How Long It's Been: The Dallas Cowboys Reached a Super Bowl

Left to right: Deion Sanders, Greg Gumbel, Michael Irvin

January 28, 1996, 25 years ago: The Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowl XXX, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17, at Sun Devil Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, Arizona.

It was their 5th win in a Super Bowl, along with 3 losses, 2 of them to the Steelers:

* Super Bowl V, 1971: Lost to the Baltimore Colts, 16-13 at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

* Super Bowl VI, 1972: Beat the Miami Dolphins, 24-3 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.

* Super Bowl X, 1976: Lost to the Steelers, 21-17 at the Orange Bowl.

* Super Bowl XII, 1978: Beat the Denver Broncos, 27-10 at the Superdome in New Orleans.

* Super Bowl XIII, 1979: Lost to the Steelers, 35-31 at the Orange Bowl.

* Super Bowl XXVII, 1993: Beat the Buffalo Bills, 52-17 at the Rose Bowl in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California.

* Super Bowl XXVIII, 1994: Beat the Bills, 30-13 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Since the establishment of the Super Bowl with the 1966 season, this was the 1st time a team had won 3 in 4 years. The Cowboys looked set to keep on excelling.

They didn't. They lost in the Divisional round the next season, missed the Playoffs in 1997, lost in the Wild Card round the next 2 years, and missed the Playoffs in 5 of the last 6.

Since winning Super Bowl XXX, they have played 14 Playoff games, and won only 4 of them.

It's been exactly 25 years since they won a Super Bowl, or played in one. They haven't even reached  an NFC Championship Game in a quarter of a century. For one of pro football's iconic franchises, that is an embarrassment.

A quarter of a century. How long has that been?

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Barry Switzer was coaching a team led by "The Triplets": Quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and receiver Michael Irvin. Other stars included Nate Newton, Larry Allen, Mark Tuinei, Jay Novacek, Darrell "Moose" Johnston, Charles Haley, Russell Maryland, Deion Sanders, Darren Woodson, and... Leon Lett? "Not Leon Lett!"

Aikman, Irvin, Novacek, Johnston and Sanders are all now part of NFL broadcast teams. Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Allen, Haley and Sanders are now in he Pro Football Hall of Fame. Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Haley, Allen and Woodson are also in the Cowboys' Ring of Honor.

The Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Rams (then in their St. Louis sojourn), the Cleveland Browns franchise that was in the process of becoming the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seattle Seahawks, the Colts since moving to Indianapolis, the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles had never won a Super Bowl. The Patriots, the Browns/Ravens, the Buccaneers, the Seahawks, the Indy version of the Colts, the Saints, the Atlanta Falcons, the Tennessee Titans (having just completed their next-to-last season as the Houston Oilers), the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals had never even been in one. All those facts are now untrue.

The Cowboys were playing in Texas Stadium in Irving. The Pittsburgh Steelers, whom they beat, were playing in Three Rivers Stadium. Both have moved to new stadiums, and their old ones have been demolished. Super Bowl XXX was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. While Arizona State University still plays football there, the Cardinals have moved to the other side of the Phoenix suburbs, to Glendale, and have hosted 2 Super Bowls there.

Of the 30 teams playing in the 1995-96 NFL season, only 6 are still playing in the same stadiums: Buffalo, Green Bay, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami and New Orleans.

Early NFL legends Sammy Baugh, Don Hutson and Sid Luckman were still alive. Ray Lewis, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were in college. Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Eli Manning, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger were in high school. Aaron Rodgers was 12 years old, Clay Matthews and Ndamukong Suh were 9, Richard Sherman was about to turn 8, Russell Wilson was 7; Cam Newton, Rob Gronkowski and Andrew Luck were 6; Odell Beckham Jr. and Johnny Manziel were 3; Derrick Henry was 2; Patrick Mahomes was 4 months old; and Lamar Jackson wasn't born yet.

Derek Jeter had 12 hits in his major league career, LeBron James was 11, and Sidney Crosby was 8.

Current Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was the quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. Barry Trotz of the Islanders was the head coach of the minor-league Portland Pirates in Maine. Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks was an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers. Lindy Ruff of the Devils was an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers. David Quinn of the Rangers was an assistant coach at Northeastern University in Boston.

Gerhard Struber of the Red Bulls was playing for Austria Salzburg, the team now known as Red Bull Salzburg. Ronny Deila of New York City FC was playing for Odds Ballklubb in Skein, in his native Norway.

Aaron Boone of the Yankees was in the Cincinnati Reds' farm system. Steve Nash of the Nets was playing at Santa Clara University. Joe Judge of the Giants, Robert Saleh of the Jets, Luis Rojas of the Mets were in high school. Walt Hopkins of the Liberty was 10 years old.

In winning their 3rd title in a span of 4 years, the Cowboys dethroned the San Francisco 49ers as NFL Champions. The other titleholders at that point were the New Jersey Devils, the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Rockets.

