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The 5 best Dallas Cowboys draft picks of the Jerry Jones era, including 4 Hall of Famers

Published

1 month ago

April 18, 2024

The 5 best Dallas Cowboys draft picks of the Jerry Jones era, including 4 Hall of Famers

The 2024 NFL draft is right around the corner and with the No. 24 overall pick the Dallas Cowboys have a chance at striking gold.

As the draft nears, let’s look back at the top five draft picks during Jerry Jones’ ownership of the Cowboys.

1. Troy Aikman

Pete Rozelle, NFL Commissioner, right, began the 54th annual draft of collegiate talent, his final draft, by announcing the selection of UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, left, as the first pick by the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, April 23, 1989 in New York.

Draft: 1989, first round, first overall

Position: Quarterback

The first player the Cowboys selected under the ownership of Jerry Jones became the most successful quarterback in franchise history. Aikman wasn’t the most athletic quarterback ever to wear the star on his helmet. He wasn’t the most mobile or statistically the most accurate. But the team captured three Super Bowl titles during his leadership, and Aikman thrived in big games.

The Cowboys won the Lombardi trophy every time Aikman led them to the Super Bowl, including Super Bowl XXVII when he was named MVP. He compiled an 11-4 career record in postseason starts. And though the Cowboys were not a good team upon Aikman’s arrival, he teamed up with Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith to quickly turn the franchise’s fortunes around.

After a rugged rookie season during which he lost all 11 starts, Aikman went 94-60 for the remainder of his regular-season career. He held or tied 47 club passing records at his retirement.

2. Emmitt Smith

Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson welcomes Cowboys No. 1 draft pick Emmitt Smith along with... — Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson welcomes Cowboys No. 1 draft pick Emmitt Smith along with owner Jerry Jones in April 1990.(Ken Geiger / Staff photographer)

Draft: 1990, first round, 17th overall

Position: Running back

No back in NFL history has rushed for more yards than Smith. And given the changes in the game since Smith’s retirement, it’s a record that could stand the test of time. Smith finished his career with 18,355 yards on the ground and 164 touchdowns.

He wasn’t the flashiest back of his generation, but he was far and away the most durable and consistent. Smith announced his arrival with a season that earned him offensive rookie of the year. He led the NFL in rushing four times, broke the 1,000-yard barrier in a season 11 times and was both league and Super Bowl MVP during the 1993 season.

In addition to his accomplishments on the ground, Smith caught 515 passes for another 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career.

3. Larry Allen

Former Dallas Cowboys guard Larry Allen received his Hall of Fame ring from owner Jerry... — Former Dallas Cowboys guard Larry Allen received his Hall of Fame ring from owner Jerry Jones during a halftime ceremony at AT&T Stadium Sunday, October 13, 2013. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Draft: 1994, second round, 46th overall

Position: Guard

Allen is the rare athlete who was twice named to all-decade teams, first for the 1990s and then again in the 2000s. He was All-Pro seven seasons and made 11 trips to the Pro Bowl (10 as a Cowboy), a franchise record he held alone for more than a decade. Tight end Jason Witten tied the mark with his 11th berth after the 2017 season. Allen, a hulking lineman, blocked for eight of Emmitt Smith’s 11 seasons surpassing 1,000 yards rushing.

He played every position but center during his Cowboys career and was named to the Pro Bowl as a tackle and a guard. Bruce Matthews and Chris Hinton are the only other players in NFL history to pull off the two-position Pro Bowl combo. In a sport known for brute strength, Allen is legendary. He was able to bench press 700 pounds and squat lift 900 during his playing days.

Amazingly, at 325 pounds, he had some wheels, too:

I’ve seen this video too many times to count and every time my favorite part are the announcers saying “LARRY ALLEN” in pure astonishment after he runs down this linebacker. pic.twitter.com/8UjzVVh3pU
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) July 6, 2018

4. DeMarcus Ware

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees fumbles in the closing seconds under pressure from... — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees fumbles in the closing seconds under pressure from Dallas Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware in an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in New Orleans. Dallas won 24-17. (AP Photo/Jim Dietz)(Jim Dietz / AP)

Draft: 2005, first round, 11th overall

Position: Outside linebacker/defensive end

Few players have gotten to the quarterback more in their career than Ware. He totaled 117 sacks in nine seasons with the Cowboys, making him the franchise’s all-time leader. He recorded double-digit sacks in seven consecutive seasons, only the fifth person in NFL history to accomplish that feat.

