Was X a Cowboys player in any capacity? How to know?

[fgoodwin]

I've known lots of guys who claimed to have played in the NFL and all but a couple of them were lies or that they actually went to TC with a team but that was it.

It is very easy to verify if a guy was ever on the Cowboys active roster, because the Cowboys include an all-time active roster in their media guide. One of the reasons I don't trust wikipedia is because it can be modified by anyone, and the all time player roster it gives for the Cowboys includes some names that are not on the official roster. In one of those cases (I forget the name) I was able to find a DMN article showing the guy was cut in training camp, but obviously he didn't make the active roster.

In some cases, guys making these claims actually DID play for the Cowboys in training camp, but then got cut. There are FAR fewer resources listing TC rosters and pre-season signings. The link I gave above is useful, but the database is incomplete and sometimes contains contradictory information, but its a good start.

When pressed on their claims, most of the guys will claim they were on a pre-season roster knowing that is much harder to verify. If they ever claim active duty status, a quick check of the all time roster as listed in the media guide can squelch such claims.

The question you have to answer when presented with a claim from such a person is, do you count off-season and pre-season participation as "playing" for the Cowboys? I don't but I can see a case being made for it. In my view, a guy cut in training camp is no more a former "player" than someone who answers a casting call for a broadway show and failing the audition calling themselves a former "cast member" of the Broadway show -- its preposterous.

All of which supports my original point that the claimants always bear the burden of proving their claims -- it is not up to third parties like us to disprove them.

[By the way, I learned that Pro Football Reference.com only lists players that actually made it into a regular season (or playoff) game for at least one play in any season. So while the Cowboys official all time roster will include everyone that made it onto the active 53-man roster for any season, if any of those guys never made it into a game during their entire career, then they won't show up in the PFR listings.]

 

[Hostile]

I ran into pro wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart one time and confronted him about his claims to have played for the Cowboys and Raiders. He swore up and down and tried to intimidate me but I wouldn't back off. He never made the final roster of either team although he was in training camp for both and played in a couple of pre-season games for the Raiders. To his death he continued to claim that he had played for both teams though.

Loved the guy as a wrestler but you can't BS me on who was actually in the NFL! I have WAY too many resources to verify those claims.

I've known lots of guys who claimed to have played in the NFL and all but a couple of them were lies or that they actually went to TC with a team but that was it.

The Anvil passed away?

 

[peplaw06]

Right, I know, and have met quite a few people like this. Many claim to have had a great college career, and was to be drafted. But an injury prevented it, and never could play again at a professional level.
Or claimed to been with a team for a short time. Or got out while they could still walk.

Now some may be true, but I'm skeptical of many.

Even most colleges have a database of past players if you know where to look. Best to be skeptical of all of it until proven otherwise.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The Anvil passed away?

No he is still alive.

 

[jazzcat22]

The time period in question is 1990-92. I can assure you that practice squads existed then. In fact, the "taxi squad" (what we now call the practice squad) was invented by Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown in the 40s.

You are right, I was thinking they didn't start until the salary cap started. It actually started in 1989, but not before that. The more I thought about it, I looked it up to see when it did start.
It started with 5 players, then went to 6, then 8 players.

Part of this because of how the IR rules have changed. Some teams in the 70's would put a pkayer on IR to protect them. So instead of releasing a player you want to keep or look at, they would put them on IR for a hangnail. Back then after 6 weeks you could activate them. By then, another player would go on IR to keep.

The taxi squad was a term used from did not actually exist during the regular season. Which is why some of the IR rule changes proably, I wouldn't doubt if some of these IR players practiced on these taxi squad / scout teams.

 

[fgoodwin]

You are right, I was thinking they didn't start until the salary cap started. It actually started in 1989, but not before that. The more I thought about it, I looked it up to see when it did start.
It started with 5 players, then went to 6, then 8 players.

Part of this because of how the IR rules have changed. Some teams in the 70's would put a pkayer on IR to protect them. So instead of releasing a player you want to keep or look at, they would put them on IR for a hangnail. Back then after 6 weeks you could activate them. By then, another player would go on IR to keep.

The taxi squad was a term used from did not actually exist during the regular season. Which is why some of the IR rule changes proably, I wouldn't doubt if some of these IR players practiced on these taxi squad / scout teams.

The practice squad as we know it today was revived by the NFL in 1989, as you say.

Taxi squads began in the 40s and were used until 1974 when the NFL ended them. The NFL felt taxi squads weren't needed because they increased the roster limits from 40 active players (plus seven man taxi squad) to 47 players and no taxi squad.

From 1974 to 1988, there was no taxi squad or practice squad.