Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 68 allowed the team to trade an all-time great

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

After featuring a member of the Cowboys' famed "Dirty Dozen" 1975 draft class at No. 67, we've got another one here at No. 68, one who wasn't really supposed to contribute much but ended up being one of the top players in the group.

But before we break things down, let's first have a look at everyone who's worn No. 68 for America's Team over the years.

Michael Batiste, G
Jim Boeke, OT
Frank Cornish, C/G
Matt Farniok, G
Doug Free, OT
Crawford Ker, G
Matt Lehr, G/C
Guy Reese, DT
Christian Ringo, DE
Daniel Ross, DT
Oliver Ross, OT
Noel Scarlett, DT
Herbert Scott, G/OT

It's been a bit since we've done our entertaining little exercise where we treat things like an Olympic medal stand, so we thought we'd pull that out here, as there are certainly a few players worth mentioning.

On the bronze stand, we've got guard Crawford Ker, who was a solid player at the end of the Tom Landry era and into the Jimmy Johnson era, starting 75 games during his six-season run with Dallas from 1985 to 1990.

In the silver spot is offensive tackle Doug Free, who started 115 of the 127 games in which he appeared for the Cowboys between the regular season and postseason from 2007 to 2016.

But running away with the gold is Herbert Scott.

Herbert Scott went from a 13th-round draft pick to a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro for the Dallas Cowboys

As mentioned above, Scott was part of the famed "Dirty Dozen" draft class of 1975 that also included Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White, four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bob Breunig, one-time Pro Bowl linebacker "Hollywood" Henderson, and four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Pat Donovan.

The difference with those four was that they were all expected to come in and contribute, as they were all taken in the top 90 of that 1975 draft.

Scott, on the other hand, was a small-school player out of Virginia Union and wasn't taken until the 13th round at No. 330 overall. So, not only was not much expected from him, but his chances of even making the main roster were pretty slim.

That sadi, not only did Scott make the main roster, but he developed so quickly during training camp that the Cowboys felt comfortable enough to trade superstar left guard and franchise legend John Niland, who'd earned six Pro Bowl selections and three First-Team All-Pro nods during his nine-year run in Dallas from 1966 to 1974.

Niland was ultimately dealt to the rival Philadelphia Eagles, and in return, the Cowboys received a third-round selection in the 1977 draft, which they used to select Tony Hill, who went on to become one of the greatest wide receivers in franchise history.

Hill alone would have made the trade worth it, but Scott turning into one of the top left guards in the league was obviously a phenomenal bonus. And make no mistake about it; he was certainly in that category, as he and the aforementioned Pat Donovan made up one of the top left-side duos in football.

After helping the Cowboys to their second Super Bowl victory in 1977, the 6-foot-2, 255-pounder earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1979 to 1981, also receiving First-Team All-Pro honors in '80 and '81.

Injuries hindered the later years of his career, and he retired following the 1984 campaign, having appeared in 140 regular-season outings for Dallas and another 20 in the playoffs, including three Super Bowls and six NFC Championship Games.

Not bad for a 13th-round draft pick, wouldn't you say?

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

Herbert Scott went from a 13th-round draft pick to a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro for the Dallas Cowboys

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

Schedule