Tom Landry, Defensive Back and Punter (1947-1948)
Tom Landry officially joined Texas in 1942 but after only a semester, he left to join the Armed Forces with the Army to serve his country in World War II. He would achieve the rank of Second Lieutenant during his four years of serving his country. Landry was a fighter pilot as co-pilot of a B-17 Bomber. Following his service, Tom Landry would return to Austin in 1946. He helped lead the Longhorns to victories over Alabama and Georgia.
Landry would join the New York Yankees of the AAFC in 1949, after the league folded Tom would stay in New York with the Giants. Landry played for the Giants until the 1955 season. In his final two seasons as a player, Landry was also the defensive coordinator. He was named to the All-Pro team in 1954 and in 1955 he led the NFL in punting yards. He ran the defense in New York until 1959. That staff saw two legendary coaches with Landry running the defense and Vince Lombari running the offense together from 1954-1958.
Landry was named as the first head coach for the Dallas Cowboys who joined the NFL in 1960. Tom Landry was the head coach for Dallas for 29 seasons where he won two Super Bowl Championships, set a record for 20 consecutive winning seasons. His win total hit 250 during that time and is still the Cowboys all-time leader in wins. Tom was named the NFL Coach of the Year in both 1966 and 1975. The man in the funny hat is a member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor and the NFL Hall of Fame. He is also known as an innovator of the flex defense.
Accolades:
Pro Bowl (1954)
NFL All-Pro (1954)
Two-time NFL punting yards leader
1966, 1975 NFL Coach of the Year
NFL Champion (1956)
Two-Time Super Bowl Champion
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
Dallas Cowboys Leader in Wins (250)
NFL Hall of Fame