Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear No. 81 was hated before coming to America's Team

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

After kicking off the 80s with one of the most beloved wide receivers in franchise history at No. 80, we've got another wideout here at No. 81, only this one wasn't so beloved by fans of America's Team for the first 10 years of his career, as he suited up for two of the Cowboys' biggest rivals and was involved in one of the most infamous incidents of the old Texas Stadium. But for three years in the mid-2000s, the boos that once rained down upon him turned into cheers.

But before we break all of that down, let's first run through our usual process here at the start by looking at every player who's donned No. 81 for Dallas over the years.

Scott Ankrom, WR
Tyji Armstrong, TE
Marv Bateman, P
Kelvin Edwards, WR
Simi Fehoko, WR
Scott Galbraith, TE
Percy Howard, WR
Billy Howton, E
Rocket Ismail, WR
Patrick Jeffers, WR
Jonathan Mingo, WR
Quincy Morgan, WR
Terrell Owens, WR
Kirk Phillips, WR
Karl Powe, WR
Peerless Price, WR
Laurent Robinson, WR
Jackie Smith, TE
Robert Steele, WR
John Stephens, TE
James Whalen, TE
Steve Wilson, WR/CB
Alexander Wright, WR

Taking the runner-up slot here is old-school flanker/end Billy Howton, who spent four seasons with the Cowboys, with those four seasons being the first four of the franchise's existence from 1960 to 1963.

A four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro during his seven-year run with the Green Bay Packers from 1952 to 1958, the Texas native then spent one year with the Cleveland Browns before making his way to Dallas.

And while the Cowboys were not a good team in those early years, Howton was at least still a good player, tallying 161 receptions for 2,368 yards and 17 touchdowns in his four seasons with the club before retiring after the 1963 campaign.

But as you've likely already surmised, the top spot here goes to none other than Terrell Owens.

Terrell Owens played three strong seasons for the Dallas Cowboys

After spending his collegiate years at the Division I-AA level (now called the FCS) at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Owens was taken in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft at No. 89 overall by the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he spent the first eight years of his career.

And in the fifth of those eight years came the aforementioned infamous incident at Texas Stadium.

In Week 4 of the 2000 season, Dallas hosted the Niners, and with a little under three minutes remaining in the first half, Owens caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Garcia, after which he ran to the middle of the field and posed on the famed Cowboys' star logo.

And after catching a 1-yard TD pass from Garcia late in the fourth quarter, he attempted to repeat the celebration. Only this time, Cowboys safety George Teague followed and ultimately leveled him, which naturally caused a fight to break out. Owens got the last laugh, though, as San Francisco took a 41-24 victory.

After eight seasons with the 49ers, T.O. then spent two years with the Philadelphia Eagles, helping the Birds to a Super Bowl appearance, and in 2006, the unthinkable happened, as he signed a three-year deal with Dallas.

While Drew Bledsoe started that '06 season as the Cowboys' QB1, Tony Romo took over roughly a third of the way into the year, and he and Owens quickly developed a strong chemistry and became one of the top QB-WR duos in the league.

In his three seasons in Dallas, the first two of which saw the team reach the postseason, Owens tallied 235 receptions for 3,587 yards with 38 touchdowns. His best year wearing a star on the side of his helmet came in 2007, when he earned the sixth and final Pro Bowl selection of his career and the fifth and final First-Team All-Pro nod of his career after catching 81 passes for 1,355 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Even playing just those three years with the Cowboys, his 38 touchdown receptions are currently good for the 10th-most in team history.

Owens closed out his NFL career playing one season each for the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

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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Terrell Owens played three strong seasons for the Dallas Cowboys

Other Dallas Cowboys jersey honorees

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