The 2016 Rio Olympics has come to an end. We have all witnessed some the best athletes from around the world coming together to compete in different athletic events.
I for one always hate to see the Olympic Games come to an end. I love watching these athletes give every bit of themselves in the events there competing in. They train for years for the chance to represent their country and perhaps put themselves in a position to win a medal.
While watching all of the different Olympic events, I really started thinking if there were any current Dallas Cowboys players that could have perhaps become an Olympian and what event they might be best suited to compete in.
Below are just a few of the Cowboys players I personally think would’ve made good Olympians if they would have chosen a different career path.
Tony Romo, Golf
The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics was the first time that golf was an Olympic event since the 1904 Summer Olympics. Golf might not be one of the more popular events at the Olympic Games, but that doesn’t mean the players competing aren’t all trying to win the gold medal.
We all know that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has a passion for golf and if he was to compete in an Olympic event this would be the one he would be most qualified to participate in.
Over the years a lot of Cowboys fans believed that Romo’s willingness to spend his downtime on the golf course had a negative impact on his QB performance, but he reluctantly gave up the sport after his second back surgery.
Could you see Tony Romo representing USA as an Olympic golfer?
Byron Jones, Decathlon
Byron Jones is arguably the most athletic player on the Dallas Cowboys roster, if not the entire NFL. He already holds the unofficial world record for the standing long jump with a leap of 12’3″. So, you would think his best Olympic event would be the long jump, but I think his rare athletic ability would serve him better competing in the decathlon.
The decathlon is 10 events total and is graded on a point system depending how each individual athlete finishes in the 10 events. The decathlon events include the 100 m dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 m, 110 m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500 m run.
I’m basing my decision that the decathlon would be his best of Olympic event because he was one of the top performers in the 200 m and 400 m events in high school. He ran the 200 in 22.13 seconds and the 400 in 48.43 seconds.
If you combine his speed/athletic ability and then give him the time to train, you might be looking at an Olympic medalist.
Travis Frederick, Discus & Shot Put
Just looking at Travis Frederick you wouldn’t consider him as being Olympic material, but just because he plays center in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys doesn’t mean he couldn’t excel at a different sport.
In fact, in high school he was a top performer in both discus and shot put. In 2008, he finished second in shot put at the BDN Invite, with a throw of 15.23 m (49’11”). He also took second in the 2008 WIAA Sectional Championships in discus with a throw of 49.30 m (161’10”).
Frederick’s athleticism is underrated by a lot of people, but if you’ve ever watched anyone throw a shot put or discus you would notice that these participants have to rely on their athleticism to be able to spin around several times while throwing a heavy object.
I have no doubt Frederick could do that. Plus, he’s already used to flipping around a football.
Dez Bryant, Triple Jump
There is no denying that Dez Bryant is one of the most dominant wide receivers in the NFL. It’s that fact alone why I had a difficult time deciding which Olympic event he would be best suited to compete in.
Not only did Bryant excel on the football field in high school, but he was also a top performers in a track and field. One of his better events where the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles. He ran the 110 hurdles in 14.56 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 40.70 seconds.
The hurdles however wasn’t his best event, that was triple jump. He was one of the top performers in the state and his best personal jump was 14.17 m. That is why I decided this was his best Olympic event.
Can you imagine the excitement and electricity Dez Bryant would bring to the triple jump at the Olympics?
Ezekiel Elliott, 110 & 400 Hurdles
Deciding Ezekiel Elliott’s best chance to compete in the Olympics was probably the easiest of all the players that made this list.
Elliott was a standout track and field athlete and was a state qualifier in different hurtling and sprinting events. In fact, he won four championships at the Missouri Class 3 state championships.
He won the 100 m dash with the time of 10.95 seconds and the 200 m dash with a time of 22.05 seconds.
Those are both really good times for a high school athlete, but I think the 110 and 400 m hurdles would be his best Olympic event. This is based on the fact that he ran the 110 m high hurdles in 13.77 seconds and the 300 m hurdles in 37.52 seconds.
Out of all of the Dallas Cowboys players on the list I think Ezekiel Elliott might have had the best shot to compete in the Olympics if he hadn’t decided to pursue a career on the football field instead.
Do you think any of these Dallas Cowboys players could’ve possibly been Olympic athletes?
Please feel free to use the comment section below to provide your thoughts and opinions on this topic.
