NFL Thursday takes us back to Super Bowl XII today, in the sense we were hanging with the Orange Crush last week … and today, we take on Big D. That’s our professional connection, although we once drove from Denver to Dallas and back, in Spring 2001. We don’t recommend going through Salina, KS, or even Oklahoma as a whole, either. But we digress: the Dallas Cowboys have some very famous players to discuss!

No. 10: Zack Martin, G—126 AV (2014-2023)

He was drafted 16th overall, and it paid off handsomely with 9 Pro Bowls in his 10 NFL seasons, all with the Cowboys. He compiled 8 seasons of double-digit AV to go with 1 season of 9 AV; the only “bad” season of his career was the Covid season of 2020, when he posted a mere 5 AV as he only took the field for 10 games that year. He started 9 playoff games for Dallas, too, although obviously he never reached the Super Bowl. Doh!

No. 9: Michael Irvin, WR—126 AV (1988-1999)

The first drafted (No. 11 overall) of the famed Triplets, he was 5-time Pro Bowler (1991-1995) who also topped the NFL in receiving yardage once (1991). He’s in the Hall of Fame after totaling 750 career receptions and almost 12,000 yards … in addition to being on Super Bowl championship teams in 1992, 1993, and 1995. In a full season’s worth of playoff games, he delivered with 87 catches; over 1,300 yards; and 8 touchdowns. Nice.

No. 8: Roger Staubach, QB—127 AV (1969-1979)

Hard to believe he was a 10th rounder in 1964 after winning the Heisman in 1963, but he had that Navy service to finish. Dallas still got 11 seasons out of him, and we had him in our GOAT discussion, as well. He was 96-35 as a starter, including the playoffs, and he won 2 Super Bowls (1971, 1977) while starting 2 others (1975, 1978). We gave him our 1971 NFL MVP nod; he also was a 4-time passing champ (1971, 1973, 1978-1979).

No. 7: Cornell Green, CB/SS—127 AV (1962-1974)

An unsung member of the early Dallas successes, he was undrafted out of college, but he ended up making 5 Pro Bowls (1965-1967, 1971-1972) at 2 different positions and playing in 2 Super Bowls (1970, 1971) as well. Not a bad a return on investment, making us wonder why he’s not in the Hall of Fame. He had 35 interceptions in 197 total games, regular and postseason combined. He also scored on 5 return TDs overall.

No. 6: Ed “Too Tall” Jones, DE—129 AV (1974-1978, 1980-1989)

He was 6-foot-9 and took a year off in his prime to try boxing (seriously), but he made 3 Pro Bowls (1981-1983) and posted 118 sacks in his career including the playoffs. He started in 2 Super Bowls (1977-1978), while also recovering 20 fumbles overall. He is not in the Hall of Fame, so this may be a case of his nickname outdoing his actual reputation on the field, but we have fond memories of his feats on the field from the era.

No. 5: Tony Dorsett, RB—131 AV (1977-1987)

He won the Heisman in 1976 (and the voted MNC, too), yet somehow the Cowboys snagged him with the No. 2 overall pick. In his first NFL season, he won the ROTY vote and the Super Bowl—not a bad start. He made 4 Pro Bowls (1978, 1981-1983) overall and will forever be in the record book unless the league changes some rules. Oddly, he led the NFL in both fumbles (12) and AV (17) in 1978, a double crown we don’t see very often.

No. 4: Mel Renfro, FS/CB—133 AV (1964-1977)

With 10 Pro Bowls (1964-1973) under his belt, he more than justified his status as a second rounder. He even added 3,875 yards as a kick/punt returner and 117 yards from scrimmage in 1966 specifically. Otherwise, his 52 INTs and 3 pick sixes helped him reach the Hall of Fame, along with his 2 Super Bowl rings (1971, 1977). He added 4 INTs in postseason play over the most successful stretch of Cowboys franchise history, too.

No. 3: Randy White, DL/LB—150 AV (1975-1988)

Our pick for 1975 ROTY, he was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, and it makes you wonder how the Cowboys got their hands on so many high draft picks when they were one of the most successful franchises of the decade. We will keep this short: he was voted co-MVP of Super Bowl XII, made 9 straight Pro Bowls (1977-1985) as a defensive tackle, is in the Hall of Fame, and generally was one of the best defenders ever.

No. 2: Bob Lilly, DE/DT—153 AV (1961-1974)

He was the 13th overall pick in the draft, and he reached the Hall of Fame after making 11 Pro Bowls (1962, 1964-1973) at 2 different positions. He won a Super Bowl, of course, in 1971, and finished with 95.5 sacks in the regular season and 5.5 more in the postseason. From 1964-1973, he notched double-digit AV for 10 consecutive years. The 1960 Cowboys went 0-11-1, and then they drafted this guy and became America’s Team.

No. 1: Emmitt Smith, RB—162 AV (1990-2002)

The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, he was the No. 17 pick in the draft. The superlatives are endless: 8-time Pro Bowler, 4-time rushing champ, the 1991 ROTY (voted), the 1993 NFL MVP (voted), and almost 1,600 postseason rushing yards in 17 playoff games—as well as 21 total TDs. He was the final piece of the puzzle that made the original Triplets work, and it paid off with 3 Super Bowl titles in a 4-year span. Legendary.