DALLAS —
Over the coming weeks, WFAA will be taking aim at naming the All-Time Dallas Cowboys team. We start with the most important position of any NFL team, the quarterback. Over the years, the Dallas Cowboys have had their fair share of top quarterbacks from “Dandy” Don Meredith to current franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.
Being the quarterback of America’s Team means you will always be in the spotlight. For example, over the past few years, Prescott has been a hot topic for many of the major sports media outlets despite not even being within a game of reaching the Super Bowl so far in his young career.
Here is what a two-deep depth chart would look like at signal caller for the All-Time Cowboys.
First Team
Roger Staubach, (1969-79)
Before being selected in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft, Staubach was the quarterback of the Navy Midshipmen. He won the Heisman Memorial Trophy as the best college player in 1963, along with the Maxwell Trophy for top QB. He was drafted in 1964 but he wouldn’t make his Dallas Cowboys debut until 1969. During that hiatus he served in the Navy where he reached a rank of Lieutenant. He played football on service teams until his time of service in the armed forces came to an end.
Upon returning, Staubach would lead the Dallas Cowboys to their first Super Bowl victory in his third season. In that game, Staubach would defeat a team coached by the legendary Don Shula that had Larry Csonka and Bob Griese on the field. The Cowboys won 24-3 to give them their first of five Super Bowls.
He was named Super Bowl MVP and his two touchdown passes went to Mike Ditka and Lance Alworth. The sports hero of many local kids in the 1970s would lead Dallas to another Super Bowl victory in 1977.
Staubach was known then by many nicknames such as Captain Comeback, Roger the Dodger, and Captain America, but he is probably most remembered today for one play in 1975. When playing the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on December 28, 1975, Staubach and wide receiver Drew Pearson connected on a “prayer” to give the Cowboys the victory and birth the Hail Mary into the lexicon.
“So I was in the shotgun, and when I threw it, I looked Paul Krause off, he was the weak safety and Nate Wright was the cornerback. I pumped over here (looking to his left), but by the time I turned back, I intentionally underthrew Drew (a fit of sarcasm), uh, so he could catch it on his hip. No, I really underthrew him because I pumped too much over this way (to his left).”
Staubach will forever be the man who brought the Cowboys over the hump and secured their first championship. He added a second before injuries forced him into retirement. Though others that came after him had better statistics, there’s no one yet who can pass Staubach on the All-Time Cowboys team.
Accomplishments:
Two-time Super Bowl Champion
Super Bowl VI MVP
Six-time Pro Bowler
Second team All-Pro (1971)
1978 NFL Man of the Year
1970’s All-Decade Team
NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
NFL Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
Second Team
Troy Aikman (1989-2000)
If Staubach is the clear-cut number one quarterback in Cowboys history, then Troy Aikman is about as good of a backup as you can find. Much like Staubach, Aikman helped bring the team out of the doldrums and into the national spotlight. The Hall of Famer would help guide the Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories in four seasons from 1992-95.
Aikman was truly the quarterback of a new era in Dallas as he was under center for the team in the first year that the franchise would be led by a head coach not named Tom Landry. Aikman found himself in a battle with Steve Walsh to be the starter which he won under the leadership of Jimmy Johnson.
Aikman’s rise began as a member of the Oklahoma Sooners under future Super Bowl winning coach Barry Switzer until 1985 when he transferred to UCLA. He was named Pac-10 offensive player of the year in 1987 and was a finalist for the Heisman Memorial Trophy in 1988. He finished his senior year as a consensus All-American before heading to Dallas as the top pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Aikman would battle constant injuries throughout his career, most of which came towards the end, but in the early 1990s, there was no one more popular and successful at the position. At the time, Dallas’ prolific run of three Super Bowl titles in four years had never been matched.
At the age of 34, Aikman walked away from the game to begin a successful career in the broadcast booth. He would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
His departure brought on a forgettable era of incompetent quarterback play until an undrafted free agent would save the franchise from the next downward spiral. Aikman left with franchise records in passing yards (32,942), touchdowns (165) and completion percentage (61.5%).
Accomplishments:
Three-time Super Bowl Champion
Super Bowl XXVII MVP
Six-time Pro Bowl Selection
1997 Walter Payton Man of the Year
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
Number 8 UCLA jersey retired
Honorable Mention
Tony Romo (2003-2016)
Romo makes the list as an honorable mention as the current franchise leader in almost every statistical category. The former FCS quarterback and undrafted free agent brought the Cowboys out of a mediocre run at the position in the post-Aikman years.
After a few years of having to make believers out of the coaching staff, Romo would eventually take the reins from Drew Bledsoe in 2006 and, once he finally had the job, he didn’t look back. Much like the two quarterbacks listed above, injuries ultimately ended his career. Romo retired after 13 years of NFL football when the injuries became more frequent.
Though a Super Bowl run eluded him, Tony Romo is one of the most underappreciated players in NFL history.
Accomplishments:
Four-time Pro Bowl Selection
Second Team All-Pro (2014)
Four time NFL 100 Player
NFL Passer Rating leader (2014)
Cowboys Franchise leader in yards, touchdowns, completion percentage (minimum 100 starts), fourth quarter comebacks and game winning drives.
Do you agree with the selections? Share your thoughts on the best QBs in Cowboys history with Patrick on Twitter @PatSportsGuy.
