Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 75 was consistently robbed of accolades

Welcome back to The Landry Hat's series highlighting the best Dallas Cowboys players to wear every jersey number from No. 0 to No. 99.

With three-quarters of our journey now in the books, we're ready to hit the homestretch, starting here at No. 75 with a defensive player who was vastly underappreciated during his 14-year career as far as individual accolades are concerned.

But before we get into that explanation, let's first have a quick look at everyone who's worn No. 75 for America's Team over the years.

Hakeem Adeniji, OT
Josh Ball, OT
Byron Bell, OT
Jon Carter, DT
Tony Casillas, DT
Marc Colombo, OT
Ryan Davis, DE
Derrick Dockery, G
Cameron Erving, OT
Cameron Fleming, OT
Bob Fry, OT
Brandon Noble, DT
Osa Odighizuwa, DT
Phil Pozderac, OT
Jethro Pugh, DT
Daryle Smith, OT
Darrion Weems, OT
Marcellus Wiley, DE
Ryan Young, OT

In addition to our official selection, there are a couple of others who deserve to be mentioned as well, namely defensive tackle Tony Casillas, who played three solid seasons in Dallas in the early 1990s, the last two of which resulted in Super Bowl victories, and offensive tackle Marc Colombo, who started 76 games for the Cowboys during his six-year run with the club from 2005 to 2010.

But the clear call here, of course, is Jethro Pugh.

Jethro Pugh tallied 96.5 sacks for the Dallas Cowboys

A two-time All-CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) selection at Division II HBCU Elizabeth City State, Pugh was taken by Dallas in the 11th round of the 1965 NFL Draft with the 145th overall selection.

Just 20 years of age when he joined the Cowboys, the North Carolina native began his career in a reserve role at defensive end but transitioned to left defensive tackle toward the end of the 1966 season, becoming the full-time starter at the position in 1967 and never relinquishing the role.

In 1968, Pugh began a five-year stretch in which he led the Cowboys in sacks each and every season, tallying an incredible 64.0 in that time, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that Dallas had some of the best pass rushers in franchise history on the roster at the time, a list that includes "Mr. Cowboy" himself Bob Lilly, George Andrie, Chuck Howley, and Larry Cole. Near the end of that stretch, of course, Dallas won its first title, taking down the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 6 to close out the 1971 campaign.

Pugh played another six seasons, helping the Cowboys to three more Super Bowl appearances and a second Lombardi Trophy before retiring after the 1978 campaign. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 183 regular-season games, starting 156 of them, and another 23 in the postseason, which, at the time of his retirement, was an NFL record.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder ultimately recorded 96.5 sacks, which are still good for the sixth-most in franchise history, trailing only DeMarcus Ware (117.0), Harvey Martin (114.0), Randy White (111.0), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (106.0), and George Andrie (98.5).

Despite being one of the best defensive players on one of the best teams of the era, Pugh wildly was never elected to a single Pro Bowl, with his only individual accolade being one Second-Team All-Pro selection in 1968. Nevertheless, that doesn't take away from everything he accomplished, and he undoubtedly deserves this title of the best Cowboys player to wear No. 75.

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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Jethro Pugh tallied 96.5 sacks for the Dallas Cowboys

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

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