[tps_title]2. Bob Hayes, WR, 1964[/tps_title]
“Bullet Bob” Hayes is one of the two players on our list to be named to both the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is also one of the greatest pure athletes to ever grace the team and the NFL as a whole.
Hayes’ focus was on track & field during his college career despite also playing football. After breaking the world record for the 100-yard dash in 1963, Hayes was selected to the U.S. Olympic Team for 1964 in Tokyo. It actually required an order from President Lyndon Johnson for Hayes to get the time off from football that he needed to full prepare for the Olympics.
Two gold medals came Bob’s way in those games, one for the 100m race and another in the 4x100m relay. Hayes tied the world record in the individual race and his team broke the world record for the relay.
Wanting to see how they could utilize Hayes’ athletic prowess on the football field, the Cowboys used a pick on him in the 1964 even though he wouldn’t finish his college eligibility until 1965.
Bob hit the ground running, or really receiving, with 1,003 yards and 12 touchdowns in his 13-game rookie season. Those numbers improved to 1,232 and 13 touchdowns in 1966.
Also in 1966, Hayes set a franchise record with 246 receiving yards in a single game. That record would stand for 43 years until Miles Austin’s breakout 250-yard game in 2009 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Bullet Bob” also killed teams as a punt returner, leading the NFL in 1967 and 1968 in return yards.
Hayes is 3rd on the Cowboys’ all-time receiving touchdowns list, trailing just Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. That is astounding considering the different eras they played in, and with names like Michael Irvin and Drew Pearson below.
He’s is also 6th on the Cowboys’ all-time receiving yards list and 8th in career catches.
Indeed, Bob Hayes isn’t just one of the best 7th-round picks in Cowboys history but one of the greatest players ever for the franchise. He is the only athlete to ever win both Olympic gold and a Super Bowl, and he’s one of the two true legends on our list today.
