Welcome once again to our series on the best Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.
We've seen a litany of linebackers among the defensive stars that have taken up every slot in the 50s thus far, and we've got yet another to highlight here at No. 58, one who stepped up to shine when the franchise was effectively forced to trade a fellow member of the famed "Dirty Dozen" draft class.
But before we break things down, let's first have a look at every player who's worn No. 58 for America's Team over the years.
- Kyle Bosworth, LB
- Joe Bowden, LB
- Jack Crawford, DE
- Dixon Edwards, LB
- Austin Faoliu, DT
- Jeff Grau, LS
- Mike Hegman, LB
- Nate Hemsley, LB
- Orie Lemon, LB
- Louis Mackey, LB
- Damontre Moore, DE
- Cal Peterson, LB
- Robert Quinn, DE
- Scott Shanle, LB
- Aldon Smith, DE
- Mazi Smith, DT
- Jason Williams, LB
Ahead of our selection, we first want to make mention of Dixon Edwards, who's the easy call at runner-up here, as he was with the Cowboys for all three of their Super Bowl wins in the 1990s, starting the last two, and was a highly productive player for the entirety of his five-year run with Dallas from 1991 to 1995.
But the easy pick here is Mike Hegman, who may have never been a superstar but was a rock-solid contributor for the Cowboys for a dozen years.
Mike Hegman didn't join the Dallas Cowboys until the year after he was drafted
Hegman's journey to the NFL is actually quite fascinating, as he didn't take up the game of football until his senior year at Northside High School in Memphis, which no longer exists.
He began his collegiate career at Alabama A&M but then transferred to Tennessee State, where he walked on to the team with future Cowboys legend Ed "Too Tall" Jones, ultimately winning the starting job at middle linebacker and helping the Tigers to an undefeated 10-0 record and the Black College National Championship in 1973.
He then led the Tigers in tackles the following year, setting a new school record with 158. And this is where things got weird.
Following that '74 season, Hegman himself and just about everyone else involved with him believed he still had one remaining year of eligibility. But the Cowboys didn't believe that to be true and took him in the seventh round of the 1975 NFL Draft with the 173rd overall pick, thus making him a member of the famed "Dirty Dozen" draft class that also included Randy White, "Hollywood" Henderson, Bob Breunig, Pat Donovan, and Herbert Scott.
Dallas turned out to be right, as just a couple of weeks into the 1975 college football season, Hegman was declared ineligible and forced to sit out Tennessee State's remaining games.
He was, however, allowed to participate in the Senior Bowl, where he put on a fantastic performance. As for the NFL side of things, the Cowboys were allowed to retain his draft rights for being proven right that he was eligible to be selected, and he finally joined the team in 1976.
Hegman spent much of his first few seasons on special teams but got some snaps on defense as well in a reserve role behind Henderson and D.D. Lewis.
He did contribute to the Cowboys' Super Bowl 12 win over the Denver Broncos, and one year later, he scored the only defensive touchdown of Super Bowl 13 after stripping the ball away from legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and running it back 37 yards for a score. Unfortunately for Dallas, that wasn't enough to prevent a 35-31 loss.
When Henderson was traded during the 1979 season after effectively self-destructing, Hegman moved into the starting lineup and remained a starter for the rest of his career, which officially came to a close a few months after he suffered a knee injury during the 1988 preseason that landed him on injured reserve.
In his dozen seasons in Dallas, Hegman tallied 21.0 sacks, nine fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, and seven interceptions.
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
- No. 31: Got a play banned from the NFL
- No. 32: Was also an actual cowboy
- No. 33: Holds an NFL record that can't be broken
- No. 34: Was drafted into the NBA (but not the NFL)
- No. 35: Has a son who's an NBA Hall of Famer
- No. 36: Was a strong special-teamer (when healthy)
- No. 37: Showed out in the Super Bowl (twice)
- No. 38: Had a solid career after going undrafted
- No. 39: Was on the wrong end of a famous play
- No. 40: Forced the NFL to change the Pro Bowl
- No. 41: Owns an impressive NFL playoff record
- No. 42: Went from undrafted to a defensive captain
- No. 43: The true anchor of the 1970s Dallas defense
- No. 44: Wasn't the typical NFL fullback
- No. 45: Lost his job to a future Super Bowl MVP
- No. 46: Was on the wrong side of Super Bowl history
- No. 47: Was an HBCU star before a 7-year NFL career
- No. 48: Was beloved despite not posting big numbers
- No. 49: Was a solid pass blocker and special-teamer
- No. 50: Made an iconic quote about America's Team
- No. 51: Had a father who broke Muhammad Ali's jaw
- No. 52: Owns a little-known franchise record
- No. 53: Was part of the famed 'Dirty Dozen' draft
- No. 54: Owns a special piece of Super Bowl history
- No. 55: Has a special connection to Jerry Jones
- No. 56: Got stuck in between the Cowboys' two dynasties
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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