There are officially 58 days until the toe meets the ball at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
Celebratory high fives all around the room, we made it to Friday! We are officially one day closer in our Countdown to Kickoff, can you taste the football yet? If you can’t I’ve prepared an appetizer, think of it as your football calamari, to help ease your hunger. Today we announce the Greatest 58 in Dallas Cowboys History.
The Following Players Have All Worn 58 For The Dallas Cowboys:
- James Anderson, LB
- Kyle Bosworth, LB
- Joe Bowden, LB
- Jack Crawford*, DE
- Dixon Edwards, LB
- Jeff Grau, C
- Mike Hegman, LB
- Nate Hemsley, LB
- Orie Lemon, LB
- Louis Mackey, LB
- Cal Peterson, LB
- Scott Shanie, LB
- Jason Williams, LB
*Active player on the Dallas Cowboys roster
Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike! Guess what day it is! It’s Greatest 58 in Dallas Cowboys History day!
Tennessee State…And A Unique Draft Experience
Like many of the Cowboys on our Countdown Series, our #58 had an interesting path to the NFL. Mike Hegman began his collegiate career at Alabama A&M before transferring to Tennessee State…where he would be teammates with the Greatest 72 in Dallas Cowboys History, Ed “Too Tall” Jones (Who you can follow on Twitter here!).
Hegman found extreme success at Tennessee State. He became the starting middle linebacker and blossomed, leading the team in tackles in 1974 with 158. At this time it was believed, falsely, that Hegman still had a year of eligibility. Fortunately for the Cowboys Gil Brandt and Co. were wise enough to know that he didn’t and drafted him in 1975, this made Mike part of the famed “Dirty Dozen” draft class.
When Hegman returned to play for Tennessee State in 1976 and was deemed ineligible. Everybody was flabbergasted, but Gil Brandt stood in the corner like a straight boss.
Hegman Joins The Cowboys
Mike Hegman finally slipped into the Cowboy #58 in 1976, a full year after he had actually been drafted. He spent his first few seasons assisting on special teams and backing up both Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson and D.D. Lewis. Hegman was a part of the World Champion Dallas Cowboys that won Super Bowl XII…the first Super Bowl ever played at the Louisiana Superdome. Hegman also had a big play in what I believe was the greatest game ever played, Super Bowl XIII, where he snatched the ball from Terry Bradshaw and ran it in from 37 yards out for the score.
Magic Mike
Hegman finally joined the starting lineup in the middle of the 1979 season after the team waived Hollywood. He was a staple on the Cowboy defenses of the early part of the 1980s, helping the franchise reach three straight NFC Championship Games (1980-1982). Mike Hegman helped the Cowboys remain competitive as original members of the Doomsday Defense retired. He manned the middle excellently and he is the Greatest 58 in Dallas Cowboys History.
Check back tomorrow to find out who the Greatest 57 in Dallas Cowboys History is!
