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1981 Dallas Cowboys

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Record: 12-4-0, Finished 1st in NFC East Division
NFL Season Summary

Scored 367 points (22.9/g), 6th of 28 in the NFL.
 Allowed 277 points (17.3/g), 7th.
 Differential of 90 points (5.6/g), 4th.
 Expected W-L: 10.6-5.4.

 Takeaway/Giveaway Differential +18 (1.1/g), 2nd.

Simple Rating System: Total 6.1, Offense: 2.9, Defense: 3.2, SoS: 0.5, versus averages of 0.0.

Coached by Tom Landry (12-4-0)

Training Camp: California Lutheran College (Thousand Oaks, California)

Starters

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),Hide Non-primary Starters
Pos Age Yrs GS Summary of Player Stats Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
 Offensive Starters
QB Danny White 29 5 15 223 for 391, 3,098 yards, 22 td, 13 int, & 38 rushes for 104 yards and 0 td Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1974
RB Tony Dorsett*+ 27 4 16 342 rushes for 1,646 yards, 4 td, & 32 catches for 325 yards and 2 td Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 2nd pick / 1977
FB Ron Springs 25 2 13 172 rushes for 625 yards, 10 td, & 46 catches for 359 yards and 2 td Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 136th pick / 1979
WR Tony Hill 25 4 9 46 catches for 953 yards, 4 td, & 1 rush for -3 yards and 0 td Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 62nd pick / 1977
WR Drew Pearson 30 8 16 38 catches for 614 yards, 3 td, & 3 rushes for 31 yards and 0 td
WR Butch Johnson 27 5 7 25 catches for 552 yards, 5 td Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 87th pick / 1976
TE Billy Joe DuPree 31 8 15 19 catches for 214 yards, 2 td, & 1 rush for 12 yards and 0 td Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 20th pick / 1973
TE Jay Saldi 27 5 5 8 catches for 82 yards, 1 td
LT Pat Donovan* 28 6 16 1 fumble recovered Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 90th pick / 1975
LG Herbert Scott*+ 28 6 16 Dallas Cowboys / 13th / 330th pick / 1975
C Tom Rafferty 27 5 15 1 fumble recovered Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 119th pick / 1976
RG Kurt Petersen 24 1 14 2 fumbles recovered Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 105th pick / 1980
RT Jim Cooper 26 4 16 Dallas Cowboys / 6th / 164th pick / 1977
 Defensive Starters
LDE Too Tall Jones* 30 7 16 0 interceptions, 3 fumbles recovered Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 1st pick / 1974
LDT John Dutton 30 7 16 Baltimore Colts / 1st / 5th pick / 1974
RDT Randy White*+ 28 6 16 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 2nd pick / 1975
RDE Harvey Martin 31 8 16 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1973
LLB Mike Hegman 28 5 10 Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 173rd pick / 1975
LLB Guy Brown 26 4 6 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 108th pick / 1977
MLB Bob Breunig 28 6 16 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 70th pick / 1975
RLB D.D. Lewis 36 13 16 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered Dallas Cowboys / 6th / 159th pick / 1968
LCB Everson Walls* 22 Rook 12 11 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
RCB Dennis Thurman 25 3 16 9 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Dallas Cowboys / 11th / 306th pick / 1978
SS Charlie Waters 33 11 16 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 66th pick / 1970
FS Michael Downs 22 Rook 15 7 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered
 Special Teams Starters
K Rafael Septien*+ 28 4 0 27 of 35 field goals & 40 of 40 extra points New Orleans Saints / 10th / 258th pick / 1977
P Danny White 29 5 15 79 punts for a 40.8 average, 0 blocked Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1974
PR James Jones 23 1 0 33 punt returns for a 5.7 average and 0 td Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 80th pick / 1980
KR James Jones 23 1 0 27 kick returns for a 19.1 average and 0 td Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 80th pick / 1980

