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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 seven seed Harvey Martin facing off against ten seed Don Perkins
Thus far, the closest contests have been those with the least disparate seedings. Yesterday's skirmish, between sixth-seeded Cornell Green and eleventh-seeded Jay Novacek, was the closest yet. Might today's match-up, between seventh-seeded Harvey Martin and tenth-seeded Don Perkins, yield a similarly tight result? You know the drill, people: read the bios, make your choice and hit to poll to cast your ballot.
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: Harvey Martin
Position: defensive end
Seed: 7
Essentials:
Name Years Career AV Pro Bowls All-Pro RoH HoF
Harvey Banks Martin 1973-83 96 4 1 no no
Bio: Martin was drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft, and made an immediate splash. Although Martin played only on passing downs, he still led the team in quarterback sacks with 9. He became the full-time starter in 1975 and, in '76, registered got 15.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl for the first time. His 1977 season was arguably the best ever by a pass rusher; in only fourteen games, he totaled 85 tackles and a league-leading 23 sacks (note that this is more than Michael Strahan's 22.5 record in 16 games), was a consensus All-Pro selection, and earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. In addition, he was helped lead the Cowboys to a dominating win in Super Bowl XII, and was named a co-MVP of the game with Randy White.
He followed up his 1977 season with double-digit sack performances from 1978 to '81. Although the NFL didn't start recognizing quarterback sacks as an official stat until the year before Martin retired, the Cowboys did keep sack records, and their charts credit Martin with a career sack total 114 sacks after leading the Cowboys in QB bags seven times during a nine-year period. His unofficial career franchise sack record stood for 30 years, before it was broken by DeMarcus Ware in 2013. And, to top it off, he had an awesome nickname, being known "Too Mean" (to go with "Too Tall" Jones and Randy "Too Strong" White).
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: Don Perkins
Position: halfback, fullback
Seed: 10
Essentials:
Name Years Career AV Pro Bowls All-Pro RoH HoF
Donald Anthony Perkins 1960-68 67 6 1 yes no
Bio: The Cowboys were officially admitted into the NFL too late to participate in the 1960 NFL Draft, but they wanted Perkins, so they signed him to a "personal-services" contract that essentially agreed that he would play for the Cowboys if and when they received an NFL franchise. After sitting out the 1960 season with a broken foot, Perkins hit the ground running in 1961, gaining 815 yards and winning Rookie of the Year laurels. On September 24, 1961, he became the first running back in Cowboys' history to run for 100 yards in a game, when he rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries against the Vikings. In 1962, Perkins became the first Cowboy to make the All-Pro team.
The following season, Perkins switched to fullback, but that didn't slow him down. Every year of his career, he finished in the top ten in rushing despite playing for some of the worst teams in Cowboys history. Perkins he led the team in rushing six times and in touchdowns on four occasions. He ranks third on the Cowboys' all-time rushing yards and rushing touchdowns lists, and was selected to six Pro Bowls and to one All-Pro team. Perkins retired as the fifth leading rusher in NFL history. He was inducted into the Ring of Honor in 1976
Alright, BTBers, which man advances to the next round?
Poll
Who is the "better" Cowboy?
- Harvey Martin
- Don Perkins
201 votes | Results
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