The Heavyweight Champion of the World was... well, it was Bruce Seldon according to the WBA, Frank Bruno according to the WBC, and the title was vacant according to the IBF, last held by the second coming of George Foreman. There was no current holder of the MLS Cup, as MLS was still 3 months away from beginning its 1st season.

The Olympic Games have since been held in America twice, Russia twice, Japan, Australia, Greece, Italy, China, Canada, Britain and Brazil. The World Cup has since been held in France, Japan, Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

Bill Clinton was beginning his campaign for a 2nd term as President. Conservatives were obsessing over Hillary Clinton's paper documents. Former Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, their wives, and the widow of Lyndon Johnson were all still alive. George W. Bush was in his 1st term as Governor of Texas.

Barack Obama was practicing law with the Chicago firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Joe Biden was running for his 5th term in the U.S. Senate from Delaware. Kamala Harris was a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, California. And Donald Trump, while not screwing over anybody he could with his businesses, was still cheating on his 2nd wife, Marla Maples.

The Mayor of Dallas was Ron Kirk. Current Mayor Eric Johnson was at Harvard University. The Governor of the State of New York was George Pataki. The Mayor of the City of New York was Rudolph Giuliani. The Governor of New Jersey was Christine Todd Whitman. Andrew Cuomo was Assistant Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, and Bill de Blasio was working for him. Phil Murphy was running the European headquarters of Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt, Germany.

Only 2 of the Justices on the Supreme Court then are still on it now: Clarence Thomas and Stephen Breyer.

The current holder of the Nobel Peace Prize was Joseph Rotblat, a Polish physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb, then spent the last 60 years of his life working to prevent its use. The Pope was John Paul II. The current Pope, Francis, was then Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and a bishop in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The Prime Minister of Canada was Jean Chretien, and of Britain John Major. Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne, and she still is. Blackburn Rovers were the holders of the Premier League title, and Everton of the FA Cup.

Major novels of 1996 included several political stories, in anticipation of the year's Presidential election: Absolute Power by David Baldacci, Executive Orders by Tom Clancy, and Primary Colors, a barely-veiled portrait of Bill Clinton's 1992 New Hampshire Primary campaign, whose author was originally listed as simply "Anonymous," but was later revealed to be Newsweek reporter Joe Klein.

Other big novels of the year included The Fourth Estate by Jeffrey Archer, Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding, The Runaway Jury by John Grisham, The Green Mile by Stephen King, Intensity by Dean R. Koontz, How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan, We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Jeff Shaara's Civil War story Gods and Generals, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. (Oops, I talked about it.)

The 1st book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga, was published, and gave its name to the TV series covering all the books in it: A Game of Thrones. Natalie Dormer was about to turn 14. Richard Madden, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington were 9, and Rose Leslie was about to be 9. Jack Gleeson was 3, Sophie Turner would be born 24 days later, Maisie Williams 15 months later, and Dean-Charles Chapman 20 months later. The Harry Potter books had yet to be published. Daniel Radcliffe was 6, and Emma Watson was 5.

January 1996 was not a good month for movies: It saw the release of Dunston Checks In, Bio-Dome, From Dusk till Dawn, and the parody of gangsta rap movies Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.

Television saw the debuts of 3rd Rock from the Sun on NBC, Moesha on UPN, and the much-mocked "glow puck" on Fox Sports' hockey broadcasts. Aside from Robert Kardashian Sr., part of O.J. Simpson's recent defense team, none of the Kardashians were famous yet: Kourtney was 16, Kim was 15, Khloe was 11, Rob was 8, Kendall Jenner was 3 months old, and Kylie Jenner wasn't born yet.

Dean Cain was playing Superman on TV. George Clooney had been cast as Batman in a movie. Lynda Carter was still the last live-action Wonder Woman. Nicholas Hammond was still the last live-action Spider-Man. Pierce Brosnan was playing James Bond, and Paul McGann would soon star in a one-shot Doctor Who.

No one had yet heard of Ash Ketchum, Austin Powers, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Robert Langdon, Master Chief, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Rick Grimes, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Bluth, Lisbeth Salander, Bella Swan, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Katniss Everdeen, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, Leslie Knope or Sarah Manning.

Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men had the Number 1 song in America with "One Sweet Day." Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson, although they remained friends for the rest of his life.

Jamaican authorities, mistaking it for that of a drug trafficker, opened fire on a plane carrying U2 singer Bono and Jimmy Buffett. It landed safely, with no injuries. Jonathan Larson died at age 35 of an undetected heart defect, just 1 day before his musical Rent was to have its 1st public performance, which went forward anyway. Kid Rock released his debut album, Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp. (He sure looked stoned on the cover.)

Stana Katic, Katie Holmes, Heath Ledger, Pink, Michelle Williams (both of them), Ben Savage, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, Natalie Portman, Chris Evans, Beyonce Knowles, Britney Spears, Sienna Miller, Kate Middleton, Hayley Atwell and Kirsten Dunst were in high school. Matt Smith, Anne Hathaway and Andrew Garfield were in junior high.

