2021 season countdown thread

[Jake]

59 days to Tampa Bay

Childhood me remembers #59 as LB Guy Brown, a rookie on the SB XII championship team who played for the Boys until a cervical injury ended his career in 1982.

The more prominent #59 is LB Dat Nguyen, an All Pro in 2003 and the Cowboys leading tackler in 3 seasons. Injuries also cut his career short.

“He’s a football playing dude, that guy. You bet he could have played for any of my teams”. Bill Parcells

 

[Bobhaze]

Guy Brown. Hadn’t thought about him in a very long time. And Dat….what an overachiever similar to Bill Bates.

 

[Hagman]

 

[maryquality]

Current player wearing #59....Chauncey Golston.

 

[Hagman]

Inside The Star also named “Dat Guy” as the greatest Cowboy to wear #59

https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/insidethestar.com/dat-nguyen-tackles-his-way-to-59/amp/

Dat Nguyen was chosen by the Cowboys with the 85th overall pick in that draft and made an impact, as all great linebackers do, right away. During his rookie year he led the special teams unit in tackles with 18 and he was promoted to starting middle linebacker in his second year.

While Dat was the first Vietnamese-American Player to ever be drafted, he didn’t stop succeeding there. After he was named the starting middle linebacker Dat flourished as the leader of the Cowboys defense, leading the team in tackles in 2000. He had a grit that could not be tested, as exemplified in a game in 2002 where he broke his wrist…and still finished the game with a team-leading 11 tackles.
Dat’s finest season perhaps came in 2003. He led the team in tackles yet again, a team with the second most effective defense across the NFL, and was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Nguyen was also announced as a Second-Team All-Pro in 2003 and he won the Ed Block Courage Award… which personifies a player’s inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage.

 

[maryquality]

58 more days. Some #58's: Mike Hegman, Jack Crawford, Aldon Smith, Robert Quinn. Current Cowboys' player with #58 - Austin Faoliu....who?? LOL

 

[Hagman]

 

[Hagman]

https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/insidethestar.com/mike-hegman-scoops-and-scores-58/amp/

My vote for the greatest Cowboy to wear #58 is Mike Hegman.

Mike Hegman finally slipped into the Cowboy #58 in 1976, a full year after he had actually been drafted. He spent his first few seasons assisting on special teams and backing up both Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson and D.D. Lewis. Hegman was a part of the World Champion Dallas Cowboys that won Super Bowl XII…the first Super Bowl ever played at the Louisiana Superdome. Hegman also had a big play in what I believe was the greatest game ever played, Super Bowl XIII, where he snatched the ball from Terry Bradshaw and ran it in from 37 yards out for the score.

Magic Mike
Hegman finally joined the starting lineup in the middle of the 1979 season after the team waived Hollywood. He was a staple on the Cowboy defenses of the early part of the 1980s, helping the franchise reach three straight NFC Championship Games (1980-1982). Mike Hegman helped the Cowboys remain competitive as original members of the Doomsday Defense retired. He manned the middle excellently and he is the Greatest 58 in Dallas Cowboys History.

 

[Bobhaze]

For any Cowboys fan who doesn’t remember #58 Mike Hegman, look up the YouTube video of the play he made against Terry Bradshaw in SB XIII.

 

[Jake]

Mike Hegman and Dixon Edwards are the two names that pop into my head when I think of #58.

I remember that Hegman theft of Bradshaw well, kid me freaking out as Dallas went ahead 14-7. Sadly, the game turned for the worse after that play. Don't have a specific Dixon Edwards play in my mind, but he enjoyed the best five-year span to be a Cowboy - playoffs every year, 4 NFC title games and 3 SB championships.

https://encrypted-tbn0.***NOT-ALLOWED***/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQD95HPJzS3qUzSJKte_RYxDNRYcEOIu3wVRA&usqp=CAU

58 days to Tampa Bay!

 

[maryquality]

57 days......not many memorable players that I can recall that wore this number. I think Victor Butler was one. Current player wearing #57 is Luke Gifford.

 

[Hagman]

He's not the greatest Cowboys to wear #57, but my favorite one with that number is Malcolm Walker. When I was young I remember some competition between Dave Manders and Malcolm for the starting center spot....a competition that Malcolm won. He was another one of those guys drafted by both the AFL and NFL....by Houston and by Dallas in the second round. Hurt his knee practicing for the long-gone-and-not-missed College All Star game, which was to hinder his career. He became our starting center in 1968, and played full seasons in 1968 and 1969, even though he was banged up most of the time. In 1970 he was part of the trade that brought Herb Adderley to the Cowboys. The Packers waived him after a year when his knee could no longer pass a physical.

