I think my Fav Cowboy was Walt Garrison, I tough Mother F...
Garrison was selected by the
Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (79th overall) of the
1966 NFL Draft. He was selected by the
Kansas City Chiefs in the 17th round (151st overall) of the
1966 AFL Draft. In his first 2 seasons, he was mainly used as a kickoff returner.
In
1968, he tallied 45 carries for 271 yards and 5 touchdowns as a backup player. In
1969, he took over at
fullback after the retirement of
Don Perkins, posting a career-high 818 rushing yards, while scoring 2
touchdowns and forming one of the league's best running back duos with
Calvin Hill.
In
1970, with the arrival of rookie
Duane Thomas, he tallied 126 carries for 507 yards and 3 touchdowns. His style of play and perceived ability to play hurt brought him recognition in Cowboys lore, which included playing the
NFC Championship Game against the
San Francisco 49ers with a cracked collarbone and a serious ankle injury, but still managing to record 17 carries for 71 yards, 3 receptions for 51 yards and one touchdown.
[4] It was reported in the media, that the trainers needed 36 yards of tape to get him ready to play in
Super Bowl V.
During Dallas' championship season of
1971, he showed his pass-catching skills, leading the team with 40 receptions. That year, the Cowboys rode their three
running backs all the way to a
Super Bowl VI victory.
[5]
In
1972, Garrison was featured on the cover of
Sports Illustrated for its pro
football preview issue; the photo was from
Super Bowl VI in January.
[6] During the season, he suffered a 16-stitch cut in one of his fingers while doing his favorite hobby (
whittling). He was named to the
Pro Bowl, after registering 784 yards and 7
touchdowns, even though he was a part of a three-headed rushing attack. He played in the
Pro Bowl a few days after suffering a gash in his face while
steer wrestling.
In
1973, he suffered pinched nerves in his neck during training camp and had headaches so severe that he couldn't sleep.
Robert Newhouse was promoted as the starting fullback, performing well enough that it was the sixth game of the season before Garrison could get his starting position back. He still had 105 carries for 440 yards (second on the team) and was third in receiving with 26 receptions. He missed the season finale with a cracked collarbone, but was back in the lineup the next week in the playoffs.
A "real"
cowboy, he spent time on the professional
rodeo circuit during the
football off-seasons. His signing bonus with the Cowboys in 1966 included a horse trailer. In June 1975, Garrison made an appearance at the
College National Rodeo Finals in
Bozeman, Montana; a knee injury he sustained in an exhibition
steer wrestling accident ended his pro football career.
[7] He retired in August
1975, and was replaced in the starting lineup with Newhouse.
[8]
Garrison played in the NFL for nine seasons (missing only 7 games), all of them with the Cowboys. He finished his career with 3,886 yards rushing and 1,794 yards receiving. Garrison retired as the third leading rusher and fourth leading receiver in team history.
One of the more humorous sports quotes was attributed to Cowboy quarterback
Don Meredith speaking about Garrison's dependability, "If it was third down, and you needed four yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, he'd get you five. And if it was third down and you needed twenty yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, by God, he'd get you five."
Garrison was named to the Dallas Cowboys' 25th anniversary team and was also inducted into the
Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the
Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
[9]
Personal life[edit]
He was a long-time spokesman for
Skoal smokeless tobacco, and is the current television spokesman for Bill Utter Ford near Denton, Texas. In 1988, he published his biography "Once a Cowboy" with writer John Tullius.
[10] The title is a reference not only to his rodeo cowboy career, but also to his career with the
Dallas Cowboys, and his college career with the
Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Garrison served military duty in New Jersey and
Fort Lewis. He established the Walt Garrison
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and currently resides in
Argyle, Texas.
