Tom Landry: NFL Hall of Fame Coach & Cowboys Legend

Tom Landry forged an enduring legacy as the stoic, fedora-wearing genius who transformed the Dallas Cowboys into an NFL dynasty.

Football Bio

Tom Landry was born on September 11, 1924. He coached the Dallas Cowboys for 29 seasons.

When one thinks of Tom Landry, the image of a well-dressed, poised man in a fedora pacing the sidelines comes to mind. He had a demeanor unlike most coaches. He rarely showed emotion from the sideline, neither in anger nor in exuberance.

Landry was from Mission, Texas, and he attended the University of Texas, where he played football for the Longhorns. Landry was a talented, well-rounded player who played cornerback, punter, quarterback, and halfback.

Most people don’t realize he also played professionally. Being drafted 128th overall in the All-American Football Conference’s 1948 draft by the New York Yankees. Tom played with the Yanks, and after the AFC folded in 1949, he switched to the NFL to play for the New York Giants, who had drafted him in the 1947 NFL Draft and held his league rights.

Tom Landry received his first glimpse of coaching as a Giant when head coach Steve Owen asked the young Landry to step up in front of the rest of the group and explain the 6-1-4 defense to his teammates. He stayed with the Giants for a couple more seasons and was voted as an All-Pro in 1954.

In 1954 and 1955, with Steve Owen out as coach, Landry served as a player-assistant coach under new head coach Jim Lee Howell. Landry served as defensive coordinator while Vince Lombardi led the Giants offense. Landry ended his career after the 1955 season with 32 interceptions and a mere 80 games played. [Pro Football Hall of Fame]

Early in the 1960 season, before the team even officially existed, Tom Landry was hired as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The first year, the coach had some tough sledding as his team went 0-11-1.

Cowboys owner Clint Murchison Jr. still had faith in Landry, though, and promptly signed him to a 10-year extension. The patience paid off as the team improved, and in 1966 the team won 10 games and earned the right to play Lombardi’s Packers in the NFL Championship game. His tenure as the Dallas head coach lasted an amazing 29 years.

With the Giants, he developed the 4-3 defense, created the middle linebacker position, brought the shotgun offense out of mothballs, innovated the flex defense, and trained his running backs to run through any open space, not to a specific hole opened up by design. He taught his players to concentrate fully on their tasks and, to avoid losing focus, trained them in almost mechanical shifts as a player sets during the offensive cadence.

He said that because he and his players were so busy concentrating on their jobs, they had no time to be emotional. Landry coached teams in Dallas that made the Super Bowl five times, winning two, and he was a star quarterback for the Bears who sneaked away in the Ice Bowl from a sixth.

In 1990, Coach Landry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Most importantly, Tom Landry was a Christian, a God-fearing man; he was a gentleman and distinguished, and he was known as God’s Coach.

Tom Landry revolutionized professional football through his defensive innovations and steady leadership, earning his rightful place as an immortal NFL icon.

Accolades and Football Accomplishments

• Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
• Led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships (VI, XII) and five NFC titles.
• Selected as the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 1966.
• Compiled 270 career victories as a head coach, leaving a legacy with the third most wins in NFL history.
• Earned First-team All-Pro honors as an NFL player in 1954.
• Recorded 32 career interceptions and maintained a 40.9-yard punting average during his playing career.
• Inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1993.

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