Lady Gaga and Drake were 9 years old, Kevin Jonas was 8, Rihanna and Emma Stone were 7, Joe Jonas was 6, Sarah Hyland was 5, Louis Tomlinson was 4; Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and Zayn Malik were 3; Ariana Grande, Liam Payne and Niall Horan were 2, and Harry Styles and Justin Bieber were about to turn 2; and Abigail Breslin, Ariel Winter, Rico Rodriguez and Nolan Gould weren't born yet.

Inflation was such that what $1.00 bought then, $1.65 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp was 32 cents, and a New York Subway token -- or a single ride on the newly-developed MetroCard -- was $1.50. Dallas doesn't have a subway, but since 1996, it has developed a light rail system. The average price of a gallon of gas was $1.32, a cup of coffee $1.79, a McDonald's meal (Big Mac, fries and shake) $4.11, a movie ticket $4.42, a new car $13,600, and a new house $118,200. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the preceding Friday at 5271.75.

The first tablet computer was about to be released. But, as yet, there was no Wikipedia, no iPod, no Skype, no MySpace, no Facebook, no YouTube, no Twitter, no Tumblr, no iPhone, no Pinterest, no Instagram, no iPad, and no Vine. Motorola had just introduced the Motorola StarTAC Wearable Cellular Telephone, the world's smallest and lightest mobile phone to date. Finally, instead of clipping a mobile phone onto your belt, you could fit on in your pocket. But you still couldn't access the fledgling Internet from your phones. The original Sony PlayStation was the leading home video game system of the time. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra.

At the beginning of 1996, 30 inches of snow were dumped on the Northeast, a storm that killed over 150 people. Fighting broke out between Russian soldiers and rebel fighters in Chechnya. Coup took place in the African nations of Sierra Leone and Niger. Haiti, on the other hand, has its 1st-ever peaceful transfer of power. And Amber Hagerman, age 9, was murdered in Arlington, Texas, not far from where the Texas Rangers played and where the Cowboys would move in 2009; she became the namesake of the AMBER Alert system.

Francois Mitterand, and Gene Kelly, and Superman creator Jerry Siegel died. Sasha Pieterse, and Sophie Turner, and Leroy Sané were born.

January 28, 1996. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 at Sun Devil Stadium, to win Super Bowl XXX, their 3rd World Championship in 4 years, and the 5th World Championship in their history.

They have never even been to another Super Bowl. In the 25 years since, the Dallas Mavericks have been to 2 NBA Finals, winning 1; the Dallas Stars have been to 3 Stanley Cup Finals, winning 1; the Dallas Burn have been founded, changed their name to FC Dallas, moved from the Cotton Bowl to a soccer-specific stadium in suburban Frisco, won 2 U.S. Open Cups, and reached an MLS Cup Final; and the Texas Rangers have won 2 Pennants, although they haven't won a World Series, but at least they've been to their sport's finals.

AT&T Stadium, the new Arlington home of the Cowboys, hosted Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, and many Cowboys fans thought that they would become the 1st team ever to play a Super Bowl on its own field. It didn't happen.

Since Super Bowl XXX, the title has been won by the New England Patriots 6 times, the Denver Broncos 3 times, the Green Bay Packers twice (including the one in Arlington), the Baltimore Ravens twice, the Pittsburgh Steelers twice, the New York Giants twice, and once each by the Rams (then in St. Louis), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints, the Seattle Seahawks, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

But for 25 years, the Cowboys haven't even been to one.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS? DALLAS SUCKS!

Dallas' 10 Greatest Athletes

Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach

This weekend, the Yankees are hosting the Texas Rangers, the Major League Baseball team for the Dallas-Fort Worth "Metroplex."

Dallas' 10 Greatest Athletes

Honorable Mention to Texas Rangers in the Baseball Hall of Fame, each of whom would be a lot higher on this list if he'd been in Arlington longer than the following number of seasons: Bert Blyleven (2), Ferguson Jenkins (6), Gaylord Perry (4), Goose Gossage (1), Vladimir Guerrero (1), and, most notably, Nolan Ryan (5).

In those 5 seasons in Arlington, Ryan was 51-39, for a .567 winning percentage, which was better than he was in Flushing, Anaheim or the Astrodome. But though he led the American League in strikeouts twice and WHIP twice, and was 12-6 with a no-hitter as late as 1991 (age 44), let's be honest: The Rangers wouldn't even have acquired him if he hadn't been from Texas... and he was from the Houston side of Texas. Which didn't stop an earlier Ranger management team from acquiring David Clyde, with disastrous results.

Dishonorable Mention to Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez and Rafael Palmeiro. All 3 of these Rangers could have made the Hall of Fame. The 1st did, the 2nd and 3rd didn't. None should have, and you know why.

