Cowboys Great RB Don Perkins, Member of Ring of Honor, Has Died

Former Cowboys legendary running back Don Perkins died on Thursday. He was 84.

The six-time Pro Bowler played eight seasons with the Cowboys from 1961 to ’68. In Dallas, he rushed for 6,217 yards and 42 touchdowns, both marks stand as the fourth best in franchise history. 

Perkins was inducted in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in ’76 along with then-Dallas quarterback Don Meredith. He attended New Mexico where he set 12 records as a three-year halfback before being drafted in the ninth round of the 1962 NFL draft by the then-Baltimore Colts in 1960.

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However, the NFL allowed the three-time All-Pro fullback to play for Dallas as long as Baltimore exchanged its ninth-round pick. Many considered him as one of the best runners and pass blockers in NFL history.

When he retired in 1968, he led all active NFL players in rushing yards (6,217) since the retirement of Jim Taylor, who played for the Packers and Saints, and was ranked fifth in NFL history.

Perkins’s death marks the second member of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor to die recently. Cowboys offensive tackle Rayfield Wright died in April. In January, Dallas lost former players Dan Reeves and Ralph Neely.

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