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As we head into the summer doldrums, BTB introduces its own form of March Madness to get you through the slow period until training camp: a 64-player "Best Cowboy of all time" tournament! Today’s first round match-up features four seed Bob Hayes facing off against thirteen seed D.D. Lewis
As we wind our way through the last of our four regional brackets, we hit the middle of the Roger Goodell Regional, where we'll see several match-ups of disparately seeded former Cowboys. Today, we have fourth-seeded "Bullet" Bob Hayes, the first great Cowboys wideout, going against thirteenth-seeded D.D. Lewis, the workmanlike outside linebacker on the70s Cowboys' "Doomsday II" defense. Who will prevail? Read the bios and hit the poll, faithful readers!
Wanna keep tabs on the state of the bracket or look ahead to future contests? All the Midsummer Madness info you could ever want can be found right here.
Player: Bob Hayes
Position: wide receiver
Seed: 4
Essentials:
Name Years Career AV Pro Bowls All-Pro RoH HoF
Robert Lee Hayes 1965-74 95* 3 2 yes yes
Bio: The Cowboys drafted Hayes in the seventh round of the 1964 Draft with a future draft pick, which allowed Dallas to draft him before his college eligibility was completed. he joined the team the following year, and exploded onto the scene; indeed, his best years as a pro were arguably his first two years in the league: 1965 (1,003 yards, twelve TDs, a remarkable 21.8 yards per reception) and 1966 (64-1,232 with thirteen scores). Both touchdown marks were team records.
The NFL had never seen a player with Hayes' speed (he had clocked a wind-aided 9.91 in the 100 meters en route to two gold medals and the moniker "World's Fastest Human" in the '64 Olympics). Indeed, his speed forced NFL defenses to develop new schemes to attempt to contain him, such as the bump and run and zone coverage. Hayes averaged more than 19 yards per catch six times in his career, including staggering averages of 26.1 (1970) and 24.0 (1971) per reception. He finished his ten-year Cowboys career with 365 receptions for 7,295 yards (an impressive 20 yards per catch average) and 71 touchdowns. Both career touchdowns and yards per catch average remain franchise records.
Hayes helped Dallas win five Eastern Conference titles, two NFC titles, played in two Super Bowls, and was instrumental in Dallas' victory in Super Bowl VI, making him the only person to win both an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. His 7,295 receiving yards are the fourth-most in Cowboys history. To this day, Hayes holds ten Cowboys regular-season receiving records, four punt return records and twenty-two overall franchise marks. As a Cowboy, he was named to the Pro Bowl three times, and twice elected First-team All-Pro (and twice was named Second-team All-Pro). Hayes was inducted into the Ring Of Honor in 2001 and the Hall of Fame in 2009.
*Hayes's AV with the Cowboys was 95; his career AV (two teams) was 96.
Selected by Dallas in first round (17th player overall), 1990 … Won rushing crowns in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995 … Led NFL in rushing touchdowns three times … Major contributor to Cowboys Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, XXX victories … Named first-team All-Pro 1992-95 … In 1993, named NFL’s MVP and MVP in Super Bowl XXVIII … 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons … Became NFL’s all-time rushing leader in 2002 … Career totals: 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns rushing; also had 515 receptions … Born May 15, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida. - See more at: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=291#sthash.i2MiaRqc.dpuf
Player: D.D. Lewis
Position: linebacker
Seed: 13
Essentials:
Name Years Career AV Pro Bowls All-Pro RoH HoF
Dwight Douglass Lewis 1968-81 87 0 0 no no
Bio: Lewis was drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 1968 Draft, joining a team that had Chuck Howley, Lee Roy Jordan and Dave Edwards as its starting linebacker trio. After missing the 1969 season to fulfill his military service responsibilities, Lewis served in a back-up capacity until Howley retired at the end of the 1972 season. Lewis stepped into Howley's weakside 'backer spot and kept it for the next eight seasons.
Once he took over a starting role, Lewis started 135 consecutive games (third in team history), never missing a game until his retirement after the 1981 season. To this day, he holds the Cowboys playoff record with 27 games played (with 20 starts). During his career in Dallas, Lewis played in 12 NFC Divisional Contests, one NFC Wild Card Contest and nine NFC Championship Games. He is one of only eight NFL players who have played in five Super Bowls: (V, VI, X, XII and XIII).
Lewis served as defensive co-captain in 1977 and 1978. In 1984, he was named to the Cowboys Silver Anniversary Team. However, his most important contribution may have come as quip; the year after he retired, Lewis asserted that "Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch His favorite team play."
Alright, BTBers, which man advances to the next round?
Poll
Who is the "better" Cowboy?
- Bob Hayes
- D.D. Lewis
28 votes | Results
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