Honorable Mention to Dallas Cowboys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this Top 10: Mel Renfro, Bob Hayes, Rayfield Wright, Mike Ditka, Michael Irvin, Larry Allen, Charles Haley and Deion Sanders. Ditka, Haley and Sanders would have made this Top 10 had they spent most or all of their careers with Dallas.

When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, Sanders was ranked 37th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, Sanders was ranked 34th, Irvin 92nd, and Allen 95th.

Honorable Mention to Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, both of whom would have made this Top 10 if they'd spent most of their careers, or even their best years, with the Dallas Mavericks. Newly elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, they were the 1st 2 players to have played more than 1 season for the Mavs to make it.

Honorable Mention to Dallas Stars in the Hockey Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make this Top 10: Ed Belfour, Brett Hull, Joe Nieuwendyk. Any of them would have made the Top 10 had they played all or most of their careers with the Stars.

Honorable Mention to John Best, Ilija Mitic, Kenny Cooper Sr. and Kyle Rote Jr., who starred for the Dallas Tornado in the old North American Soccer League in the 1970s.

Honorable Mention to Jason Kreis, still the all-time leading scorer for FC Dallas.

10. Adrian Beltre, 3rd base, Texas Rangers, 2011-18. As far as I know, he's been clean. He's had 3 of his 4 All-Star seasons with the Rangers, has won 3 of his 5 Gold Gloves for them, has batted .306 for them, has 190 of his 468 home runs for them, has 3 of his 5 100+ RBI seasons for them, and has 1,243 of his 3,132 hits for them. (All of these career stats are correct as of  last night's game between the Rangers and Yankees.)

He was with the Boston Red Sox when the Rangers won the 2010 American League Pennant, but he was with the Rangers when they won their 2011 Pennant, and has helped them reach the postseason again in 2012, '15 and '16.

9. Jere Lehtinen, right wing, Dallas Stars, 1995-2010. A 2-time All-Star, he was a 3-time winner of the Frank Selke Trophy as the NHL's best defensive forward. He was a member of the Stars' 1999 Stanley Cup winners and their 2000 finalists. The Stars retired his Number 26. He is eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame, but is not yet in it.

8. Troy Aikman, quarterback, Dallas Cowboys, 1989-2000. 8th? When he quarterbacked 3 Super Bowl wins? Well, it does match his uniform number, and it can be argued that he was never the best player on his own team, or even the 2nd-best.

A 6-time Pro Bowler, he led the Dallas Cowboys to win Super Bowls XXVII (he was named the game's Most Valuable Player), XXVIII and XXX. UCLA retired his Number 8. The Cowboys don't retire numbers, but they haven't given his 8 out since he retired, and they named him to their Ring of Honor.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 95th on their 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 80th on their 100 Greatest Players.

7. Mike Modano, center, Dallas Stars, 1993-2010, plus 1988-93 with the team as the Minnesota North Stars. A 7-time All-Star, he is the North Stars/Stars all-time leader in games, goals, assists and points. No American-born player has more regular-season goals (561), regular-season points (1,374), or Playoff points (146), and no American-born forward has played more regular-season games (1,499).

He led the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup and the 2000 Finals. His Number 9 was retired. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the NHL's 100th Anniversary 100 Greatest Players.

6. Dirk Nowitzki, forward, Dallas Mavericks, 1998-present. More than any player on any Dallas team -- more than Nolan Ryan, Mike Modano, or even Roger Staubach -- he is the face of his franchise. He is a 13-time All-Star, led the Mavs to their 1st Western Conference title in 2006, and won the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2007.

But the joke was that the Mavs always had a great offense, but were poor on defense. "No D," leading to jokes about "Allas" and "Irk." Finally, in 2011, Dirk led the Mavericks to the NBA Championship, defeating the Miami Heat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He was named Finals MVP, now known as the Bill Russell Award.

He is the greatest NBA player from Europe, and will no doubt be named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players in 2021. He can look forward to the retirement of his Number 41 and election to the Basketball Hall of Fame -- if he ever retires. At 40, he shows neither inclination nor reason to do so.

5. Tony Dorsett, running back, Dallas Cowboys, 1977-87. The 1976 Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Pittsburgh followed up his National Championship season with a Rookie of the Year and Super Bowl winning-season. A 4-time Pro Bowler, he rushed for 12,739 yards, caught 398 passes for an additional 3,554 yards, and scored 90 touchdowns.

Pitt retired his Number 33. The Cowboys don't retire numbers, but they haven't given Number 33 back out since, and they named him to their Ring of Honor. He was elected to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. He and Marcus Allen are the only 2 players ever to win the Heisman, the National Championship and the Super Bowl, and to be elected to both the College and the Pro Football Halls of Fame.

When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, he was ranked 53rd. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 77th.

His son Anthony Dorsett played 8 seasons as an NFL defensive back, appearing in 2 Super Bowls, but winning neither.

4. Randy White, linebacker, Dallas Cowboys, 1975-88. As a defensive tackle at the University of Maryland, he was nicknamed "Manster": Half-man, half-monster. A 9-time Pro Bowler, he and Harvey Martin were named Co-MVPs of the Cowboys' dominant victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.

