Dallas Cowboys' All-Time Top 10 Players

The Dallas Cowboys have a long and illustrious history of NFL success.

The franchise shares the record for most Super Bowl appearances (8) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, corresponding to most NFC championships (8).

The Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 consecutive winning seasons (1966–1985).

A high percentage of the top players who have created this success were drafted by the Cowboys.

Many of these players have gone on to be Pro Bowlers multiple times. Some have also gone on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The following is a list of the Dallas Cowboys All-Time Top 10 Players:

10. Mel Renfro

Cornerback

College: Oregon

NFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17 overall

Debuted in 1964 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1977 for the Dallas Cowboys

Mel Renfro was selected to the Pro Bowl ten times. He was named the 1970 Pro Bowl MVP.

Renfro led the league in interceptions (10) in 1969.

In his fourteen seasons, he intercepted 52 passes, returning them for 626 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He also recovered 13 fumbles, which he returned for 44 yards.

Besides being a shut-down corner, Renfro was dangerous threat on special teams, leading the league in punt and kickoff return yardage in 1964.

For his career, he returned 85 kickoffs for 2,246 yards and 2 touchdowns and 109 punts for 842 yards and 1 touchdown.

Renfro was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

9. Bob Hayes

Wide Receiver

College: Florida A&M

NFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 4 / Pick: 88th overall

Debuted in 1965 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1975 for the San Francisco 49ers

Before starting his career with the Dallas Cowboys, Bob Hayes was a two-time gold-medal winning sprinter (100 meters and 4x100 relay) for the U.S. Olympic team.

Hayes was selected to the Pro Bowl three times.

For his career, Hayes had 371 receptions for 7,414 yards and 71 TDs.

Hayes has been credited with changing the game because of his lightning fast speed. NFL coaches started using zone coverage and bump-and-run techniques to attempt to cover him.

He was a member of the Cowboys first Super Bowl (VI) Championship Team.

Hayes was selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2009

8. Rayfield Wright

Offensive Tackle

College: Fort Valley State

NFL Draft: 1967 / Round: 7 / Pick: 182nd overall

Debuted in 1967 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1979 for the Dallas Cowboys

Rayfield Wright was selected to the Pro Bowl six times.

During his first three years with Dallas, the six-foot-six, 255-pound "Big Cat" was used as a tight end, defensive lineman, and then finally offensive tackle.

Wright was named the NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1972.

He was a significant contributor to two of the Cowboys Super Bowl victories (VI and XII).  

He was named to the NFL 1970's All-Decade Team.

Wright was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

7. Randy White

Defensive Tackle/End/Linebacker

College: Maryland

NFL Draft: 1975 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall

Debuted in 1975 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1988 for the Dallas Cowboys

Randy White was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times.

White was named the UPI Lineman of the Year in 1974.

Over his career, he made 1,104 tackles and 111 sacks.

His highest single-season sack total was 16 in 1978.

He was a significant contributor to the Cowboys Super Bowl VI victory, where he was selected as Super Bowl Co-MVP.  

He was named to the NFL 1980's All-Decade Team.

White was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

6. Tony Dorsett

Running Back

College: Pittsburgh

NFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall

Debuted in 1977 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1988 for the Denver Broncos

Tony Dorsett was one of the premier running backs in the NFL during the late 70's-early 80's.

He was the first player to win the college football championship one year, then win the Super Bowl the next, when the Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 27-10 to win Super Bowl XII.

Dorsett was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

He rushed for 12,739 yards and 92 TDs and 13 receiving TDs in his career. 

Dorsett rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight of his first nine seasons. 

He is still the eighth-leading NFL rusher of All-Time.

Dorsett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.   

5. Michael Irvin

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

4 Oct 1998: Wide receiver Michael Irvin #88 of the Dallas Cowboys runs to get open during a game against the Washington Redskins at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 31-10.

Wide Receiver

College: Miami

NFL Draft: 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11

Debuted in 1988 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1999 for the Dallas Cowboys

Michael Irvin was a featured member of the Dallas Cowboys offense in the 1990's that won three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)

Irvin (one of "The Triplets" along with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith) finished his career with 750 receptions (27th all-time in the NFL) for 11,904 yards (17th all-time in the NFL) and 65 touchdowns.

His 47 100-yard receiving games remains the third most in NFL history, behind Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (65) and Don Maynard (50).

Irvin was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, the 1992 Pro Bowl MVP, and a member of the NFL 1990's All-Decade Team.

Michael Irvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

4. Bob Lily

Defensive Tackle

College: Texas Christian

NFL Draft: 1961 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13

Debuted in 1961 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1974 for the Dallas Cowboys

Bob Lily was the first draft pick in Dallas Cowboys' franchise history.

Lily went on to be selected to the Pro Bowl eleven times. He was named to the NFL 1960's and 1970's All-Decade Teams.

He was also a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Lily was the anchor to Dallas's legendary "Doomsday Defense."

He was also a featured player on the Cowboys' first Super Bowl (VI) championship team.

Lilly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, his first year of eligibility

3. Troy Aikman

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

24 Oct 1999: Troy Aikman #8 of the Dallas Cowboys passes the ball during the game against the Washington Redskins at the Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport

Quarterback

College: Oklahoma/UCLA

NFL Draft: 1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1

Debuted in 1989 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 2000 for the Dallas Cowboys

Troy Aikman was one of the key figures in the Cowboys' 1990's success,

Aikman was a six-time Pro Bowl selection. He threw for 32,942 yards and 165 TDs in his career.  

He was the QB for three Cowboys' Super Bowl teams (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) and the Super Bowl XXVII MVP.

Aikman was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006.

2. Emmitt Smith

Danny Moloshok/Getty Images

DETROIT - NOVEMBER 3: Running back Emmitt Smith #22 of the Dallas Cowboys runs the ball against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 3, 2002 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Cowboys 9-7. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Getty Images)

Running Back

College: Florida

NFL Draft: 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17

Debuted in 1990 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 2004 for the Arizona Cardinals

Emmitt Smith was a major part of the Dallas Cowboys three Super Bowl Championships (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) in the 1990's.

Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993).

He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1990, an eight-time Pro Bowl Selection, AP NFL MVP (1993), and Super Bowl MVP (XXVIII) 

Smith holds the NFL record for career rushing yards with 18,355, breaking the previous record held by Walter Payton.

He was a member of the 1990's All-Decade Team.

Smith was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, in his first year of eligibility.

1. Roger Staubach

Quarterback

College: Navy

NFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 10 / Pick: 129

Debuted in 1969 for the Dallas Cowboys

Last played in 1979 for the Dallas Cowboys

Roger Staubach was one of the key figures in the early Cowboys success, as well as building for the future success of the franchise.

Staubach was a six-time Pro Bowl selection. He threw for 22,700 yards and 153 TDs in his career.  He also gained 2,264 rushing yards and scored 21 touchdowns on 410 carries.

He led the Cowboys to 23 game-winning drives (15 comebacks) in the fourth quarter, with 17 of these coming in the last two minutes.

He was a member of the 1970's All-Decade Team.

He was the QB for two Cowboys' Super Bowl teams (VI and XII).

Staubach was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1985.