3 best Cowboys players who never made a Pro Bowl

1. Tom Rafferty

Tom Rafferty was far from a household name during the Cowboys' great success in the late 1970s and 1980s. Rafferty played his entire career in Dallas from 1976 to 1989. After backing up starting left guard Blaine Nye as a rookie, Rafferty took over the next year.

Rafferty started every game and helped lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl title against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. That season Dallas had a revamped rushing attack with rookie Tony Dorsett racking up 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns. Dorsett, Roger Staubach, Tony Hill, Billy Joe Dupree, Harvey Martin, Randy White, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters were all named to the Pro Bowl that season, but Rafferty should have arguably joined them.

Rafferty also proved to be versatile when he moved to center in 1981 after Robert Shaw was lost for the season due to injury. That year, led by Danny White, Dallas fell one game short of the Super Bowl losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the infamous "The Catch" game. Two years later, he helped pave the way for Dorsett's record-setting 99-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings.

Offensive linemen have no stats except for how many games they might have played or sacks allowed. Their success during a season is largely based on how much they helped other skill position players.

During all but four seasons Rafferty played with Dorsett, he eclipsed 1,000 yards. His contributions on the offensive line during that era were essential to the Cowboys' success. He deserved at least one invite to the Pro Bowl.