He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team, and the Cowboys Ring of Honor. The team has, however, given his Number 54 back out. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, White was ranked 51st. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 62nd.

3. Roger Staubach, quarterback, Dallas Cowboys, 1969-79. To rank the man known, for quarterbacking "America's Team," as "Captain America" only 3rd seems like sacrilege. Well, it's kind of hard to put him ahead of the top 2 guys on this list.

After winning the Heisman Trophy at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1963, he fulfilled his military commitment, during the Vietnam War, and played on service teams until his commitment was complete. The Cowboys had drafted him, and he was able to join them in 1969. They won the NFC Championship in 1970, with Craig Morton as quarterback, but lost Super Bowl V. He was handed the starting job, and led them to win Super Bowl VI, being named the game's MVP.

A 6-time Pro Bowler, and the 1971 NFL MVP, he became known as Roger the Dodger -- due to his scrambling, as he certainly hadn't dodged the draft, military or NFL. He led the Cowboys to 3 more NFC Championships and victory in Super Bowl XII in the 1977 season.

The Academy retired his Number 12. The Cowboys don't retire numbers, but they haven't given 12 out since he retired after the 1979 season, and they named him to their Ring of Honor. He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, Staubach was ranked 29th. When the NFL Network named its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was ranked 46th.

2. Bob Lilly, defensive tackle, Dallas Cowboys, 1961-74. An All-American at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, he became the 1st Cowboys star, making 11 Pro Bowls. He put the Cowboys' original "Doomsday Defense" on his back, and got them into 6 NFL or NFL Championship Games, losing Super Bowl V and winning Super Bowl VI.

"Mr. Cowboy" was named to the Cowboys Ring of Honor, the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, and the NFL's 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Team and its 75th Anniversary Team. The Cowboys do not retire numbers, but no other Cowboy has worn his Number 74.

In 1999, The Sporting News listed him 10th on their list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking defensive lineman, and behind only Dick Butkus and Lawrence Taylor among all defensive players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 26th on their list of the 100 Greatest Players.

1. Emmitt Smith, running back, Dallas Cowboys, 1990-2002. The University of Florida star was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 1990. He made 8 Pro Bowls. Before the 1992 season, no player had ever led the NFL in rushing and won the Super Bowl in the same season. With the Dallas Cowboys, Emmitt did it 3 times, winning Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX, being named MVP in XXVIII. In the 1993 season, he became the 1st, and remains the only, player ever to win the rushing title, the Bert Bell Award as regular-season MVP, and the Super Bowl MVP in the same season.

He holds the NFL rushing records for most attempts, 4,409; yards, 18,355; and touchdowns, 164. He and Jerry Rice are the only non-kickers to have scored more than 1,000 career points. While still active, in 1999, The Sporting News listed him at 68th on their list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, by which point he had already been named to the Florida Football and the Dallas Cowboys Rings of Honor, the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team, and the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL Network ranked him 28th on their 100 Greatest Players. It doesn't seem fair that the NFL's all-time leading rusher should only be 28th, but that's where they put him.

Neither UF nor the Cowboys officially retire numbers. While his Number 22 remains in circulation in Gainesville, the Cowboys have not given it out since he retired.

Top 10 Athletes From Oklahoma

November 16, 1907: Oklahoma is admitted to the Union as the 46th State.

Top 10 Athletes From Oklahoma

If you think that I, as a Yankee Fan, will automatically place Mickey Mantle at Number 1, think again.

Honorable Mention to Heisman Trophy Winners from the University of Oklahoma, who didn't make the Top 10: Billy Vessels of Cleveland (1952), Steve Owens of Miami (1969), Jason White of Tuttle (2003) and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma City (2008).

It is a little weird that Vessels was from a town named Cleveland, and Owens from one named Miami, both names of pro football cities, but their hometowns were considerably smaller. The original Miami was in Ohio, not Florida or Oklahoma. Vessels was born on March 22, 1931, the same day as William Shatner; and Vessels was born on December 9, 1947, in Gore, 2 days after Johnny Bench was born 200 miles to the east in Binger.

Honorable Mention to Will Shields of Lawton. A 12-time Pro Bowler, the guard was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, and the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team.

Honorable Mention to 3 Yankee Legends. Allie Reynolds of Bethany was the ace of the pitching staff that won 5 straight World Series from 1949 to 1953. He has a Plaque in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park. Ralph Terry of Chelsea won 107 games, including 16 in 1961, helping the Yankees win the World Series; and 23 in 1962, plus Games 5 and 7 of the World Series.

And Bobby Murcer of Oklahoma City turned down a chance to play quarterback for Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma, to become a 5-time All-Star, helping to bridge the painful gap between the Mantle Era and the Munson-Jackson Era, before becoming a beloved broadcaster.