It took the Cowboys linebacker 113 games to reach the 100-sack plateau. Hall of Famer Reggie White (96 games) is the only player in league history to get there quicker. A Pro Bowl fixture before leaving for the Broncos, he made seven consecutive trips for Dallas. Ware retired after the 2016 seasons with 138.5 career sacks, the eighth most in NFL history.

In August of 2023 Ware joined the first three entries on this list in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor shortly after.

5. Jason Witten

The Dallas Cowboys draft of 2003 class, including (l to r ) Terence Newman, Bradie James,... — The Dallas Cowboys draft of 2003 class, including (l to r ) Terence Newman, Bradie James, Jason Witten and Tony Romo (undrafted free agent), are pictured after practice at training camp in Oxnard, California, on August 18, 2010. (Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News) 09242011xALDIA(MICHAEL AINSWORTH / Staff Photogra)

Draft: 2003, third round, 69th overall

Position: Tight end

In 2012, he set the NFL single-season record for catches by a tight end. In 2015 he surpassed 1,000 receptions in his career. Witten spent the first 16 years of his NFL career with the Cowboys, with a one-year break to go to the Monday Night Football booth. His 1,215 receptions rank fourth in league history and is a franchise record. Witten also holds club records for yards receiving (12,977), most receptions in a single game (18), most games played (239) and most consecutive starts (179).

Witten played the final games of his career as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, signing a one-day contract with Dallas to retire in 2021. Since his retirement he had a stint in the broadcast booth before starting his journey through the high school coaching ranks. His success continued: As head coach of Argyle Liberty Christian, he led the Warriors to the TAPPS Div. II state championship title.

Stars ended their longest scoring drought of the NHL playoffs, but now they're facing elimination

Published

4 hours ago

June 1, 2024

Press Room

Stars ended their longest scoring drought of the NHL playoffs, but now they're facing elimination

DALLAS (AP) — By the time Wyatt Johnston ended the longest scoring drought of the playoffs for the top-seeded Dallas Stars, there wasn’t much time left to avoid facing elimination on the road in the Western Conference Final.

Bring it on, Tyler Seguin said after a 3-1 home loss to Edmonton on Friday night that gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead as they headed home with a chance to move on to the Stanley Cup Final.

“This is the fun part,” Seguin said of Game 6 on Sunday night. “Heck of a challenge in front of you. The whole season, going to that rink. We’ve taken pride in how we’ve been on the road all year, so let’s do it.”

Johnston’s goal ended Stuart Skinner’s shutout bid with 5:51 remaining. It was the first score in nearly 109 minutes for Dallas since taking an early 2-0 lead in Game 4 in Edmonton.

In between, the Oilers scored eight times and now have control of the series when it appeared the Stars might bring a 3-1 lead back home after the quick start in Canada two nights earlier.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what’s happened up until this point,” said Johnston, who scored his team-leading 10th goal of the postseason. “They’ve done a good job these last two games. I don’t think we’ve done our best. All that matters is making sure we’re ready to go next game.”

There are things to fix for one the NHL’s best offenses in the regular season.

Matt Duchene had a clear shot on a rush but decided to pass, which was intercepted. Captain Jamie Benn tried to corral a puck for what could have been a good scoring chance, only to have it slide off his blade.

Jason Robertson, who had his first career playoff hat trick in a Game 3 win at Edmonton, had just one shot Friday night. Seven of the two-time 40-goal scorer’s shot attempts were blocked.

Even standout defenseman Miro Heiskanen had a rare costly error, sending a puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty that led to Edmonton’s 2-0 lead on the second quick power-play goal from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

“We haven’t had our best other than probably Game 3 in this series,” Duchene said. “The nice thing is we’re still in the series and we’ve just got to win one at a time here.”

