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Dallas Cowboys legend passes away at 78

by: Austin Brezina01/06/22AustinBrezina59
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Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys family lost a legend and one of their longest-tenured champions on Wednesday as he passed away at the age of 78. Ralph Neely played all 13 seasons of his NFL career with the Cowboys, winning two Super Bowls in five appearances.

Cowboys legend Ralph Neely passes away

Neely was a key part of the early success the Cowboys franchise found in the Super Bowl era. As a rookie in 1965, Neely started at right tackle and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. Over his 13-year career, Neely and the Cowboys made five Super Bowl appearances. The Cowboys won Super Bowl VI with Neely out due to a fractured leg during the season, but in Super Bowl XII he was able to play in their win over the Denver Broncos.

The beginning of Neely’s career was an interesting one by NFL standards, as he was drafted in both the AFL and NFL drafts of 1965. The Baltimore Colts drafted him in the NFL draft, while the Houston Oilers selected him in the AFL.

Neely was set to begin his career with the Oilers until he learned the Colts had quickly traded his draft rights to the Dallas Cowboys. With the opportunity to play for Dallas, he rejected the Oilers’ draft offer and joined the Cowboys.

The trade with the Colts cost Dallas Billy Lothridge and a fourth-round pick in the 1966 NFL Draft. Additionally, one of the terms in the NFL merger with the AFL involved the Cowboys providing compensation for Neely’s draft rights that the Oilers claimed. The Cowboys gave the Oilers four draft picks in the 1967 NFL draft as compensation, making a total of one player and five draft picks the final cost for Neely.

Neely went on to play for the Cowboys until 1977, with the Cowboys’ victory in Super Bowl XII being the final game of his career. Over his career he earned all-rookie honors, two Pro Bowl nominations and three first-team All-Pro awards.

His 168 games started on the Cowboys’ offensive line ranks him 11th all-time in Dallas history. Despite his storied history with the team, Neely has not been inducted into either the Pro Football Hall of Fame or the Cowboys Ring of Honor.