DALLAS – The world of American football mourns the loss of Lee Roy Jordan, legendary linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, who was part of the winning team of the first Super Bowl in the 1970s. He was 84 years old.
The Cowboys announced Jordan’s passing on Saturday, without specifying the date or cause of his death.
Jordan was a first-round pick for the Cowboys in 1963, following a distinguished career at Alabama, where he played under Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Jordan was a key piece in the defense known as “Doomsday”, which led the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl in 1971, with a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins. He retired in 1976, a year before Dallas won their second championship.
Five-time Pro Bowl selection, Jordan was the first player to be inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor after Jerry Jones acquired the team in 1989.
The Cowboys were known as “next year’s champions” after the famous defeat in the “Ice Bowl” against Green Bay in 1967. Three years later, Dallas lost to the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl. Success finally came a year later, with a line of linebackers led by Jordan and Chuck Howley, along with defensive tackle Bob Lilly, whose 29-yard sack of Bob Griese was the highlight play in the Super Bowl victory. Jordan was the defensive leader of the Alabama team that won the national championship in 1961 and was an Associated Press All-American a year later. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983. Alabama described him as a “legend” in a social media post on Saturday, saying that “he will always be a part of Alabama football history.”“With fearless instincts, leadership, and an unrelenting work ethic, Jordan was the personification of the Cowboys’ spirit,” the team stated. “Off the field, his commitment to his community was the center of his life after retiring in 1976.”
Cowboys Team
