[tps_title]2. D.D. Lewis, LB, 1968[/tps_title]
While he never made a Pro Bowl, D.D. Lewis was with the Cowboys for 14 years and 135 starts. He was one of the team’s most popular players and a two-time Super Bowl Champion.
Considered undersized when he entered the league, Lewis didn’t get much play his rookie year and then spent 1969 in military service. He returned to the Cowboys in 1970 and spent three seasons in a backup role.
Lewis took over as a starting outside linebacker when Chuck Howley retired in 1973. He would hold that job for the next nine years.
D.D.’s success wasn’t just in longevity. The Cowboys made the playoffs in eight of the nine years he started and went to three Super Bowls, winning one.
That said, Lewis’ longevity really was exceptional. His career spanned three different decades and his 186 games, while still way short of Jason Witten’s 255, is still one of the higher marks in franchise history.
Lewis is also credited with coining the famous phrase, “”Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch His favorite team play.”
As we’ve said already, getting anything out of 6th-round picks is a win. Some of them don’t even make your team as rookies.
And when you can get the kind of long-term presence and production that D.D. Lewis provided, you’ve got one of your greatest draft picks of all time.
