[tps_title]5. Leon Lett, DT, 1991[/tps_title]
Speaking of famous plays in Super Bowl history…
Leon Lett is the Pro Bowl version of Patrick Crayton. He had two trips to Hawaii and was one of the Cowboys’ top defensive linemen during “The Dynasty.” But he is most remembered for two blunders.
In the 1992 Super Bowl, Lett almost scored a touchdown on a long fumble return. But as Leon started celebrating early, Buffalo’s Don Beebe chased him down and knocked the ball out of his hands before he crossed the goal line.
Of course, the Cowboys still defeated the Bills 52-17. So no harm done.
The far more costly error came in the 1993 Thanksgiving game against the Miami Dolphins. With the Cowboys up 14-13 on a snow-covered field, a last-second FG attempt by Miami was blocked. Dallas would’ve taken possession, but while the play was still live Leon Lett tried to recover the ball and didn’t secure it. Miami did, and then lined up and hit the game-winning field goal.
Sorry to dig up old dirt, but you can’t talk about Lett without these classic “Lett-downs.”
Still, these moments were drops in the bucket in Leon’s great run with the Cowboys. He was one of the team’s standout defenders from 1992 through the rest of the decade. He was one of the most agile defensive tackles of his era, earning the nickname “Big Cat” for that trait.
Lett’s Cowboys legacy also extends beyond the field. In Jason Garrett’s first official season as Cowboys head coach, he added his old teammate Leon as an assistant coach on the defensive line. Lett has held that position ever since, and is one of the very few players still on Dallas’ coaching staff in 2020 from the Garrett regime.
So yes, Leon Lett’s name may be most associated with two of the classic “football follies” in the NFL history. But drafting Lett in any round of the NFL Draft wouldn’t have been a mistake, and his success as a 7th-round pick was phenomenal.
