Tom Rafferty may not have the trophy case of some other No. 64s, but when it comes to Dallas Cowboys history, he owns the number that matters most. In a jersey that’s been worn by a long list of linemen and interior blockers, Rafferty stands out for one simple reason: he was there, game after game, season after season.
That kind of staying power is rare. Rafferty is one of just seven players in Cowboys history to appear in 200 games, and his 203 regular-season appearances in Dallas put him in a very exclusive class. He also logged 18 postseason games, giving the Cowboys dependable work on the biggest stage for more than a decade.
The path to that kind of run started at Penn State, where Rafferty was a First-Team All-American in 1975. Dallas drafted him in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft with the 119th overall pick, and he began his rookie year as a backup to right guard Blaine Nye. When Nye retired before the 1977 season, Rafferty stepped into the starting lineup and helped fuel a dominant Cowboys offense that finished first in total yards per game at 343.7 and second in scoring at 24.6 on the way to the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
He spent several seasons at right guard before another major shift came in 1981, when third-year center Robert Shaw suffered a knee injury that ended up being career-ending. Rafferty moved to center and stayed there for the rest of his career, which wrapped up after the 1989 season. Along the way, he became Troy Aikman’s first center before the job passed to Mark Stepnoski.
There are flashier names attached to No. 64.
Jim Ray Smith brought five Pro Bowls and five total All-Pro selections, while Brian Waters had six Pro Bowls and two First-Team All-Pro honors. But both made their biggest marks elsewhere, not in Dallas.
That leaves Rafferty as the best Cowboys player to wear the number, and the choice fits the story of his career: steady, versatile, and built to last.
Here’s the full group of players who have worn No. 64 for the Cowboys: Jim Arneson, Earl Bostick, Jonathan Cooper, Jorge Diaz, Bob Grottkau, Halvor Hagen, Montrae Holland, Mitch Johnson, George Lilja, Tony Liscio, Tom Rafferty, Greg Senat, Dakoda Shepley, Jim Ray Smith, Daleroy Stewart and Brian Waters.
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