How good was Walt Garrison

he was before my time but my dad told me stories about watching him and how fun it was to watch him play.
tough as nails.
automatic in short yardage and goal-line.
hard to bring down.
thanks to nfl films...he will live on forever.
i love his story telling...especially about his boots and what he kept in them.
his book is fantastic also.
 
Walt was very good. Not a speed guy. Didn't fit the mold of what would be considered a RB by todays standard at all. He was a true cowboy. That's what ended his career. He was riding a bull and got hurt.

I had to look up Dandy don's quote of him to make sure I got it exactly right. He said "If it was third down, and you needed four yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, he'd get you five. And if it was third down and you needed twenty yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, by God, he'd get you five."

I'll never forget getting home from church and turning on the tv to see my old hero's play each week. Life was so much simpler and the Cowboys were always contenders. And that ain't bad.
 
..."One of the more humorous sports quotes was attributed to Cowboy quarterback Don Meredith speaking about Garrison's dependability, "If it was third down, and you needed four yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, he'd get you five. And if it was third down and you needed twenty yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, by God, he'd get you five."... Wikipedia. I remember this quote as it was reported as well.

Gotta love Walt. Tough SOB plus he ask for and received a horse trailer as a signing bonus. One of many, many from the 70's who are deserving of personal favorite status.

Go Cowboys!
 
I didn't really get interested in football or the Cowboys until 1975, which was the year of the Hail Mary pass and the 1st of the Dallas-Pissburgh super bowls. Walt wasn't a part of the 1975 team, having retired in 1974.

Although I remember seeing Walt's picture in magazines and a souvenir book my mom bought for me in1973 or 1974, I don't recall watching him play and I wish I had.
 
Hardline said:
I was watching Super Bowl VI on Youtube between the Cowboys and the Dolphins.
He was literally getting 6-8 yards on just about every carry.
Walt was before my time so I never seen him play.

Hopefully you that did see him play can educate me.

Click to expand...

How bad? That's when the Dallas Cowboy were men, and the sheep were scared!

He also had a job in the offseason like his teammates did. Now the team are sissies compared.
 
Walt Garrison was a rodeo Cowboy and tough as nails. He averaged about 4 yards per carry and was consistently getting about that amount. He had an unusually appealing personality and was a country boy through and through. He used to say things that would make an old grouch laugh his head off. He once said something like: "if you ever need 3.5 yards, I'll get it. If you need 5 or 6 yards, I'll get you 3.5 yards." Great sense of humor.
 
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Coach Landry had the utmost respect for Walt Garrison and his Toughness,Courage and Determination.He played the 1970 NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl V with a Broken Collarbone and Severly Chipped Ankle Bone and never missed a beat,a True Warrior.

His stats in Super Bowl V and VI were impressive- 26 Carries for 139 Yards,over 5 Yards a Carry against 2 Top Defenses in the Colts and Dolphins.

A Strong Inside Runner,ran the ball the with that tackle breaking grit that he competed with on that Rodeo Circuit that was so important to him.Add in his versatility as a Solid Receiver coming out of the Backfield,caught a lot of passes and a reliable Blocker.

He had a One of a Kind Personality with a Wonderful Humor that was loved by his Teammates.Also highly Respected by his Opponents for what he brought out on the Field.

"Puddin" was an Unforgettable Dallas Cowboy who left quite a legacy.
 
Ah, Puddin'".

Here's a fun one on how he got that nickname.

He and Dandy Don went out a'drinkin' night before the game and tied a good one on. Walt was a rook, I think. Soooo, on game day Walt is hungover bagd and has a pounding headache. He wasn't the starter, so he was hoping he wouldn't go in the game. But, sure enough, later in the game he went in. Don't remember why, injury maybe. Soooooooooooooooooo, Dandy Don sees this green faced rook trotting out on the field. And what does Don call? Why, up the middle of course!!!!! Don ran him up the middle 3 or 4 times in a row, and Walt was just a'hurtin'. Soooo, when Walt comes back to the huddle after a few carries, Don looks at him and says "You're a (P word). However, since I can't call you that publicly, I'm going to call you "Puddin". And me and you'll always know what I'm really calling you!!!!!!!!!!!

As told by Walt himself, BTW.
 
Walt was a smallish FB. We had a nice run with quality FBs in those days.
Walt Garrison, Robert Newhouse, Ron Springs.
They were all good, tough inside runners, and they were all very talented in the screen game. It’s hard to imagine now, but Dallas used to be beasts when it came to the screen pass. Those were great days.

If you only know Calvin Hill from his social work with Cowboys problem players, check out some film. I really loved watching Hill run with the ball, very unique. All high knees and elbows, and among the first guys known for hurtling tacklers and pileups. He was a tall runner but could contort his body and run through contact. He always got the most out of every run.

Not the fastest or smoothest or prettiest, just so unlike other running backs. He was one of my favorites.
 
Chuck 54 said:
Walt was a smallish FB. We had a nice run with quality FBs in those days.
Walt Garrison, Robert Newhouse, Ron Springs.
They were all good, tough inside runners, and they were all very talented in the screen game. It’s hard to imagine now, but Dallas used to be beasts when it came to the screen pass. Those were great days.

If you only know Calvin Hill from his social work with Cowboys problem players, check out some film. I really loved watching Hill run with the ball, very unique. All high knees and elbows, and among the first guys known for hurtling tacklers and pileups. He was a tall runner but could contort his body and run through contact. He always got the most out of every run.

Not the fastest or smoothest or prettiest, just so unlike other running backs. He was one of my favorites.
Click to expand...
we had some real talent at RB back then. Duane Thomas could have been a HOF if his head had been screwed on right
Calvin Hill nearly as good. Walt Garrison was the fullbacks fullback. Ron Springs was a lot better then people realize and Robert Newhouse WAS A LOAD. AND cannot forget the first Third Down Back in NFL history in Preston Pearson.
 
In 1972 Walt Garrison came to my small town in West Texas as part of the campaign for a guy running for governor. Nobody cared about the candidate, but the fact that Walt Garrison had come to town was a big, big deal. They shut down the school that afternoon so that the kids could go out and meet him. I still have the autograph I got that day. I am one of the kids in that crowd, but to save myself from future ridicule I’ll just leave it at that. My sister is in that picture too.
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I loved Walt and he actually had a national tv endorsement for chewing tobacco, right before all tobacco advertising was made illegal. I can still here it in his high-pitched drawl "just a pinch between your cheek and gums" I bet its on youtube
 
gtb1943 said:
we had some real talent at RB back then. Duane Thomas could have been a HOF if his head had been screwed on right
Calvin Hill nearly as good. Walt Garrison was the fullbacks fullback. Ron Springs was a lot better then people realize and Robert Newhouse WAS A LOAD. AND cannot forget the first Third Down Back in NFL history in Preston Pearson.
Click to expand...
Garrison and Springs were a few years apart. Doug Dennison was between them, and Preston Pearson. Late 70s we had Dorsett, Newhouse , Pearson, Springs and Timmy Newsome all at the same time. This, I remember it well, was when someone in the media first coined the phrase "this team has a lot of weapons" They still use this phrase to this day of course.
 
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