Honorable Mention to Lester Lane of Purcell. A guard for the Sooners, he was a member of the U.S. basketball team that won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, a team which, in its entirety, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. However, he never played in the pros, and had just been named the Sooners' head coach in 1973, when he died of a heart attack at age 41.

Honorable Mention to Wayman Tisdale of Tulsa. The forward was a 3-time Big 8 Player of the Year for the Sooners, who retired his Number 23. He was a member of the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, succeeding the 1960 team as the best amateur basketball team ever assembled.

Unlike Lane, he did play in the NBA, 4 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, 5 with the Sacramento Kings, and 3 with the Phoenix Suns. While still an active player, he began a music career in 1995, as a bass guitarist, titling his 1st album Power Forward. He recorded 8 albums before dying of cancer in 2009, only 44.

10. John Smith of Del City. Winner of the 1990 James E. Sullivan Award as America's outstanding collegiate athlete of the year, and Olympic Gold Medals in wrestling at Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, he is now the head coach at his alma mater, perhaps the greatest of all college wrestling programs, Oklahoma State University.

9. Joe Carter of Oklahoma City. He has been elected to the College Baseball Hall of Fame, having been named College Player of the Year in 1981, for Wichita State University. A 5-time All-Star, he led the American League in RBIs in 1986, leading to Sports Illustrated putting him and his Cleveland Indians teammate Cory Snyder on the cover of their 1987 Baseball Preview Issue, saying, "Indian Uprising: Believe It: Cleveland Is the Best Team in the American League!" The Indians lost 101 games.

Carter survived that, though, and became (and remains) the only man ever to participate in the final play of the World Series as both a fielder making the final out and a hitting driving in the winning run: In 1992, he took a throw at 1st base for the last out for the Toronto Blue Jays; in 1993, he hit the home run that won the Series for the Jays.

He retired after the 1998 season, with 2,184 hits and 396 home runs, not quite Hall of Fame levels, but certainly with the status of a baseball legend. The Jays named him to their ring of honor, or, as they call it, their Level of Excellence, although they have not retired his Number 29.

8. Paul Waner of Harrah. One of the top hitters of his era, he played in 4 of the 1st 5 All-Star Games, won 3 batting titles, had a .333 lifetime batting average, and was the only man to cross the 3,000-hit barrier between 1925 and 1958.

He just missed being a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1925 World Champions, but he did help them win another National League Pennant in 1927. The Pirates retired his Number 11, and he was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame and The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, ranking 62nd.

Honorable Mention to Lloyd Waner of Harrah. Along with 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Harry and George Wright, the Waners are 1 of only 2 pairs of brothers in the Hall of Fame. Lloyd, who played center field alongside Paul in right, is often called one of the least worthy Hall-of-Famers, but he was no slouch: He batted .316 lifetime, and collected 2,459 hits. He also helped the Pirates win the 1927 Pennant, and was an All-Star along with his brother in 1938, when they nearly won it again. His Number 10, however, has not been retired.

Once, when the Pirates were playing away to the Brooklyn Dodgers, a reporter heard someone with a Brooklyn accent call them "a big person and a little person." From that point onward, Paul was known as "Big Poison" and Lloyd as "Little Poison." Paul was the older brother and the bigger hitter, but Lloyd was actually taller.

7. Lee Roy Selmon of Eufaula. The 1st player drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after a career in which he and his brothers Dewey (also drafted by the Bucs) and Lucious helped lead Oklahoma to the National Championship in 1974 and 1975.

A 6-time Pro Bowler at defensive end, in 1979 he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year, and helped the Bucs reach the NFC Championship Game, just 2 years after ending a franchise-beginning 26-game losing streak.

He was named to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team, and the Buccaneers' Ring of Honor. His Number 63 was the 1st to be retired in the history of Tampa Bay major league sports.

He later served as athletic director at the University of South Florida, founding its football program. A highway in Tampa was named the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in his memory.

6. Steve Largent of Oklahoma City. The greatest athlete in the history of the University of Tulsa, he was a 7-time Pro Bowler, and helped the Seattle Seahawks reach the AFC Championship Game in 1983, a feat they wouldn't achieve again for 22 years (by which point they were in the NFC). His 819 catches, 13,089 receiving yards and 100 receiving touchdowns were all records, since surpassed.

Tulsa retired his Number 83. The Seahawks retired his Number 80, and named him to their Ring of Honor. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, and The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999.

In 1994, he was elected to Congress from his home district in Oklahoma. He was re-elected until 2002, when he decided to run for Governor, getting the Republican nomination, but losing by less than 7,000 votes.

5. Carl Hubbell of Meeker. A lefthanded pitcher specializing in the screwball, he was the National League's starter in the 1st 2 All-Star Games, and appeared in each of the 1st 6, and 9 of the 1st 10. In the 1934 All-Star Game, he struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin, all in a row.

