Randy White Over Walter Payton

[Thomas82]

I was doing some research earlier for a future writing project and found out that with the No. 2 pick in 1975, the Cowboys were torn between Randy White and Walter Payton. The selection of The Manster came down to the feeling that he would have more longevity and be productive longer than a running back since the shelf life for that position was even shorter back in those days.

It still worked out in our favor because Randy White also went on to have a Hall Of Fame career, and we ended up getting another Hall Of Fame running back 2 years later.......Tony Dorsett In fact, Randy and TD were in the same 1994 HOF class. It would have been interesting to follow the developments of that particular draft, especially since it was a historic one for the Cowboys.

 

[Plankton]

If the internet was around when White was taken over Payton, going into the 1977 season, with Payton a star and White a square peg in a round hole as a LB, people would have hung Gil Brandt in effigy. Once he was switched from LB to DT, people would have been back on the bandwagon.

 

[Alexander]

I was doing some research earlier for a future writing project and found out that with the No. 2 pick in 1975, the Cowboys were torn between Randy White and Walter Payton. The selection of The Manster came down to the feeling that he would have more longevity and be productive longer than a running back since the shelf life for that position was even shorter back in those days.

It still worked out in our favor because Randy White also went on to have a Hall Of Fame career, and we ended up getting another Hall Of Fame running back 2 years later.......Tony Dorsett In fact, Randy and TD were in the same 1994 HOF class. It would have been interesting to follow the developments of that particular daft, especially since it was a historic one for the Cowboys.

White was the safe pick then considering Payton came from Jackson State and hardly was seasoned against top competition.

Then again, what Dallas did with White after he was picked was maddening. They tried to make him Lee Roy Jordan's replacement at MLB, which was a dismal failure.

 

[Thomas82]

If the internet was around when White was taken over Payton, going into the 1977 season, with Payton a star and White a square peg in a round hole as a LB, people would have hung Gil Brandt in effigy. Once he was switched from LB to DT, people would have been back on the bandwagon.

I can only imagine.

 

[Thomas82]

White was the safe pick then considering Payton came from Jackson State and hardly was seasoned against top competition.

Then again, what Dallas did with White after he was picked was maddening. They tried to make him Lee Roy Jordan's replacement at MLB, which was a dismal failure.

Yeah, DT was where he belonged.

 

[Bullet22]

The boys drafted Dorsett 2 years later..So getting White and Henderson, worked out fine..

 

[Sarge]

It was the right pick.

 

[Satchel89]

I'm glad they took Randy White because Tony Dorsett is still one of my favorite Cowboys of all-time. I was so excited to watch him run that 99 yard touchdown against the Vikings. I think it's still the longest run from scrimmage in NFL history. It's nothing against Walter Payton. That guy was a beast and was a one man team before they got good and won the Super Bowl. Randy White was obviously a great pick just because he ended up as a Hall Of Famer. The NFL Draft didn't quite have the huge audience like it does now. Just talking about this makes me feel old, Because I am getting old.

 

[MichaelValentino]

I was doing some research earlier for a future writing project and found out that with the No. 2 pick in 1975, the Cowboys were torn between Randy White and Walter Payton. The selection of The Manster came down to the feeling that he would have more longevity and be productive longer than a running back since the shelf life for that position was even shorter back in those days.

It still worked out in our favor because Randy White also went on to have a Hall Of Fame career, and we ended up getting another Hall Of Fame running back 2 years later.......Tony Dorsett In fact, Randy and TD were in the same 1994 HOF class. It would have been interesting to follow the developments of that particular draft, especially since it was a historic one for the Cowboys.

It's something interesting to ponder, for certain.

Perhaps in 1975, in SB X vs Pittsburgh having one of the two greatest RBs in NFL history could have given the Cowboys enough to beat the Steelers that day. Dallas had Preston Pearson and Robert Newhouse in the backfield and Pittsburgh was hard to run on in the second half. I'm sure Staubach would have had an easier day with Sweetness running hard and picking up the blitz. (If you didn't see Payton block, you missed something special.)

