Best Dallas Cowboys player to wear jersey No. 51

Tyler Reed | Jul 19, 2024

Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

The sun rose another day, which means that it is one day closer to the beginning of the Dallas Cowboys football season. Yes, just 51 days separate the fans from watching boys of the fall take the field in Cleveland, and with that comes our latest in the countdown of the best players in the franchise to wear their respective numbers. Today is the celebration of the number 51, and it's a celebration for a position that doesn't usually get the pomp and circumstance.

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Dave Manders - C

Herb Weitman-USA TODAY Sports

Being an offensive lineman in any era is no easy task. However, being one in the 1960s and 1970s had to feel like an onslaught of physicality. Dave Manders was the lead man on the offensive line for the Cowboys from 1964 to 1974. Manders's best season with the team was in 1966, when the starting center earned the only Pro Bowl selection of his career.

Cowboys helmet ca drives past while Verne interviews Dave Manders, media day, Super Bowl V pic.twitter.com/pn5hxlxPvJ

— ᑭᖇO ᖴOOTᗷᗩᒪᒪ ᒍOᑌᖇᑎᗩᒪ 🏈 (@NFL_Journal) May 29, 2020

The Pro Bowl selection wasn't the only honor of Manders's career. As a member of the 1971 Cowboys, Manders was part of the Super Bowl VI championship team. Mander called it a career in 1974 after being two seasons removed from the starting center position. The number 51 in Dallas belongs to Manders, who is forever a champion.