Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 37 showed out in the Super Bowl (twice)

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

Now, when you think about the all-time defensive greats Dallas has produced over the years, our selection here at No. 37 likely doesn't come to mind. But when the lights were brightest, this particular player showed up something fierce. We'll get to the reveal momentarily, but let's first have a look at everyone who's worn No. 37 for America's Team over the years.

Phil Clark, DB
Perry Lee Dunn, RB
Abram Elam, DB
JaQuan Hardy, RB
Jim Jensen, RB
Phil Mafah, RB
Bryan McCann, DB
Dennis Morgan, RB
Trayvon Mullen, CB
C.J. Spillman, DB
Ike Thomas, CB/KR
James Washington, S
Gerald White, RB
Tyrone Williams, DB
Donovan Wilson, S

From an overall standpoint, this number certainly doesn't carry the legacy that some others do. That's not meant to disrespect anyone who's worn it, but when only two players are in double digits using the "Approximate Value" metric used by our pals at Pro Football Reference—or are even above five, for that matter—that says a little something.

One of those players is defensive back Phil Clark, who was a solid and versatile contributor at both cornerback and safety for Tom Landry from 1967 to 1969 before being traded to the Chicago Bears.

But the clear-cut call here is safety James Washington.

James Washington was phenomenal in the Dallas Cowboys' first two Super Bowl victories in the 1990s

Despite a stellar collegiate career at UCLA, where he earned Second-Team All-Pac-10 honors in 1985 as a sophomore and Third-Team All-American honors in 1986 as a junior, a knee injury hindered Washington's 1987 senior season a bit, and he fell to the fifth round of the 1988 NFL Draft, where he was finally taken with the 137th overall selection by the Los Angeles Rams.

After failing to start a single game in two years with the Rams, Washington was allowed to walk out the door in free agency and signed with the Cowboys ahead of the 1990 season, during which he started 10 games at strong safety, appearing in 15 total, and tied for the team lead with three interceptions, while also recording a team-high four forced fumbles.

The Los Angeles native continued to start for the next two seasons, combining for 208 total tackles and five interceptions between the '91 and '92 campaigns. The 1992 season, of course, concluded with the Cowboys taking on the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 27, and it was Washington who helped kickstart the barrage of Buffalo turnovers.

With the Bills holding a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Buffalo was driving down the field when Jim Kelly, who'd just completed a 21-yard pass to Andre Reed to get to midfield, attempted a pass toward tight end Pete Metzelaars, only to have it picked off by Washington, who returned it 13 yards to put Dallas in Buffalo territory.

A few plays later, the Cowboys found the end zone and tied the game, and the rout was on from there, with the Bills ultimately committing a Super Bowl-record nine turnovers in a 52-17 Dallas victory.

Despite the solid seasons he'd strung together, Washington lost his starting spot leading into the 1993 season, as a young Darren Woodson was simply too good to keep in a reserve role.

But once again, when the Super Bowl rolled around at the conclusion of that '93 season, with the Cowboys once again squaring off with the Bills, Washington rose to the occasion.

With Dallas trailing 13-6 early in the third quarter, Bills running back Thurman Thomas fumbled the ball after taking a hit from Leon Lett, and Washington scooped it up and ran it back 46 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Then, on the very first play of the fourth quarter, with Dallas holding a 20-13 advantage, Washington intercepted Kelly and returned it a dozen yards to the Buffalo 34-yard line. A few plays later, the Cowboys put the game out of reach and went on to cruise to a 30-13 victory.

With the touchdown, the interception, and a team-high 11 tackles, he was unquestionably in consideration for Super Bowl MVP, but that honor went to Emmitt Smith, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

With Thomas Everett gone, Washington was back in the starting lineup in 1994, this time at free safety, and notched a career-best and team-high five interceptions. But that turned out to be his final campaign with the Cowboys, as he signed with the team now known as the Commanders ahead of the 1995 season, which, in turn, turned out to be the final season of his career.

Again, while Washington was a solid player for the Cowboys over five seasons, recording 398 total tackles, seven forced fumbles, and 14 interceptions in 77 regular-season appearances, he's never going to be viewed as an all-time great.

But those performances in the Super Bowl were absolutely phenomenal, particularly that second one, which is undoubtedly one of the great defensive performances in the title game's history. As such, once again, Washington is the clear-cut call as the best Cowboys player to wear No. 37.

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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James Washington was phenomenal in the Dallas Cowboys' first two Super Bowl victories in the 1990s

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

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