Part of the Greatest Players by Number Series

Jersey #59

Nine players, all linebackers, have worn #59 for the Cowboys.

Guy Brown, LB, Houston, 1977-82

Statistics: Brown recorded one interception during his career in Dallas.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played six seasons in Dallas.

Intangibles: Brown suffered through a number of injuries during his fairly long tenure in Dallas. He was a backup for such players as D.D. Lewis, Mike Hegman, and Anthony Dickerson.

Warren Capone, LB, Louisiana State, 1975

Statistics: n/a

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played less than one full season with the Cowboys.

Intangibles: Capone began his pro career in 1975 in the World Football League. He joined the Cowboys when the WFL folded.

Garry Cobb, LB, Southern California, 1988-89

Statistics: Cobb had 7.5 sacks with the Cowboys.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played two seasons in Dallas.

Intangibles: Cobb was originally drafted by Dallas in the ninth round of the 1979 draft, but he was released. After a long career with Detroit and Philadelphia, he rejoined the Cowboys in 1988 for two final seasons.

Ken Hutcherson, LB, Livingston State. 1974

Statistics: n/a

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played one season in Dallas.

Intangibles: He was a special teams player in 1974.

Dat Nguyen, LB, Texas A&M, 1999-05

Statistics: Nguyen recorded 392 tackles with 111 assists with the Cowboys. He also had seven interceptions and six sacks.

Accolades: He was mentioned as an all-NFC player in a couple of publications.

Longevity: He played six seasons in Dallas.

Intangibles: Nguyen was an undersized linebacker with great speed and a great nose for the ball. A star at Texas A&M, he instantly became a star when Dallas selected him in the third round of the 1999 draft. He became a full-time starter by 2001 and remained as a starter until an injury curtailed his career in 2005.

Jesse Penn, LB, Virginia Tech, 1985-87

Statistics: Penn recorded 2.5 sacks and one interception with the Cowboys.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played three seasons in Dallas.

Intangibles:Penn was a second-round pick in 1985 who turned out to be another big disappointment of the 1980s. He never played to his full potential and was gone after just three seasons.

Darrin Smith, LB, Miami, Fla., 1993-96

Statistics: Smith recorded 233 tackles and 54 assists, with two interceptions and nine sacks.

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played four seasons in Dallas.

Intangibles: Smith was a fast linebacker from the University of Miami who became an instant starter on the outside as a rookie. He made some big plays during the heyday of the 1990s dynasty and was a huge free agent loss following the 1996 season.

Kirk Timmer, LB, Montana State, 1987

Statistics: n/a

Accolades: None.

Longevity: He played in one replacement game in 1987.

Intangibles: Timmer was apparently a big star at Montana State, but his only pro game was against the New York Jets during the strike in 1987.

Mike Walter, LB, Oregon, 1983

Statistics: n/a

Accolades: None with Dallas.

Longevity: He played one season in Dallas.

Intangibles: Walter was yet another example of player development failures during the 1980s. He was drafted as an outside linebacker in 1983. He did very little with Dallas and was released before the 1984 season. San Francisco signed him and moved him to inside linebacker. Between 1984 and 1993, he started 96 games and appeared in three Super Bowls.

Poll

Here is your chance to vote for the greatest player to wear #59.

My Vote: Nguyen

Nguyen falls under a category with Bill Bates in this contest. It really doesn’t matter that Darrin Smith was probably more talented (I think this was so, though others will disagree). Nguyen was the type of player everyone could root for, and even though he never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, some fans wanted the team to consider putting Nguyen in the Ring of Honor after his retirement in 2006. I respectfully disagree, but he at least should win this contest.

Smith had a long career with Philadelphia, Seattle, and New Orleans, but his best years were with the Cowboys. Brown had a surprisingly long career for a backup.