He helped the New York Giants win the 1933 World Series. He also helped them win the 1936 and 1937 National League Pennants, with a 24-game regular-season winning streak straddling the seasons. winning Game 1 of the '36 Series but losing its Game 4. He won 253 games in his career, and the Giants made his Number 11 the 1st ever retired for an NL player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and The Sporting News named him to its 100 Greatest Baseball Players.

By a sad twist of fate, Hubbell and his Hall of Fame teammate Mel Ott died in car crashes, exactly 30 years apart: Ott on November 21, 1958 in New Orleans at age 49; and Hubbell on November 21, 1988 in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 85.

4. Troy Aikman of Henryetta. Born in Southern California, but grew up in Oklahoma, he started at the University of Oklahoma, but went "home" to UCLA, quarterbacking them to win the 1989 Cotton Bowl.

A 6-time Pro Bowler, he led the Dallas Cowboys to win Super Bowls XXVII (he was named Most Valuable Player), XXVIII and XXX. UCLA retired his Number 8. The Cowboys don't retire numbers, but they haven't given his 8 out since he retired, and they named him to their Ring of Honor.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 95th on their 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2010, the NFL Network ranked him 80th on their 100 Greatest Players.

3. Johnny Bench of Binger. Let's get something straight: Comparing him to Johnny Bench does not embarrass Thurman Munson. Comparing him to Mike Piazza, a born designated hitter who never should have been placed behind the plate, that embarrasses Munson. And Bench.

A 14-time All-Star, and a 10-time Gold Glove, Bench was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1968, NL Most Valuable Player in 1970 and 1972, and World Series MVP in 1976. He helped the Cincinnati Reds reach 6 postseasons, winning 4 Pennants and the 1975 and 1976 World Series. He hit 389 home runs, and at his retirement had more home runs at the position of catcher than anyone.

The Reds retired his Number 5, and erected a statue of him outside Great American Ball Park. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, was ranked 16th on The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players (1 ahead of Mickey Mantle, which is a joke), and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

2. Mickey Mantle of Commerce. The most popular baseball player of his generation, he has always been compared to his predecessor as Yankee center fielder, Joe DiMaggio; and to the other great center fielder of his generation, Willie Mays.

Mantle had a better base-stealing percentage than either one, was not much below them defensively, and with the bat? Here's their statlines: Batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS+:

DiMaggio: .325/.398/.579/155
Mays: .302/.384/.557/156
Mantle: .298/.421/.557/172

Mantle doesn't have the batting average that either does, and is beneath DiMaggio for slugging; but has a much higher on-base percentage and OPS+ than either one. Put it bluntly: Mickey Mantle was a better all-around baseball player than Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays.

He was a 16-time All-Star. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1956, 1957 and 1962, and was arguably robbed of it in 1955 (I don't think he was bothered that it went to his teammate, Yogi Berra), 1958 (Jackie Jensen) and 1964 (Brooks Robinson).

Only once did he win a Gold Glove, in 1962, although it should be noted that the award didn't begin until 1957. He won the MVP in 1956 by winning the Triple Crown, making him the last player to this day to lead both Leagues in batting average, home runs and runs batted in.

He hit 536 home runs, 3rd all-time at the time of his retirement. He won 12 Pennants and 7 World Series: In 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962. He hit 18 home runs in World Series play, a record. And, despite all his injuries, he retired as the Yankees' all-time leader in seasons (18) and games played (2,401, both records later broken by Derek Jeter).

The Yankees retired his Number 7 and gave him a Plaque for Monument Park in 1969, and replaced it with a Monument in 1996, after his death. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and to The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Players (ranked 17th) and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1969.

Outside the new Triple-A ballpark in Oklahoma City, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, there are statues of Mantle and Bench, and streets named for them and Joe Carter. There's also a statue of Warren Spahn, who married an Oklahoma native and lived most of his adult life in Oklahoma, but was from Buffalo, and was included on this list for New York State.

1. Jim Thorpe of Prague. People in the 21st Century hear that Thorpe was honored as "the greatest athlete of the 1st half of the 20th Century," and "the greatest athlete who ever lived," and they find it hard to imagine.

They might know that Burt Lancaster played him in the 1951 film Jim Thorpe -- All American, and may even have seen it, but might also acknowledge that movies made in those days and "based on a true story," particularly sports stories, were often full of crap. (Certainly, this was the case with The Babe Ruth Story in 1948 and Knute Rockne, All-American in 1940.)

So let me put this into today's context. Imagine a good hitter and a fast runner -- say, Brett Gardner. Now, imagine a somewhat talented professional basketball player -- say, Tim Hardaway Jr. Now, imagine the best running back in the NFL today -- say, Le'Veon Bell. Now, imagine the best defensive back in the NFL today -- say, Aqib Talib. Now, imagine the best placekicker in the NFL today -- say, Stephen Gostkowski. Now, imagine the man who won the Olympic decathlon last year -- which would be Ashton Eaton, who also won it in 2012.

Now imagine that 1 man had done what all 6 of these men have done. And that's Jim Thorpe.

