DALLAS (AP) — Lee Roy Jordan, a linebacker on the first Super Bowl-winning team for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s, has died. He was 84.
The Cowboys announced Jordan’s death Saturday without saying when he died or giving a cause of death.
Jordan was a first-round draft pick by Dallas in 1963 after a standout career at Alabama, where he played for the late Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Jordan played a significant role in the “Doomsday” defense that led the Cowboys to secure a Super Bowl victory, defeating the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in the 1971 season. He retired in 1976, one year prior to Dallas clinching its second championship.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Jordan was the first player inducted into the team’s ring of honor after owner Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.
Jordan remains second on the franchise’s all-time tackles leaderboard with 1,236. Darren Woodson, a safety for the Dallas squads that claimed three Super Bowls in the 1990s, holds 1,350 tackles.
“With fearless instincts, leadership, and relentless work ethic, Jordan epitomized the spirit of the Cowboys,” the team stated. “Outside the field, his dedication to his community became the focus of his life after retiring in 1976.”
Following the renowned “Ice Bowl” defeat to Green Bay in 1967, the Cowboys earned the label of “next year’s champions.” The Packers proceeded to secure their second consecutive title in Super Bowl 2. Three years thereafter, Dallas fell short to the Baltimore Colts due to a last-season field goal in the Super Bowl.
The breakthrough arrived a year afterward, with a linebacking unit spearheaded by Jordan and Chuck Howley, alongside defensive tackle Bob Lilly, whose remarkable 29-yard sack of Bob Griese became the defining moment of their Super Bowl triumph.
Jordan was the defensive linchpin on Alabama’s 1961 national championship team and earned the title of Associated Press All-American the following year. His contributions were recognized with his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
