Dallas Snubbed: Cowboys Players Missing from ESPN's Top 100 Athletes List

Despite the Cowboys storied history and iconic status, members of the Dallas Cowboys have surprisingly been left out of ESPN's top 100 athletes since 2000. Who could've made the cut?

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN finished ranking their top 100 athletes of the 21st century and surpisingly no cowboys made the list. Were some players overlooked or have the Cowboys not been impactful enough in the sports world?

Dallas Cowboys' players Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, and DeMarcus Ware will all be in the Hall of Fame one day but why couldn't they crack the list?

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

T.O. comes as the biggest shocker because Randy Moss cracked the list at 27, yet Owens had more career receiving yards and touchdowns. While Owens may have been considered a locker room cancer, seeing someone with nearly identical stats get ranked as high as 27 while Owens didn't even crack the list is absurd.

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Jason Witten finished his career with the fourth most receptions in NFL history; however, their was not a single tight end put on this list so I guess you can't complain about that one. We will see when they make this in a few years if Travis Kelce is still left off this list.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

DeMarcus Ware has the third most sacks since 2000 and even won a Super Bowl. While the Super Bowl was with the Broncos, Cowboys fans were all rooting for him. Known as one of the best athletes of his time, Ware's omission from ESPN's list is surprising. Perhaps if he hadn't been snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, he might have made the list.

The Cowboys have certainly had fantastic players but for whatever reason they have not been able to get over the hump. Most of the players on the list were in constant contention for championships while the Cowboys have not at least in the 21st century.

Jerry Jones has often stated his desire to win more Super Bowls, but he clearly has yet to take a big enough chance to make it happen. He seems to prefer remaining in the spotlight rather than stepping back to let his team succeed. Meanwhile, other Texas franchises, such as the Rangers and the Mavericks, have shown a greater hunger for success. Both teams have reached the finals three times in the 21st century and had multiple athletes crack ESPN's list of the top 100 athletes because they made the neccesary moves to build a contending team.

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