Welcome back to our series on the best Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We kicked off the 30s with an old-school offensive player, but here at No. 31, we're coming to the 21st century for our winner. But before we get to the reveal, let's first have a look at every player to don the digit for America's Team over the years.
- Gary Allen, RB
- Benny Barnes, DB
- Otto Brown, DB
- Josh Butler, CB
- Mario Butler, CB
- Maurice Canady, CB
- Fred Cone, K
- Tyler Coyle, S
- Thomas Everett, DB
- Bill Hill, DB
- Mike Jenkins, DB
- Byron Jones, CB
- Brock Marion, DB
- Amos Marsh, FB
- Billy Owens, DB
- Micah Pellerin, CB
- Gloster Richardson, WR
- Sims Stokes, WR
- George Teague, S
- Chauncey Washington, RB
- Chris Westry, CB
- Roy Williams, S
Now, before we get rolling with our selection, a special shoutout here goes to defensive back George Teague, who wore No. 30 in his first run with the Cowboys in 1996 but switched to No. 31 upon his return to the team in 1998. And it was during that second stint, specifically a Week 4 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in 2000, that Teague blasted Terrell Owens for celebrating a touchdown on the star at midfield of the old Texas Stadium.
While Teague isn't our winner, we are sticking with the secondary, as the clear-cut call here is Roy Williams.
Roy Williams is the reason the NFL banned the horse-collar tackle
A unanimous All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Oklahoma in 2001, Williams was taken by Dallas in the first round of the 2002 draft with the eighth overall pick and made an immediate impact at the safety position, finishing third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after racking up 96 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, eight passes defended, and five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
In 2003, he was the top player on the best overall defense in the league and helped the Cowboys to their first 10-win season in five years and their first playoff appearance in four years. Not only did Williams earn the first of five consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl that season, but he was also named a First-Team All-Pro and finished in a tie for second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, losing only to legendary Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.
Despite those two incredible campaigns, it was the 2004 season where Williams made his biggest impact on the NFL, at least in a certain sense. With the Cowboys having issues at cornerback, he was forced to play more man coverage, which was not his cup of tea.
As such, he sometimes found himself lagging behind opposing offensive players, and he started using the horse-collar tackle more often. As he was one of the hardest-hitting players in the league as it was, Williams' use of this particular technique simply became dangerous, and after he significantly injured several players during the '04 season, the owners officially banned the horse-collar tackle during the 2005 offseason, a decision that came to be called "The Roy Williams Rule."
That's not the official name for it, of course, but it's certainly no secret why it exists. But just because the change was made didn't mean Williams always followed it, and in 2007, he was suspended for a game after repeated violations of the rule.
He wore No. 38 during his final season in Dallas in 2008, appearing in just three games due to a forearm injury, and closed out his career playing two years with the Cincinnati Bengals.
In his seven seasons with the Cowboys, Williams tallied 510 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, 56 passes defended, and 19 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.
Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees
- No. 0: Well, there's literally only one option here
- No. 1: Quietly one of Dallas' better special teams weapons
- No. 2: He once stood alone in the record books
- No. 3: This player needed just one season to make his mark
- No. 4: This is a no-brainer
- No. 5: This player has the third-most points in Cowboys history
- No. 6: The winner here just edged out a Pro Bowl history maker
- No. 7: Fizzled fast after his big payday
- No. 8: Member of an elite Super Bowl club
- No. 9: Doesn't get the credit he deserves
- No. 10: Also played professional basketball
- No. 11: No, it's not Micah Parsons
- No. 12: Didn't begin his Hall of Fame career until age 27
- No. 13: Was a solid WR2 (until he wasn't)
- No. 14: Led the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl appearance
- No. 15: Won multiple titles in another sport
- No. 16: Helped a legend score his first NFL TD
- No. 17: The Cowboys' first true franchise QB
- No. 18: Still holds a team record after 30-plus years
- No. 19: Might surprise some people
- No. 20: The Cowboys' all-time interceptions leader
- No. 21: This player was always 'Prime Time' entertainment
- No. 22: The only NFL MVP in Cowboys history
- No. 23: Was a key role player for Tom Landry
- No. 24: It's not the one who won Super Bowl MVP
- No. 25: Holds a unique place in Cowboys history
- No. 26: Didn't play one down of college football
- No. 27: Held a Cowboys record for nearly 50 years
- No. 28: Holds an odd team record
- No. 29: Was allowed to walk after a historic season
- No. 30: Holds a sad NFL record as a head coach
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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