Welcome back to The Landry Hat's series covering the greatest Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We've now officially reached the quarter point of our journey, as this marks the 25th of 100 entries, and we've certainly got a dandy here at No. 24. But before we get to our winner, let's first have a look at every player who's sported the number for America's Team over the years.
- Chidobe Awuzie, CB
- Marion Barber III, RB
- Alois Blackwell, RB
- Larry Brown, DB
- Nolan Carroll, DB
- Morris Claiborne, CB
- Tony Dixon, DB
- Tony Fiammetta, RB
- Roger Harper, DB
- Dennis Homan, WR
- Kelvin Joseph, DB
- Jim Mooty, DB
- Israel Mukuamu, S
- Miles Sanders, RB
- J.D. Smith, RB/FB
- Omar Stoutmire, DB
- Everson Walls, CB
The name that undoubtedly stands out from this century is Marion Barber III, who had a solid six-year run in Dallas from 2005 to 2010, rushing for 4,358 yards and 47 touchdowns, numbers that currently have him in eighth and fourth on the all-time franchise lists, respectively. Running back isn't the call here, but he was certainly worth mentioning.
Now, if hardware was the main criterion in our selection process, the choice would have to be cornerback Larry Brown, who was a starter on all three of the Cowboys' Super Bowl-winning squads in the 1990s and took Most Valuable Player honors in the last of that trio of victories after twice intercepting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell in the second half of Super Bowl 30, with both picks ultimately resulting in touchdown runs by Emmitt Smith.
Cornerback is the choice here, but the honor does not go to Brown. And it's honestly not even a close call, as the obvious pick in this slot is Everson Walls.
Everson Walls set a Dallas Cowboys record with 11 interceptions as a rookie
An All-American in Division I-AA (now called the FCS) for Grambling State in 1980 after leading the nation with 11 interceptions, Walls went undrafted in 1981 but signed with the Cowboys as a free agent and made an immediate impact.
While Walls didn't immediately crack the starting lineup as a rookie, it didn't take Tom Landry long to see what he had in the Dallas native, who worked his way into a starting role within about a month and ultimately set a new franchise record with a league-high 11 interceptions. And that's not a rookie record, by the way, as that mark still stands to this very day, although Trevon Diggs did tie it in 2021.
He tacked on another pair of picks in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers that year, but sadly, what most people remember is that he was the nearest player to Dwight Clark when "The Catch" went down in the one-point loss.
Walls again led the league in picks during the strike-shortened 1982 season with seven and became the first ever to lead the league in interceptions on three occasions when he added another nine in 1985. He's still one of only two to do so, with Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed being the other.
In that initial five-year stretch of his career, Walls earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections (one First Team, two Second Team), and when he was waived following the 1989 campaign, he'd racked up 44 regular-season interceptions, which remain the second-most in franchise history behind only Hall of Famer Mel Renfro's 52.
He never won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys, but he did get his ring in his first year out of Big D. Unfortunately for Dallas fans, that ring was earned as a member of the rival New York Giants, with whom he spent a little over two seasons before closing out his career with the Cleveland Browns.
Despite the success he had for the franchise, Walls has not been inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor.
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
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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