnston retired after a neck injury following the 1999 season. |
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