The Oilers answered the quick 2-0 Dallas lead in Game 4 and were even before the first intermission.

When the Stars fell behind by the same score barely a minute into the second period in Game 5, they gave up their first even-strength goal four minutes later.

After two periods, Dallas had 10 shots, its fewest through 40 minutes in these playoffs.

The Stars doubled that total in the final period and had several great scoring chances that Skinner stopped. But just like Johnston’s goal, it was too late.

“First two periods weren’t good enough,” Duchene said. “We have to generate more. Third period, we had some looks, but you’re down three by then. There’s no time to sit on it.”

Not with the Stars at risk of losing in the West final for the second year in a row.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Baptist falls to West Virginia in NCAA tournament opener

Published

11 hours ago

May 31, 2024

Press Room

Dallas Baptist falls to West Virginia in NCAA tournament opener

TUCSON, Ariz. — Derek Clark threw a complete game, allowing a run on four hits, and catcher Logan Sauve hit a three-run homer as third-seeded West Virginia defeated Conference USA tournament champion Dallas Baptist 4-1 to start the Tucson Regional at the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Clark (8-2) struck out eight without a walk, although he did hit two batters, and was rarely in trouble in an efficient outing as the Mountaineers of the Big 12 Conference won their NCAA opener for the fifth time in their past five appearances.

Sauve, a sophomore, gave Clark all the support he needed with a three-run shot to center in the third inning. Ben Lumsden started the inning with a walk and was bunted to second before Dallas Baptist starter Ryan Johnson hit JJ Weatherholt to set up Sauve.

Sauve opened the sixth with a single and was doubled home by Reed Chumley two batters later.

Clark’s biggest challenge came in the eighth after he hit leadoff batter Nathaniel Humphreys and Alex Pendergast followed with a double. The Patriots got a sacrifice fly to score their lone run before Clark got the next two outs.

Clark finished things off with a 1-2-3 ninth. Johnson (11-3) took the loss for No. 2 seed Dallas Baptist.

Clark threw 101 pitches, 71 of them for strikes.

The Mountaineers (34-22) will take on either top-seeded Arizona or No. 4-seeded Grand Canyon, who play later Friday.

Dallas Baptist will take on the Arizona-Grand Canyon loser in an elimination game.

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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How to buy NBA finals tickets to watch Dallas Mavericks take on Boston Celtics

Published

18 hours ago

May 31, 2024

Press Room

How to buy NBA finals tickets to watch Dallas Mavericks take on Boston Celtics

The Dallas Mavericks are going to the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 on Thursday to clinch the franchise’s third trip to the NBA Finals and its first since 2011. The Mavericks will face the Boston Celtics with Game 1 tipping off next Thursday.

Here’s how you can buy NBA Finals tickets.

Tickets will go on sale at 1 p.m. Friday and are available for purchase at mavs.com/playoffs. For Mavericks fans planning to make the trek to Boston for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, tickets can be found here.

The Mavericks will play at least Games 3-4 at American Airlines center on June 12 and June 14, respectively. If necessary, Game 6 will also be at the AAC on June 20.

The Mavericks faced the Miami Heat in their previous two finals appearances in 2006 and 2011. Dallas fell in six games to Dwyane Wade and the Heat in 2006 before getting revenge against Wade and LeBron James in 2011.

See the full NBA Finals schedule below.

Date	Matchup	Time (CT)	TV
June 6 (Thurs.)	Game 1: Mavericks at Boston	7:30 p.m.	ABC
June 9 (Sun.)	Game 2: Mavericks at Boston	7:30 p.m.	ABC
June 12 (Wed.)	Game 3: Boston at Mavericks	7 p.m.	ABC
June 14 (Fri.)	Game 4: Boston at Mavericks	7:30 p.m.	ABC
June 17 (Mon.)	Game 5: Mavericks at Celtics*	7:30 p.m.	ABC
June 20 (Thurs.)	Game 6: Boston at Mavericks*	7:30 p.m.	ABC
June 23 (Sun.)	Game 7: Mavericks at Celtics*	7 p.m.	ABC