The Dallas Cowboys’ No. 60 has never really been a glamour number, and that’s part of why Don Smerek rises to the top here. Tyler Guyton is wearing it now, and he got a hard look for this spot, but the number still doesn’t have much of a legacy attached to it.
That leaves a short list with a few notable names, including Pro Bowl and All-Pro linebacker Lee Roy Caffey, who was part of three of the first six Super Bowl champions. But Caffey spent most of his 10-year career with the Green Bay Packers, and his lone season in Dallas came in 1971, when the Cowboys won their first title. Joe Bob Isbell and Derek Kennard also got consideration on the offensive line, with Kennard even starting Super Bowl 30 at center while dealing with a separated shoulder.
Smerek, though, was the pick.
He came to Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 1980 after earning All-Big Sky honors at Nevada in 1979. A 6-foot-7, 255-pound defensive end, he never had the easy road. His first pro season was wiped out by fractured ribs in training camp, and in 1981 he shifted to defensive tackle only to appear in just two regular-season games before landing on injured reserve again with a knee injury.
Then came the most shocking part of his story. About a month after that knee injury, Smerek was in a heated argument with another man in the parking lot of a Dallas restaurant over a traffic-related issue, and that confrontation ended with Smerek being shot in the chest.
Even after that, he found his way back. Less than a year later, he was back on the field, appearing in seven of Dallas’ nine regular-season games during the strike-shortened 1982 season.
He earned his first career start in the second playoff game that year, finishing with 10 tackles and a sack in a 37-26 win over the Packers. He also started the NFC Championship Game against the team now known as the Washington Commanders, a 31-17 loss.
Smerek never became a full-time starter, but he was useful when Dallas needed him, especially as a pass rusher. He started just four more games the rest of the way, and his Cowboys career ended when he was waived before the 1988 season. Still, he made his mark with 14.5 sacks in 69 regular-season games for Dallas.
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