D. D. Lewis
Although he was a tremendous college player, Lewis was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft, because teams thought that he was too small to play in the NFL.
In 1969, after his rookie year, Lewis spent what would have been his second season, doing military service.
In 1973 after serving as a backup for four seasons, Lewis took over the weakside linebacker position, when Chuck Howley retired, and held this position for eight straight years.
His best game was in the 1975 season NFC Championship Game, in which he intercepted two passes in a 37-7 victory against Los Angeles Rams, helping the Cowboys become the first wild-card team to make it to the Super Bowl.
To this day, he holds the Cowboys playoff record with 27 games played. During his NFL career, Lewis played in 12 NFC Divisional Contests, one NFC Wild Card Contest and nine NFC Championship Games. He made five Super Bowl appearances while winning Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII. During the 1980 season, he became along with Larry Cole, the first three-decade players in franchise history.
Lewis wore #50 and played for 13 years, until his retirement after the 1981 season. He was voted the "Most Popular Player" by the Cowboys fans and given the Bart Starr Meritorious Award in 1981.
During the 1982 season, Lewis famously reasoned that "Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch his favorite team play".
Although he was never selected to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro squad, he served as defensive co-captain in 1977 and 1978. In 1984, he was named to the Cowboys Silver Anniversary Team. He started 135 consecutive games, which ties him for third place in team history.
He is one of only eight NFL players who have played in five Super Bowls: (V, VI, X, XII and XIII).
