Remembering Cowboys Ring of Honor member and former RB Don Perkins

On Thursday evening, more sad news about another former Dallas Cowboys running back was revealed. Just one week after the devastating death of Marion Barber, it was revealed that 6x Pro Bowler Don Perkins passed away at the age of 84. Perkins is a former Rookie of the Year and played all eight of his years in the NFL with the Cowboys from 1961-1968.

Perkins wasn’t initially a Cowboy though. After a very successful career at the University of New Mexico, the RB was drafted in 1960 by the Baltimore Colts despite the fact that he signed a contract with Dallas before the draft. The league decided to ultimately let Perkins play for America’s Team and awarded the Colts a ninth-round pick for their troubles.

Once with Dallas, he became arguably one of the best running backs in franchise history. Now, he is one of 22 members of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. Bob Lilly was the first player nominated to the ring. Perkins and his quarterback Don Meredith were the second and third in 1976.

The former running back finished his NFL career with 1,500 carries, 6,217 rushing yards, 42 rushing touchdowns, 1,310 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. The only other franchise players with more rushing yards as a Cowboy are Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, and Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys legend never finished a season with less than 3.9 yards per rush average.

Former RB and Cowboys Ring of Honor member Don Perkins dead at age 84

This devastating news comes after what has been a rough year for the franchise, specifically for running backs. Perkins is being remembered alongside Barber, running backs coach Gary Brown, and former RB Dan Reeves. The organization also lost Rayfield Wright, Ralph Neely, and longtime assistant to Jerry Jones Marilyn Love.

According to The Cowboys Wire, Perkins was also instrumental in helping desegregating players during the 1960s. Allegedly, the running back urged the organization to stop assigning road roommates by race, and they followed suit.

After he retired, the former Cowboy went on to do some broadcasting work for CBS, ABC, and some radio stations. He was a father of four and had many grandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Perkins family at this time.