The Cowboys family has lost one of the unsung mainstays of its teams of the 1980s.
Defensive lineman Don Smerek passed away earlier this week at the age of 66. Cancer was listed as the cause of death for the onetime undrafted free agent out of Nevada.
The versatile Smerek saw just seven seasons of action in the NFL, but he packed an entire roller coaster of a career into that time.
After joining the Cowboys in 1980, he missed out on his rookie season thanks to broken ribs suffered in training camp. Then in 1981, a knee injury put him on injured reserve, but the worst was yet to come. Four weeks after that injury, Smerek was shot in the chest while in the parking lot of a Dallas restaurant. Amazingly, he made a full recovery and was back in the huddle just 11 months later.
The 6-foot-7-inch Smerek played both defensive end and defensive tackle, though he was considered a pass-rushing specialist anytime he was on the field. Mostly a backup, he filled in at various points for an injured John Dutton, a just-retired Harvey Martin, and Hall of Famer Randy White during his 1984 holdout.
🎂 December 20th: Happy 65th Birthday to former Cowboys defensive lineman #60 Don Smerek (1981-87) who was born on this day in 1957. He was signed as a undrafted free agent. Smerek was a productive backup and a pass rushing specialist. #80sCowboys pic.twitter.com/7v2bsBW9aI
— Dallas Cowboys Old School (@CowboysOld) December 20, 2022
And when Smerek considered quitting football, it was White who convinced him to stay for a few more years. Like White, he was one of the few players who crossed picket lines to continue playing through the three-week NFLPA strike of 1987.
“He was a great teammate, a great person,” White said of Smerek. “He was just solid as a football player, and I can always count on him. He would come in on third downs and rush the passer, and the thing about Don as a football player, he was 100 percent.”
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After Smerek did finally retire in 1988- just before what would be coach Tom Landry’s final season- he and White remained good friends and fishing buddies.
Don Smerek finished his NFL career with 69 regular-season game appearances- all with the Cowboys- and 14.5 sacks. He also played in five postseason contests.
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