So here's to you Malcolm. I wish that your body could have kept pace with your heart and talent.

 

[Jake]

While certainly not the most famous #57 in Cowboys history, center Kyle Davis is arguably one of the most important. Davis came in to play center with Dallas facing 4th-and-16 against the Vikings. Two plays later, he snapped the ball on one of the most storied plays in Cowboys history - the original Hail Mary.

John Fitzgerald was the starting center, but playing through an elbow injury he struggled with shotgun snaps all day. After his final botched snap on 3rd down resulted in 4th and 16, Landry sent in rookie Kyle Davis. Davis stepped into a pressure-filled situation and got the job done. 1975 was his only season in Dallas.

57 days to Tampa Bay

 

[Hagman]

 

[Techsass]

Whole lotta short-lived Cowboy careers for the most part. Had to Google Vinson Smith, since he didn't sound familiar to me. Turns out was a Cowboy from 90-92 & then rehired in 97 for 1 season. Seems his main claim to fame is that he backed up all 3 LB positions, so the team could carry just 5 LBs, which freed up a spot for Deion Sanders.

 

[Hagman]

In 2015 Inside The Star Declared that Kevin Burnett was the greatest Dallas Cowboy ever to wear number 57. And given the lack of Ring of Honor candidates to wear 57, hey, why not?


Kevin Burnett had a lot of hype surrounding him after being taken in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Amidst a series of injuries to both of his knees, Kevin still found ways to make an extreme impact… as evidenced by his play in 2006.

Burnett only started 4 games in
his Cowboy career, but he proved to be a very viable backup in many situations. Kevin could play well in coverage and was an ace special teams player. He excelled in nickel and dime packages and he certainly gave the number 57 something to be proud of.

 

[Bobhaze]

He's not the greatest Cowboys to wear #57, but my favorite one with that number is Malcolm Walker. When I was young I remember some competition between Dave Manders and Malcolm for the starting center spot....a competition that Malcolm won. He was another one of those guys drafted by both the AFL and NFL....by Houston and by Dallas in the second round. Hurt his knee practicing for the long-gone-and-not-missed College All Star game, which was to hinder his career. He became our starting center in 1968, and played full seasons in 1968 and 1969, even though he was banged up most of the time. In 1970 he was part of the trade that brought Herb Adderley to the Cowboys. The Packers waived him after a year when his knee could no longer pass a physical.

So here's to you Malcolm. I wish that your body could have kept pace with your heart and talent.

He looked 50 in this pic, lol!

 

[Bobhaze]

While certainly not the most famous #57 in Cowboys history, center Kyle Davis is arguably one of the most important. Davis came in to play center with Dallas facing 4th-and-16 against the Vikings. Two plays later, he snapped the ball on one of the most storied plays in Cowboys history - the original Hail Mary.

John Fitzgerald was the starting center, but playing through an elbow injury he struggled with shotgun snaps all day. After his final botched snap on 3rd down resulted in 4th and 16, Landry sent in rookie Kyle Davis. Davis stepped into a pressure-filled situation and got the job done. 1975 was his only season in Dallas.

57 days to Tampa Bay

This is such a great thread Jake! Thanks for getting this going.

 

[Jake]

For me, #56 immediately means Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. What a character. Fantastic athlete but never reached his full potential due to drugs and shenanigans. I haven't seen anyone else run a reverse handoff to a linebacker on kickoffs, much less have it turn into a big gain, since Henderson was doing it for Dallas. In SB X, Henderson did such a reverse on the opening kickoff. His 48 yard gallop got the ball to Pittsburgh's 44 yard line.

Henderson wasn't exactly highly recruited. He originally joined the Air Force out of high school but quit before being sworn in. He walked on to the football team at Langston University, became an NAIA All-American at defensive end, and ran 100 meters in 9.5 seconds. Dallas took him in the first round of the 1975 draft. Lawrence Taylor said he wore #56 because of Thomas Henderson.

Henderson ended up in prison thanks to cocaine and stupidity. But that experience sobered him up and eventually he became a motivational speaker and a $28 million lottery winner in Texas. I'm not sure, but I think he hit the lotto twice - can any Texans confirm?

56 days to Tampa Bay

 

[maryquality]

Some other memorable players who wore #56 are Eugene "the hitting machine" Lockhart and Bradie James. Current player wearing #56 is Bradlee Anae.