Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 12 didn't begin HOF career until age 27

Welcome back to our series on the greatest Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

Now, with 100 pieces in this series and the fact that a lengthy list of legends have suited up for America's Team over the years, there are naturally bound to be some no-brainer entries along the way. And this is certainly one of them, as the easy call here at No. 12, of course, is Roger Staubach, who was the third and last player to ever wear it.

The first to don the digit was quarterback John Roach, who wore it during the 1964 season after being coaxed out of retirement following a preseason injury to Don Meredith. Roach, who won a pair of NFL titles with the Green Bay Packers as Bart Starr's backup, started four games for the Cowboys that year, losing all four.

Next up was punter Ron Widby, who wore it as a rookie in 1968, setting a still-standing franchise record that year with an 84-yarder, before switching to No. 10 the following season, as he wanted Staubach to have No. 12.

Roger Staubach didn't begin his NFL career until age 27 due to his commitments to the U.S. Navy

The Heisman Trophy winner in 1963 for the U.S. Naval Academy, Staubach was taken in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft with the 129th overall selection. While he'd already committed to continue playing collegiately for the '64 season, the NFL allowed Dallas to take him as a "future" pick, as he was already four years removed from high school.

Furthermore, the Cincinnati native was also obligated to serve four years with the Navy once his college career concluded, which meant his NFL career wouldn't start until he was 27 years old. And that's how things played out, as Staubach served his four years, which included a tour in Vietnam, and joined Dallas ahead of the 1969 season.

With Craig Morton in the QB1 role, Staubach only started four games over his first two seasons, going 3-1. But in 1971, the namesake of our site, legendary Dallas head coach Tom Landry, gave No. 12 his shot a couple of months into the campaign.

He didn't disappoint, winning all 10 of his regular-season starts and all three of his postseason starts, including Super Bowl 6, taking MVP honors in leading the Cowboys to their first championship with a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

While he ultimately played just 11 NFL seasons, and that includes those first two, Staubach certainly made the most of his time, earning six trips to the Pro Bowl and three top-five finishes in the NFL MVP race, while also leading the Cowboys to a second Super Bowl win to close out the 1977 season.

Dallas also appeared in another pair of Super Bowls at the end of the 1975 and 1978 seasons, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in both games, with each contest being decided by four points.

In just mentioning the '75 season, we'd be remiss if we didn't discuss how he coined one of the more popular phrases in football. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs that year, he hit Drew Pearson for a 50-yard touchdown strike with just 24 seconds remaining, later saying that he threw the pass and quickly said a "Hail Mary." And just like that, new football terminology was born.

When Staubach retired ahead of the 1980 season, he'd thrown for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns, both franchise records at the time. While both have fallen since then, he still sits in fourth in yardage and fifth in TDs.

While the Cowboys don't officially retire jerseys, no Dallas player, as mentioned, has worn No. 12 since Staubach retired. He was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1983 and into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

This list will be updated daily until all 100 entries are complete, so please be sure to check back in with The Landry Hat for updates.

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Roger Staubach didn't begin his NFL career until age 27 due to his commitments to the U.S. Navy

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

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