Though the Dallas Cowboy's franchise has only been around since 1960, the team has a rich history of winning, having been led by some of the best quarterbacks the NFL has seen over the past 5 decades. Here th
en is a list of the top 10 quarterbacks in Dallas Cowboys history.
(1) Roger Staubach (1969-1979)
With all due respect to Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach easily rates as the top Dallas Cowboys quarterback of all-time. The former Heisman Trophy winner out of Navy was drafted by Dallas in the 10th round of the 1964 NFL Draft, and had to serve out his Naval commitment before joining the Cowboys for the 1969 season.
Even with such a late start to his NFL career, Staubach would guide the Cowboys to four Super Bowl appearances, winning the league title in 1971 (Super Bowl MVP) and again in 1977. Their two losses under his helm were closely contested games to the Pittsburgh Steeler's dynasty of the 70's. Along the way Staubach led the NFL in passing four times (1971, 1973, 1978, 1979), and won 75% of the regular season games he started for Dallas (85 wins; 29 losses). Just as spectacular in the post season, Staubach won 12 out of the 19 games he appeared in for Dallas.
Known for his ability to lead the Cowboys in come from behind victories, Roger, a 6 time Pro Bowler, threw for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns during his career, adding 2,827 yards and 24 touchdowns in the postseason. Highly mobile in the pocket, "Roger the Dodger," gained an additional 2,264 yards rushing (20 Tds) with the Cowboys. For his achievements Staubach was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 1985.
(2) Troy Aikman (1989-2000)
Drafted 1st overall in the 1989 NFL Draft, Aikman would go on to lose the first 11 games he started as a rookie for Dallas. Once the learning process was over, Aikman would guide the Cowboys to thr
ee Super Bowl wins (1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons). A highly accurate passer who completed 61.5% of his regular season passes, Aikman is the holder of virtually all the Cowboy's career passing records, including yards passing (32,942), touchdowns (165), and completions (2,898). A six time Pro Bowler (1991-1996), Troy added 3,894 yards and 24 touchdowns in the postseason. Like Staubach before him, Aikman won his share of games for Dallas (94 regular season victories; 11 in the post season). The MVP of the Super Bowl in 1992, Aikman was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
(3) Danny White (1976-1988)
Four losses in the NFC Conference Championships prevented Danny White from joining the ranks of Staubach and Aikman as a Super Bowl quarterback. Still, White led Dallas to 8 post season victories in 13 games, and added 62 regular season wins in 92 starts. Playing in a combine 166 games for Dallas, White would go on to throw for 21,959 yards and 155 touchdowns for the Cowboys. Selected for the 1982 Pro Bowl game, the versatile White doubled as the Cowboy punter for most of his career in Dallas, punting 610 times for a 40.2 career average.
(4) Don Meredith (1960-1968)
Perhaps best known for his role in the broadcasting booth on ABC's Monday Night Football, Don Meredith was a three time Pro Bowl quarterback for Dallas who was voted NFL Player of the Year in 1966, a season which saw the gifted passer threw for 2,805 yards and 24 touchdowns. In the 104 games he played for the Cowboys, Meredith started 85 at quarterback winning 48 regular season games. During his stellar career for Dallas, Meredith logged 3 games in which he threw for 5 touchdowns, and two in which he threw for over 400 yards, his best effort being a 460 performance against Cleveland in 1963. The prolific passer threw for 17,199 yards and 135 touchdowns during his career in for the Cowboys.
(5) Craig Morton (1965-1974)
Playing the first 10 years of a long 18 year career in Dallas, Morton led the Cowboys to the Super Bowl during the 1970 season (Super Bowl V against the Colts), and to six postseason wins in 12 games. Starting in 47 out of the 97 games he played in Dallas, Morton had a 32-14-1 record in the regular season as a starter, throwing for 10,279 yards and 80 touchdowns along the way. Ironically enough, Morton's other Super Bowl appearance result in a loss against the Cowboys in 1977.
(6) Tony Romo (2004-Present)
The current Cowboy quarterback (as of 2008), Romo already holds a place in the Cowboy record book for most yards passing in a season (4,211 in 2007), most touchdowns in a season ( 36 in 2007), and most completed passes in a season (335 in 2007). This two-time Pro Bowler has a 19-7 record during his
first 26 starts as the Cowboy quarterback. After only three seasons as starter, his 10,562 yards passing and 81 career touchdowns rank fifth in Dallas Cowboy history.
(7) Eddie LeBaron (1960-1963)
LeBaron was a 4 time Pro Bowler before coming over to Dallas for their inaugural season in 1960. Playing for the young franchise, LeBaron suffered through a 4-21-1 record as a starter for the fledging franchise, yet he still managed to throw for 5,331 yards and 45 touchdowns for the Cowboys.
(8) Drew Bledsoe (2005-2006)
Another four time Pro Bowler before finishing out his career in Dallas, Bledsoe had one shinning year in Dallas, throwing for 3,639 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2005. Starting in all 22 games he played in a Dallas uniform, Bledsoe composed a 12-10 record as a Cowboy starter.
(9) Jason Garrett (1993-1999)
A reliable backup during the Aikman era in Dallas, Garrett, the Cowboy's current Offensive Coordinator, went 6-3 as a Cowboy starters (he played in 25 games over all), throwing for 2,042 yards, 11 touchdowns and an 81.7 QB Rating during his career.
(10) Clint Longley (1974-1975)
Longley has his place in Cowboy folklore for one magical game he played in 1974. With Roger Staubach knocked out of the 1974 Thanksgiving game against Washington, Longley stepped in and brought Dallas from behind, winning the game for the Cowboys with a long touchdown pass in the last 30 seconds of the game. Nicknamed "the Mad Bomber" for bouncing an errant pass off the coach's tower in practice, Longley got into a fight with Roger Staubach the following season and was exiled to San Diego.