Roster

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),
No. Age Pos G GS Wt Ht College/Univ BirthDate Yrs Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
31 Benny Barnes 30 DB 16 1 190 6-1 Stanford 3/3/1951 9
76 Larry Bethea 25 DT-DE 16 0 251 6-2 Michigan St. 7/21/1956 3 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 28th pick / 1978
53 Bob Breunig 28 LB 16 16 226 6-2 Arizona St. 7/4/1953 6 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 70th pick / 1975
59 Guy Brown 26 LB 16 6 223 6-4 Houston 6/1/1955 4 Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 108th pick / 1977
18 Glenn Carano 26 QB 5 1 201 6-3 UNLV 11/18/1955 3 Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 54th pick / 1977
61 Jim Cooper 26 T-C-G 16 16 262 6-5 Temple 9/28/1955 4 Dallas Cowboys / 6th / 164th pick / 1977
84 Doug Cosbie 25 TE 16 0 236 6-6 Holy Cross,Santa Clara 3/27/1956 2 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 76th pick / 1979
51 Anthony Dickerson 24 LB 16 0 220 6-2 SMU 6/9/1957 1
83 Doug Donley 22 WR 11 0 175 6-0 Ohio St. 2/6/1959 Rook Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 53rd pick / 1981
67 Pat Donovan* 28 T 16 16 253 6-5 Stanford 7/1/1953 6 Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 90th pick / 1975
33 Tony Dorsett*+ 27 RB 16 16 192 5-11 Pittsburgh 4/7/1954 4 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 2nd pick / 1977
26 Michael Downs 22 DB 15 15 205 6-3 Rice 6/9/1959 Rook
89 Billy Joe DuPree 31 TE 16 15 225 6-4 Michigan St. 3/7/1950 8 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 20th pick / 1973
78 John Dutton 30 DT-DE 16 16 266 6-6 Nebraska 2/6/1951 7 Baltimore Colts / 1st / 5th pick / 1974
27 Ron Fellows 23 DB 16 0 178 6-0 Missouri 11/7/1958 Rook Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 173rd pick / 1981
71 Andy Frederick 27 T 16 0 257 6-6 New Mexico 7/25/1954 4 Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 137th pick / 1977
58 Mike Hegman 28 LB 11 10 227 6-1 Alabama A&M,Tennessee St. 1/17/1953 5 Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 173rd pick / 1975
80 Tony Hill 25 WR 16 9 199 6-2 Stanford 6/23/1956 4 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 62nd pick / 1977
14 Gary Hogeboom 23 QB 1 0 205 6-4 Central Michigan 8/21/1958 1 Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 133rd pick / 1980
86 Butch Johnson 27 WR 16 7 187 6-1 California-Riverside 5/28/1954 5 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 87th pick / 1976
23 James Jones 23 RB 16 0 200 5-10 Mississippi St. 12/6/1958 1 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 80th pick / 1980
72 Too Tall Jones* 30 DE 16 16 271 6-9 Tennessee St. 2/23/1951 7 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 1st pick / 1974
57 Angelo King 23 LB 15 0 224 6-1 South Carolina St. 2/10/1958 Rook
50 D.D. Lewis 36 LB 16 16 225 6-1 Mississippi St. 10/16/1945 13 Dallas Cowboys / 6th / 159th pick / 1968
79 Harvey Martin 31 DE-DT 16 16 260 6-5 Texas A&M-Commerce 11/16/1950 8 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1973
44 Robert Newhouse 31 RB 16 0 209 5-10 Houston 1/9/1950 9 Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 35th pick / 1972
30 Timmy Newsome 23 RB 15 0 232 6-1 Winston-Salem St. 5/17/1958 1 Dallas Cowboys / 6th / 162nd pick / 1980
88 Drew Pearson 30 WR 16 16 184 6-0 Tulsa 1/12/1951 8
65 Kurt Petersen 24 G 16 14 264 6-4 Missouri 6/17/1957 1 Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 105th pick / 1980
64 Tom Rafferty 27 C-G 16 15 256 6-3 Penn St. 8/2/1954 5 Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 119th pick / 1976
70 Howard Richards 22 G-T 16 0 263 6-6 Missouri 8/7/1959 Rook Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 26th pick / 1981
87 Jay Saldi 27 TE-WR 16 5 225 6-3 South Carolina 10/8/1954 5
68 Herbert Scott*+ 28 G-T 16 16 254 6-2 Virginia Union 1/18/1953 6 Dallas Cowboys / 13th / 330th pick / 1975
1 Rafael Septien*+ 28 K 16 0 176 5-10 La-Lafayette 12/12/1953 4 New Orleans Saints / 10th / 258th pick / 1977
52 Robert Shaw 25 C-G 3 3 245 6-4 Tennessee 10/15/1956 2 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 27th pick / 1979
60 Don Smerek 24 DT-DE 2 0 255 6-7 Nevada-Reno 12/20/1957 Rook
55 Danny Spradlin 22 LB 16 0 235 6-1 Tennessee 3/3/1959 Rook Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 137th pick / 1981
20 Ron Springs 25 RB 16 13 213 6-0 Ohio St. 11/4/1956 2 Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 136th pick / 1979
77 Bruce Thornton 23 DE-DT 12 0 263 6-5 Illinois 2/14/1958 2 Dallas Cowboys / 8th / 219th pick / 1979
32 Dennis Thurman 25 DB 16 16 176 5-11 USC 4/13/1956 3 Dallas Cowboys / 11th / 306th pick / 1978
63 Glen Titensor 23 G-C 16 0 263 6-4 UCLA,BYU 2/21/1958 Rook Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 81st pick / 1981
24 Everson Walls* 22 DB 16 12 194 6-1 Grambling St. 12/28/1959 Rook
41 Charlie Waters 33 DB 16 16 193 6-1 Clemson 9/10/1948 11 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 66th pick / 1970
11 Danny White 29 QB-P 16 15 193 6-2 Arizona St. 2/9/1952 5 Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 53rd pick / 1974
54 Randy White*+ 28 DT-LB-DE 16 16 257 6-4 Maryland 1/15/1953 6 Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 2nd pick / 1975
45 Steve Wilson 24 DB-WR 16 4 195 5-10 Howard 8/24/1957 2
73 Steve Wright 22 T-G-TE 16 0 271 6-6 Northern Iowa 4/8/1959 Rook
Team Total 26.2 16 225.0 6-2.5 3.8