Bama in the NFL: Lee Roy Jordan Still Alabama's Greatest Dallas Cowboy

Although Trevon Diggs was a consensus All Pro in 2021, the former Crimson Tide linebacker was at the heart of the Doomsday Defense.

There have been numerous Alabama Crimson Tide players who have placed high in voting for the Heisman Trophy, including Lee Roy Jordan’s fourth-place showing in 1962. However, he did so primarily as a linebacker.

Jordan arrived at the Capstone one year after Paul W. “Bear” Bryant returned to coach, and helped return the Alabama to the top of the college football world. The unanimous All-American also finished his career like no other with an amazing 30 tackles in the 17-0 victory over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. The team went 29-2-2 over his last three seasons.

“He was one of the finest football players the world has ever seen,” Bryant said. “If runners stayed between the sidelines, he tackled them. He never had a bad day, he was 100 percent every day in practice and in the games.”

The Dallas Cowboys selected him with the sixth overall pick in 1963 draft, where he became a key part of the Doomsday Defense. Despite being only 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, he played 14 seasons, became the franchise’s all-time leader in solo tackles with 743, and helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowls (winning one).

Although teammates called him "Killer," Jordan was known for his endless studying of game film. It was part of his contract that the team included a projector for his home.

“He was a great competitor,” said Tom Landry, the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame coach. “He was not big for a middle linebacker, but because of his competitiveness, he was able to play the game and play it well. His leadership was there and he demanded a lot out of the people around him as he did of himself.”

In 1989, Jordan received the Cowboys’ highest honor when 13 years after his retirement became the seventh player inducted into the club’s Ring of Honor, joining Bob Lilly, Don Meredith, Don Perkins, Chuck Howley, Mel Renfro and Roger Staubach. A contract dispute late in his career with former Cowboys president Tex Schramm was believed to be the reason for the delay.

“I’d like to thank Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, my friends and the fans who remembered me for all these years. You’ve got a hell of a long memory,” Jordan said at the time. “I’m honored to be put on the board with these guys.” 

Bama in the NFL: Dallas Cowboys

The Franchise

National Football Conference 

East Division

Team Colors: Royal Blue, Metallic Silver Blue and White

Founded: 1960

Stadium: AT&T Stadium (capacity 80,000, expandable to 100,000 for special events)

Playing Surface: SoftTop Matrix Turf

Training Camp: Oxnard, Calif.

All-Time Alabama Players

1. Thornton Chandler, TE, 1986 - 1989
2. Jeremy Clark, DT, 2010
3. Amari Cooper, WR, 2018 - 2021
4. Trevon Diggs, CB, 2020 - 2022
5. Tony Dixon, DB, 2001 - 2004
6. Lemanski Hall, LB, 1999
7. Dennis Homan, WR, 1968 - 1970
8. Lee Roy Jordan, LB, 1963 - 1976
9. Derrick Lassic, RB, 1993
10. Rolando McClain, LB, 2014 - 2015
11. Michael Myers, DT, 1998 - 2003
12. Charlie Peprah, DB, 2012
13. Saivion Smith, DB, 2020
14. George Teague, DB, 1996, 1998 - 2001
15. Sherman Williams, RB, 1995 - 1999

Dallas Cowboys

Crimson Tide Players Drafted

Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick	Overall
1960 (e)	Bobby Luna	B	—	—	—
1963	Le Roy Jordan	LB	1	6
1965	Gaylon McCullough	C	10	5	13
1968	Dennis Homan	WR	1	20	20
1976	Leroy Cook	DE	10	25	290
1986	Thornton Chandler	TE	6	2	140
1993	Derrick Lasssic	RB	4	10	94
1995	Sherman Williams	RB	2	14	46
1998	Michael Myers	DT	4	8	100
2001	Tony Dixon	S	2	25	56
2018	Bo Scarbrough	RB	7	18	236
2020	Trevon Diggs	CB	2	19	51

Super Bowl Appearances

Dennis Homan, Supr Bowl V, Jan. 17, 1971

The Colts defeated the Cowboys 16–13 thanks to a field goal with 5 seconds remaining. The two teams combined for 11 turnovers, including five solely the fourth quarter. The Colts won despite losing seven turnovers, but the Cowboys had 10 penalties.

Lee Roy Jordan, Super Bowls V (Jan. 17, 1971), VI (Jan. 16, 1972), and X (Jan. 18, 1976)

Jordan led all players in Super Bowl V with seven tackles. He lead his team with five tackles in Super Bowl VI, helping lead the Cowboys to a 24-3 victory over the Dolphins. He had four tackles in Super Bowl X, a 21-17 loss to the Steelers. 

Derrick Lassic, Super Bowl XXVIII, Jan. 30, 1994

The Cowboys defeated the Bills, for the second straight year, by a score of 30–13. It's the only time that the same two teams have met in consecutive Super Bowls.

Sherman Williams, Super Bowl XXX, Jan. 28, 1996

The Cowboys defeated the Steelers 27–17, winning their fifth Super Bowl to tie the 49ers for the most in NFL history. 

Major Awards/Honors

All-Pro

Trevon Diggs, CB (1): 2021

Pro Bowl

Lee Roy Jordan (5) ; 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974

Amari Cooper (2): 2018, 2019

Trevon Diggs (2): 2021, 2022

NFL Interceptions Leader

Trevon Diggs 2021

Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor

Lee Roy Jordan

In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the ninth story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.

AFC

• Baltimore Ravens
• Buffalo Bills
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns

NFC

• Arizona Cardinals
• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears

See Also

Bama in the NFL: The Ultimate Crimson Tide Database
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team