Welcome to the 50th installment of our Countdown To Kickoff series here at Inside The Star! It seems fitting that this number would be a big deal, as Super Bowl 50 will be played at the culmination of the 2015 NFL season. Speaking of 50s, isn’t there a special one who’s coming back this year?
Consider this your halftime show for our Countdown To Kickoff series as we whittle away at the remaining days of this offseason. If you really want I’ll throw on some Taylor Swift and perform. I will definitely need backup dancers though so if you’ve got some skills let me know.
I brought up whittling for two reasons: 1) it is so much fun to say AND 2) I may or may not have whittled you all a treat. It started out as a bird feeder, but that didn’t seem practical or shareable. Fortunately I am easily adaptable and shifted gears to fashion you the Greatest 50 in Dallas Cowboys History.
The Following Players Have All Worn 50 For The Dallas Cowboys:
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*Active player on the Dallas Cowboys roster
As we are at the midpoint in our countdown it only makes sense to examine both the past and the future. The number 50 is the perfect reflection point as there is plenty to be proud of in the past and excited about in the future.
Sean Lee
The 2010 NFL Draft is most remembered by Cowboy fans as the one that gave us Dez Bryant. The next man in line who was given a helmet with a Star was the stud linebacker out of Penn State, Sean Lee.
Sean Lee is one of the more talented linebackers in the NFL today. While he has had many injuries that have limited his playing time over the last five seasons, when he has played he’s been special.
Jet Lee
Hold your jaw because it’s about to hit the floor…Sean Lee has 11 career interceptions. That’s amazing for a linebacker who has played every game since 2010, let alone only 46 games.
Since 2010, there isn't a linebacker in the NFL with more interceptions than Sean Lee.
(And he's missed 34 games) pic.twitter.com/GAmAYtVh5S
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 4, 2015
Speaking of Sean Lee interceptions, want to know something amazing? I’m serious. This is the kind of thing that when you’re arguing with your friends/co-workers/family/Madden opponent you can just lay the ace card with.
Sean Lee is one of only two linebackers to ever intercept both Tom Brady AND Peyton Manning.
BeLEEive
Lee is a captain on the team and the quarterback of the defense. He brings the mental focus of Tony Romo and the passion of Dez Bryant to his side of the ball. Lee’s teammates managed to win the division and a playoff game in 2014 without his services. He heads into 2015 fully healthy and is a prime candidate for Comeback Player of the Year come February of 2016.
D.D. And The ‘Boys
They don’t make them like D.D. Lewis anymore. D.D. was drafted in the 6th round of the 1968 NFL Draft out of Mississippi (spelled it right on my first try!) State University. He fell as far as he did because most teams, groan if you’ve heard this before, thought that he was too small to play linebacker.
The Cowboys actually tried him out at center before letting him stay at the linebacker spot. How are those two positions even closely related? Ok maybe if there’s a corner we can try him at safety, see Byron Jones, but linebacker and center?! Was Chip Kelly in charge?
Lewis The Linebacker
Thankfully D.D. played linebacker in 1968. The following year D.D. actually didn’t play a down in the NFL so that he could fulfill a commitment to the United States Military – How awesome is that?
D.D. finally found himself in the starting role at the weakside linebacker spot in 1973, a position that he held for 8 straight seasons. In the 1975 NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams, Lewis intercepted two passes that would help the Cowboys advance to Super Bowl X…making them the first wild-card team to punch a ticket to the big dance.
#50: Lewis And His Legacy
D.D. Lewis played for 13 years and started 135 consecutive games. He is one of only eight NFL players to have played in five Super Bowls (V, VI, X, XII, XIII). He is one of the more revered players in Dallas Cowboys History and had a quote that echoed across time in 1982.
When asked about the hole in the roof of Texas Stadium D.D. Lewis famously said…
“Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch His favorite team play.”
With two Super Bowl rings to his name D.D. Lewis hardly needs any more accolades. In the year of #50 where so much of the current Cowboys’ season depends on the #50 of today, it only seems fitting to give D.D. one more – The Greatest 50 in Dallas Cowboys History.
Check back tomorrow to find out who the Greatest 49 in Dallas Cowboys History is!
Want to share your opinions on who should be featured on our Countdown To Kickoff? Email me at rjochoa@insidethestar.com or Tweet @rjochoa.
