Hall of Fame Cowboys Executive Gil Brandt Dies at 91

Brandt’s innovations helped Dallas win two Super Bowls and changed football forever.

Gil Brandt, the Cowboys’ vice president of player personnel from their 1960 inception to 1988 and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, died Thursday morning, the team announced. He was 91.

“We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Gil Brandt–a true icon and pioneer of our sport,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. “Gil was at the very core of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys and continued to serve as a great ambassador for the organization for decades beyond that.”

Brandt is widely credited with revolutionizing player evaluation in the NFL, helping Dallas win Super Bowls VI and XII in the 1971 and 1977 seasons.

Born in Milwaukee in 1932, Brandt landed a job in football at the urging of Hall of Fame running back and Wisconsin alum Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch. Brandt progressed from the Rams to the 49ers to the Cowboys, whom he helped gradually turn into contenders.

In addition to his scouting success, his innovations helped reshape the NFL. Brandt helped spearhead the creation of the NFL scouting combine with longtime Dallas general manager Tex Schramm, and Brandt was an early adopter of mathematics-based player assessment techniques.

Brandt remained active in football after his 1989 exit from the Cowboys, maintaining a steady media presence into recent years. He attracted criticism in 2022 for comments made after the death of Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, for which he later apologized.

For his achievements in and advancement of football, Brandt was elected to the Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2019.