Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 56 got stuck in between team's two dynasties

Welcome once again to our series covering the best Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

We've seen a plethora of players from the 1970s Dallas dynasty in the 50s, and while some might have expected to see another here at No. 56, that's not going to be the case, as we've opted to go in a different direction.

But before we break it all down, let's first have a look at everyone who's worn the number for America's Team over the years.

Bradlee Anae, DE
Reggie Barnes, LB
Rodrigo Barnes, LB
Cooper Beebe, C
Justin Durant, LB
Jayrone Elliott, LB
Dante Fowler, LB
Randall Godfrey, LB
Orantes Grant, LB
Harold Hays, LB
Thomas Henderson, LB
Joe Jackson, DE
Bradie James, LB
Datone Jones, DE
Eugene Lockhart, LB
Bob Long, LB
Jack Patera, LB
Bill Roe, LB
John Roper, LB
Keith Smith, DB
Thomas Stincic, LB
Korey Toomer, LB
Jason Vega, DE
Dekoda Watson, LB
Martez Wilson, LB

The most famous player from this list is unquestionably Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, who was part of the Cowboys' famed "Dirty Dozen" draft class in 1975 and played a big part in helping the franchise to its second Super Bowl victory in 1977.

Had Henderson not self-destructed and basically forced Tom Landry and Tex Schramm to trade him after just five years, one would assume he'd be the easy call here, as he had all the talent in the world. But things went down the way they went down, and we're moving on.

Truth be told, Henderson isn't even our runner-up, as we're giving that honor to Bradie James, who had a strong nine-year run in Dallas from 2003 to 2011 and led the team in tackles for six consecutive seasons from '05 to '10, tallying more than 100 each in the final five campaigns of that stretch.

At the end of the day, though, our official selection here is Eugene Lockhart, who got stuck in between dynasties and was a good player on some not-so-good teams in the 1980s.

Eugene Lockhart was the first Dallas Cowboys player to tally 200 tackles in a single season

A Second-Team All-SWC selection at the University of Houston in 1983, Lockhart was taken by Dallas in the sixth round of the 1984 NFL Draft with the 152nd overall selection.

The Texas native began his career with the Cowboys in a reserve role, but when the great Bob Breunig went down with a back injury midway through the '84 season, an injury that ultimately forced him to retire, Lockhart stepped up and became the first-ever rookie in team history to start at middle linebacker. And he certainly proved that he belonged, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

While Lockhart was never a superstar, he was simply as steady as steady can be and developed a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting linebackers in the league.

And he always found himself around the football, as he led the Cowboys in tackles in four of his seven seasons with the club and topped 100 tackles six times, the only exception being the 1987 campaign, as he suffered a fractured right fibula late in the year and missed the final few weeks of the season.

It's unfortunate that the team wasn't better as a whole during his run, as the Cowboys made the playoffs just once in 1985.

But again, he was undoubtedly a bright spot on some bad teams, the biggest example being that in 1989, the year Dallas went 1-15 in the first season under Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson, Lockhart became the first player in franchise history to reach the 200-tackle mark, ultimately recording 222 to lead the league, which earned him a Second-Team All-Pro selection.

Just as the Cowboys were on their way toward another dynasty that resulted in three Super Bowl wins in four years, Lockhart was traded to the New England Patriots in 1991 as part of the deal that got Dallas the No. 1 overall pick in that year's draft, which was used on superstar defensive tackle Russell Maryland.

So, while Lockhart missed out on all the championships, he at least takes this title as the best Cowboys player to wear No. 56.

Full list of Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

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Eugene Lockhart was the first Dallas Cowboys player to tally 200 tackles in a single season

Full list of Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

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