Ralph Neely obit

Former Cowboys offensive lineman Ralph Neely dies at 78

 

He was not on the list.

Former Cowboys offensive lineman Ralph Neely died this week, the team announced Wednesday. Neely was 78.

Neely played his entire 13-year NFL career with the Cowboys.

He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the second round of the 1965 AFL draft and by the Baltimore Colts in the second round of the 1965 NFL draft. The Colts traded his NFL contractual rights to the Cowboys in exchange for Billy Lothridge and a fourth-round selection in 1966.

Neely signed with the Oilers before the Cowboys acquired his rights. He returned his check to the Oilers and joined the Cowboys, and the Oilers sued. The teams resolved the lawsuit in 1966 as part of the NFL-AFL merger.

Neely played until 1977, appearing in five Super Bowls and winning two rings. The Cowboys’ Super Bowl XII win over the Broncos was the final game of Neely’s career.

He earned all-rookie honors, three first-team All-Pro awards and twice made the Pro Bowl.

Neely played right tackle his first five seasons and left tackle for his final eight.

He ranks 11th in Cowboys history with 168 games started.

Neely attended Farmington High School, where he was an All-State tackle for two years in football, and a standout center for the basketball team.

He was recruited by the University of Oklahoma, where he played college football under coaches Bud Wilkinson and Gomer Jones. Neely was a 261-pound tackle who played both ways, as a dominant performer on defense and an excellent blocker on offense. He was named the Big Eight sophomore lineman of the year and was a two-time All-American and an all-conference selection in both 1963 and '64.

Neely was one of three Sooners stars who missed the 1965 Gator Bowl game against Florida State University. Neely, fullback Jim Grisham and halfback Lance Rentzel signed with professional teams before the game, and were ruled ineligible for the contest, which Florida State won 36–19 on the strength of four touchdown catches by Fred Biletnikoff.

Neely was a four-time All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler in 1967 and 1969. In 1970, Neely started the season at right guard, but soon took over for Tony Liscio at left offensive tackle, where he manned the position until 1977, while continuing to be one of the NFL’s premier offensive linemen.

He was injured halfway into the Cowboys victorious 1971 Super Bowl season, when he fractured his left leg in an off-road motorcycle accident; and missed the rest of the year.

In 1977, Neely retired after the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII against the Denver Broncos. He was selected to the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, though Neely has yet to join his bookend partner Rayfield Wright, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.