Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 53 was part of the famed 'Dirty Dozen' draft

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

Linebackers have taken up every slot of the 50s thus far, and while we've got another one here at No. 53, the streak was nearly broken, as we had to consider one of the top centers in club history. But before we break things down, let's first run through our normal process of looking at everyone who's donned the digit for America's Team over the years.

Keith Adams, LB
John Babinecz, LB
Francis Bernard, LB
Bob Breunig, LB
Damone Clark, LB
Mike Connelly, OL
Ray Donaldson, C
Onzy Elam, LB
James Houston, LB
Oliver Hoyte, LB/FB
Garth Jax, LB
Cameron Lawrence, LB
Justin March, LB
Mark Nzeocha, LB
Steve Octavien, LB
Dave Simmons, LB
Victor Simmons, LB
Mark Stepnoski, C
Kalen Thornton, LB
Luiji Vilain, LB
Fred Whittingham, LB

Coming in a close second was Mark Stepnoski, who was part of the Cowboys' 1989 draft class that also included Troy Aikman. Stepnoski was a pivotal piece of the Dallas offensive line that opened up bus-size holes for Emmitt Smith and earned three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl from 1992 to 1994, with those first two seasons also resulting in the team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Stepnoski was not around for the Cowboys' third title in 1995, as he left the team following the '94 campaign to sign with the Houston Oilers, with whom he spent four years before returning to Dallas for the final three seasons of his career.

But while Stepnoski would have been a solid choice, we instead opted to roll with linebacker Bob Breunig.

Bob Breunig helped the Cowboys to six NFC Championship Game appearances and three Super Bowls

A three-time All-WAC selection at Arizona State, the WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1973, and a First-Team All-American in his final season with the Sun Devils in 1974, Breunig was taken by Dallas in the third round of the 1975 NFL Draft with the 70th overall selection.

The 12 players from that '75 draft class, a group that also included Randy White, "Hollywood" Henderson, Pat Donovan, and Herbert Scott, came to call themselves "The Dirty Dozen," and while Breunig may not have gotten the publicity that some of the others did, he unquestionably made his mark on the franchise.

While he spent his rookie campaign in a reserve role, he replaced the retired Dave Edwards at strongside linebacker, and in 1977, a campaign that resulted in the Cowboys' second Super Bowl victory, he replaced the retired Lee Roy Jordan at middle linebacker and became the team's defensive signal caller.

In 1979, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder set a new team record for tackles en route to earning his first trip to the Pro Bowl and earned a second straight selection in 1980, also receiving a Second-Team All-Pro nod after tallying a career-high three interceptions. He earned a third Pro Bowl selection during the strike-shortened 1982 campaign.

Breunig was one of the most durable players in all of football, starting 142 consecutive games between the regular season and postseason from 1976 through the midway mark of the 1984 season, at which point he suffered a back injury that ultimately ended his career. He ultimately never experienced a losing season and appeared in 20 playoff games for the Cowboys, including six NFC title games and three Super Bowls.

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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Bob Breunig helped the Cowboys to six NFC Championship Game appearances and three Super Bowls

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

Schedule