By Lenny Moon
Being an avid sports fan from childhood, there’s a sector of former professional athlete’s departures from this earth that leave an indelible impression. In recent years, we witnessed the passing of immortals such as Willie Mays, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Jerry (NBA logo) West, Hank Aaron and Jim Brown to name a few. Growing up in the north eastern area of the massive state of Texas, one comes out of the womb being a Dallas Cowboys fan. Following a stretch of losing the “big games” year after year, Dallas finally broke through versus Miami in 1972 during Super Bowl VI by defeating the Dolphins 24-3. The gentleman that spearheaded the cowpokes very first world championship was a running back that grew up only blocks from the Cotton Bowl (longtime home stadium of the Cowboys). His name was Duane Julius (“DJ”) Thomas who starred at nearby Lincoln High School before traveling out to West Texas State and eventually being drafted by his hometown team in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft. Thomas was the game’s leading rusher with 95 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown, while outgaining the entire Dolphins squad in rushing yardage (95-80) by himself. Although the team dubbed “America’s Team” went on to win four more Super Bowls since then, Cowboy fans the world over will never forget the very first one and their hometown native’s efforts went a long way toward delivering the goods.
At 6-1, 225 pounds Thomas was extremely agile for a back his size that could cut on a dime, get to the outside of the defensive alignment and run between the tackles with power when called upon. Former colleague and Pro football Hall of Fame offensive tackle the late Rayfield Wright who blocked for “DT” during their stint together described what it was like creating pathways for the talented back (see video below)
Among the reasons the the multi-talented Thomas only toiled a couple of seasons in the Metroplex while in his prime was his desire to be paid fair market value. The NFL was by and large a running game-league during this era and if a team was fortunate to procure a premium back they typically held on tight to this type of commodity. In only his second season in the league, Thomas had already risen to one of the top backs in the league by leading all running backs in the NFL in rushing touchdowns and finished second to only Washington’s Larry Brown in rushing yards from scrimmage. Actually, the offseason between his first and second season with Dallas, the Cowboys had traded the so-called disgruntled player to New England but the deal fell through and Thomas former team was forced to re-accept him. The Cowboys management went through extreme measures to maintain their tight-fisted methods and making an example of one their most valuable assets so teammates would not dare challenge. For Thomas, he arrived for his second tour of duty with a monumental attitude. It obviously did not affect his efficiency on the field but resulted in him not being the best teammate one could wish for.
In summary, a youngster that grew up in the same neighborhood as the city’s NFL franchise went on to live his best life by leading that same hometown team to the first world championship in the team’s history. Prior to this feat, the Dallas Cowboys were known as the team that could not win the big game. Bitter defeats to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship (predated the Super Bowl) including the infamous “Ice Bowl” along with falling short vs the Cleveland Browns (also during the pre-Super Bowl era) the Dallas Cowboys hitched their fortunes to the local kid from just around the corner to win their first-ever world championship title. No one can ever take that away from his legacy, in spite of the turmoil that followed.