He had a "barnstorming" basketball team called "The World Famous Indians" in the mid-1920s. He played Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1919 -- and it was playing minor-league baseball that got him ruled a "professional," even though it wasn't the same sport, and got his Olympic Gold Medals taken away. (They were restored long after his death.)

In 1917, Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 10-inning no-hitter. His opponent, Jim "Hippo" Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs, also took a no-hitter into the 10th -- the only double no-hitter in MLB history -- but lost the game on an RBI single by Jim Thorpe. That was the highlight of a career in which his lifetime batting average was .252.

The sport for which Thorpe would be best known was track & field. At the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, he won both the pentathlon (no longer contested, and not to be confused with the event called "the modern pentathlon") and, an event contested for the 1st time in 1912, the decathlon. That's 10 events, over 2 days, a true test of strength, speed, agility and endurace: 4 running, 3 jumping, 3 throwing. He won them both.

When he was presented with his Gold Medal, it was by King Gustav V of Sweden. The King told Thorpe, in English, "You, sir, are the greatest athlete in the world." Thorpe told the King, "Thanks, King."

Ever since, just as the winner of the final of the Olympic 100 meters is unofficially designated "the fastest man in the world," and the winner of the Gold Medal in heavyweight weightlifting is called "the strongest man in the world," the winner of the Olympic decathlon has been called "the world's greatest athlete."

Even before Stockholm, Thorpe was already considered the best football player in America. He played for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and led them to upsets of Harvard (18-15) in 1911 and Army (27-6) at West Point in 1912.

This win over Army was bigger emotionally than competitively: Not only was the Army squad, like Harvard's, one of the best in the country, but this was only 22 years after the Wounded Knee Massacre. It would be like sending poor American college kids who learned about 9/11 from their fathers to Saudi Arabia, and beating the al-Qaeda academy on their home field in their best sport. Ironically, in 1918, the Army bought the school, land and buildings, and it's now the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.

Legend has it that future President Dwight D. Eisenhower played in this game, tried to tackle Thorpe, and got his leg broken as a result. The truth is far less romantic: "Ike" did play in the game, and almost certainly tried to tackle Thorpe at some point (there's no surviving film, so we can't prove it), but his career-ending injury came in Army's next game, and wasn't nearly so severe. And he wouldn't have played pro football anyway, due to his military commitment. Besides, there would be no NFL to play in for another 8 years.

Thorpe played professionally for several teams, most notably the Canton Bulldogs, the leading team of the 1910s. When the American Professional Football Association was founded in 1920 -- the name was changed to the National Football League 2 years later -- the Bulldogs were admitted, and Thorpe was named President. After a single season, he realized he was just a figurehead, a name used to drum up publicity, and resigned.

The most familiar image of Thorpe,

later used for the U.S. postage stamp in his memory.

With the Canton Bulldogs, 1915.

As with his basketball team, he formed a traveling team of Native Americans, based in Marion, Ohio -- hometown of the man who was then President, Warren Harding -- and called them the Oorang Indians, playing in 1922 and 1923. In 1925, the New York Giants' 1st season, he played 3 games for them. He closed his career in 1928, with the Chicago Cardinals, at age 41.

Early NFL records are sketchy: Pro-Football-Reference.com lists only fragmentary kicking stats for him, and no rushing or defensive stats. They also don't cite any uniform number he might have worn, although the NFL was the 1st major pro sports league to use them. I've seen photographs showing him wearing 1 and 21, but, of the 6 NFL teams for which he played, only the Giants and Cardinals still exist, and he hardly played for either one, and they may not have a number for him in their records.

After he retired, he was broke: As with so many other minority athletes who made it big, he gave so much to his own people that he had nothing left for himself. He did odd jobs, and appeared in a few movies, mostly playing Indian chiefs, and was also in the "pass it along" prison scene with James Cagney in White Heat.

He lived long enough to be saluted on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theatre and The Ed Sullivan Show (then known as Toast of the Town), to see the Lancaster movie, to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and to learn that the Associated Press had named him "Athlete of the Half-Century."

He died of cancer in 1953, before the establishment of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his induction as the 1st player in it (not counting George Halas, who did play but was elected as the NFL's founder), the dedication of his statue in its gallery, his being named to the NFL's 1920s All-Decade Team (despite already being 32 when the decade began), or the establishment of the Jim Thorpe Award as college football's defensive back of the year.

In 1999, AP ranked him 3rd on its Athletes of the Century list, behind Babe Ruth (who, like Thorpe, had done nothing to change his achievements in the intervening 49 years) and Michael Jordan (but ahead of Muhammad Ali). In 2008, ESPN named ranked him 6th on their list of the Top 25 College Football Players of All Time.

Was Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete who ever lived? In his time, he was the best in the business at 2 of them, and played well in 2 others. The competition may not have been what it later became. But I have no doubt that he would loom every bit as large as Justin Verlander, Tom Brady, LeBron James and Sidney Crosby do today.