Andre Gurode is the clear answer at No. 65 for the Dallas Cowboys.
That jersey number hasn’t exactly been a hotbed of star power in franchise history, and most of the names attached to it are role players, depth pieces, or guys who never made much noise beyond Dallas. Gurode stands apart immediately. He’s the only player on the list to earn a Pro Bowl nod while wearing a Cowboys uniform, and he wound up collecting five of them in all - tied for the most by any center in team history.
The path there started at Colorado, where Gurode was a consensus All-American right guard in 2001 before Dallas grabbed him in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft with the 37th overall pick. The Cowboys initially tried him at center, and head coach Dave Campo made history by using him as the first rookie in team history to start a season opener at center. Later that season, injuries along the offensive line pushed him back to right guard.
When Bill Parcells arrived in 2003, Gurode stayed at guard for two more seasons. Then in 2005, he shifted back to center, this time as a backup behind Al Johnson.
By 2006, he had won the starting job, the same year Romo took over as QB1, and that’s when Gurode’s career really took off. From 2006 through 2010, he made five straight Pro Bowls and added Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2009.
His run in Dallas ended after left knee surgery in the 2011 offseason, which cost him all of training camp and three of the Cowboys’ four preseason games. He was released after the two sides couldn’t agree on a restructured contract, and he finished his playing days with brief stops in Baltimore, Chicago, and Oakland.
Gurode later came back to Dallas in 2019 as a defensive assistant under Jason Garrett.
There are a few other recognizable names in the No. 65 pool. Ron Stone played for the Cowboys in 1994 and 1995 and helped them win a title in the latter season before later making three Pro Bowls with the Giants and 49ers.
Kurt Petersen started 66 games during his six seasons in Dallas from 1980 to 1985. Ronald Leary also carved out a solid Cowboys run, starting 47 games from 2013 to 2016 and helping bridge the move from Tony Romo to Dak Prescott.
Still, none of them match Gurode’s résumé in Dallas. Five Pro Bowls from a center in Cowboys history is rare company, and for No. 65, it makes the choice pretty simple.
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