But, come 1977-78, the Cowboys were surely better off with White at RDT and Dorsett at RB than they would've been with Payton and any combination of Bruce Thorton, Bill Gregory or Larry Cole at RDT.

I like how it worked out for the Cowboys in the end.

 

[CooterBrown]

I was so excited to watch him run that 99 yard touchdown against the Vikings. I think it's still the longest run from scrimmage in NFL history.

Not only the longest run from scrimmage, but the only record I can think of that is impossible to break.

 

[Plankton]

Not only the longest run from scrimmage, but the only record I can think of that is impossible to break.

Steve O'Neal's 98 yard gross/net punt as a member of the Jets is one that won't be broken as well.

 

[diefree666]

Not only the longest run from scrimmage, but the only record I can think of that is impossible to break.

there is also a 99 yd pass for TD that has happened 13 times in NFL history. That cannot be broken either. But TD has the only 99 yard run in NFL history.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

The only reason we even had that pick was because we traded away Craig Morton. That was one of the best trades in Cowboy history. Man, we got mileage out of that pick.

 

[hornitosmonster]

Randy and Tony hard combo to beat.

 

[JeffInDC]

Not only the longest run from scrimmage, but the only record I can think of that is impossible to break.

99 yards with only 10 guys on offense - Springs erroneously left the field.

 

[DFWJC]

I was doing some research earlier for a future writing project and found out that with the No. 2 pick in 1975, the Cowboys were torn between Randy White and Walter Payton. The selection of The Manster came down to the feeling that he would have more longevity and be productive longer than a running back since the shelf life for that position was even shorter back in those days.

It still worked out in our favor because Randy White also went on to have a Hall Of Fame career, and we ended up getting another Hall Of Fame running back 2 years later.......Tony Dorsett In fact, Randy and TD were in the same 1994 HOF class. It would have been interesting to follow the developments of that particular draft, especially since it was a historic one for the Cowboys.

Yep

It worked just fine for both teams.

 

[tyke1doe]

White was the safe pick then considering Payton came from Jackson State and hardly was seasoned against top competition.

I disagree. This was in the 1970s. Although the desegregation of mainstream institution had occurred in the 60s, it took a few years for that to take shape fully. A lot of black talent could still be found at historically black colleges. The talent has been watered down now that blacks (particularly the top athletes) have filtered into more mainstream institutions of higher learning.

Remember, Ed "Too Tall" Jones was the first pick in the 1974 draft, and he came from Tennessee State University, another historically black college. The Cowboys had no problems with his level of competition.

 

[gimmesix]

I was doing some research earlier for a future writing project and found out that with the No. 2 pick in 1975, the Cowboys were torn between Randy White and Walter Payton. The selection of The Manster came down to the feeling that he would have more longevity and be productive longer than a running back since the shelf life for that position was even shorter back in those days.

It still worked out in our favor because Randy White also went on to have a Hall Of Fame career, and we ended up getting another Hall Of Fame running back 2 years later.......Tony Dorsett In fact, Randy and TD were in the same 1994 HOF class. It would have been interesting to follow the developments of that particular draft, especially since it was a historic one for the Cowboys.

I love looking at how the ball bounces in the draft. Like on the field, it takes some crazy hops sometimes. Some of it works out well, some of it poorly.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

It's conceivable that a Walter Payton pick would have worked out okay. Then instead of drafting Tony Dorsett, the team could have drafted a pass rusher. Payton with a star on his helmet would have been sweet. Who knows who would have been our pass rusher. It's hard to imagine someone better than Randy White though.

 

[joseephuss]

It's conceivable that a Walter Payton pick would have worked out okay. Then instead of drafting Tony Dorsett, the team could have drafted a pass rusher. Payton with a star on his helmet would have been sweet. Who knows who would have been our pass rusher. It's hard to imagine someone better than Randy White though.

I agree. Dallas would have probably done well with either player. Who knows which players Dallas would have ended up with in the 1977 draft if Payton was already on the team. They traded quite a few picks to move up to get Dorsett. There was no replacing what Randy White brought to the team, but Dallas would have been in good position to add some talent to help out.