Lee Roy Jordan, a key member of the Dallas Cowboys’ first Super Bowl-winning team who made five Pro Bowls in 14 NFL seasons, died at age 84, the team announced Saturday.
Jordan was the first player inducted into the Cowboys’ ring of honor after owner Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.
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“With fearless instincts, leadership and a relentless work ethic, Jordan was the embodiment of the Cowboys’ spirit,” team owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. “Off the field, his commitment to his community was the centerpiece of his life after retiring in 1976. His legacy lives on as a model of dedication, integrity and toughness.”
Jordan spent his entire pro career with the Cowboys after being selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 1963 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama, where he starred for head coach Bear Bryant.
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Jordan helped the Crimson Tide win a national title in 1961, then was a unanimous All-America selection the following year. With the Cowboys, he became the first rookie linebacker in team history to earn a starting role in his first professional game.
Over the next 14 seasons, Jordan became a mainstay on Dallas’ “Doomsday Defense.” He started 19 playoff games in his career — none bigger than the Cowboys’ 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI in January 1972.
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Jordan still holds the franchise records for career solo tackles (743) and combined tackles (1,236), and is second in career assisted tackles (493).
“He was a great competitor,” former Cowboys head coach Tom Landry once said. “He was not big for a middle linebacker, but because of his competitiveness, he was able to play the game and play it well. His leadership was there and he demanded a lot out of the people around him as he did of himself.”
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An Alabama native, Jordan was once called “one of the finest football players the world has ever seen” by Bryant.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Jordan was diagnosed with dementia as a result of what his family believed to be chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. He is survived by his wife, three sons, and eight grandchildren.
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