Dallas Cowboys: The 10 Greatest Wide Receivers in Cowboy History

Dubbed "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. Along the way, the Cowboy's team rosters have been littered with Hall of Famers and Pro Bowl players at virtually every position. Besides having All Pro quarterbacks like Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and great runners like Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith in their fabled past, Dallas has also enjoyed its fair share of great wide receivers. Here then is a list of the 10 greatest wide receivers in Dallas Cowboys history.

1) Michael Irvin (1988-1999)
Irvin, who was instrumental in the franchise's three Super Bowl winning seasons in the 90's, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. A five time Pro Bowler, Irvin holds team records for most catches in season with 111 (1995), and most yards in a season with 1,603 (1995). He also tops the Cowboy's charts in a number of career totals having caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards in 159 regular season games, with his 65 lifetime touchdowns ranking second to Bob Hayes. At his best in the playoffs, Irivn caught 87 passes for 1,315 yards in 16 post season games. Those numbers include a 12 catch, 192 yard performance in the 1995 Conference Championship against the 49ers. In all, Irvin had 47 games in which he broke the 100 yard barrier for Dallas, and he would have added to his overall totals had his career not been cut short by injury.

2) Drew Pearson (1973-1983)
Mr. Clutch for Dallas during the team's heydays of the 70's, Pearson would see action in 22 post season games, catching 67 passes for 1,105 yards in the process. More often than not Pearson was the Cowboys "go to" receiver when a game was on the line, and he is probably best remembered for his game winning catch against Minnesota in the 1975 Conference Championship. A three time Pro Bowler, Pearson ranks second on the all-time Cowboy receptions list with 489 catches for 7,822 yards. Passed by in the Draft, Pearson was one of the team's greatest free agent signing of all times.

3) Bob Hayes (1965-1974)
The Bullet, Bob Hayes was hailed as the world's fastest human after his double gold medal performance in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Bringing that kind of speed to the NFL, Hayes is recognized as the person most responsible for making defenses go away from man to man coverage in favor of zone coverage. Though he was drafted in the 7th round of the 1964 NFL Draft, Hayes blazed onto the NFL scene with two brilliant seasons in 1965 and 1966. In 1965, his rookie season, Hayes caught 46 passes for 1,003 yards and 12 TDs. In 1966, his numbers improved to 64 catches for 1,232 yards and 13 TDs. Those totals included a 246 yard performance against Washington. Over the course of his career, Hayes was at the receiving end of so many long passes that he finished his career in Dallas averaging 20.0 yards per catch (371 catches for 7,414 yards). Equally gifted as a kick returner, Hayes holds the team's single season mark for punt return average with a 20.8 in 1068. For his contributions to the NFL, Hayes was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.

4) Tony Hill (1977-1986)
Nicknamed "The Thrill," Tony Hill was a big play receiver drafted by Dallas out of Stanford in 1977. Playing opposite of Drew Pearson for a good portion of his career, Hill gave the Dallas teams of the late 70's and early 80's the deep threat they lacked since Bob Hayes. A three time Pro Bowler (78. 79. 85), Hill caught 479 passes for 7,988 yards and 51 TDs in 141 regular season games for the Cowboys. In his 10 year tenure for Dallas, Hill also caught 46 passes for 618 yards in 16 post season games, and had 23 games in which he broke the 100 yard plateau.

5) Frank Clarke (1960-1967)
Clarke was the first in a long line of great Cowboy receivers, starting out with the team in 1960 after playing three years for Cleveland. Clarke lead the NFL in touchdowns in 1962 and in average per catch in 1961 and 1962. In 1964 Clarke was named to the NFL All-Pro Team as a Flanker, before switching over to Tight End the following season. In what was to be his best game for the Cowboys, Clarke caught 10 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns against Washington in 1962. During his career Clarke would play in 104 regular season games for the Cowboys, catching 281 passes for 5,426 yards and 50 touchdowns.

6) Terrell Owens (2006-2008)
Love him or hate him, Owens was the Cowboys best wide receiver in his three year tenure with the team. In those three season, Owens would score 38 receiving touchdowns in just 47 games, going over the 1,000 yard barrier each season. In 2006, Owens led the NFL in touchdown receptions with 13, and would post another 15 TDs in 2007 when the league would vote him to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in his career. Owens, like Bob Hayes before him, would also set a team record when he caught 4 passes for touchdowns in 2007 game against Washington. Owens overall totals in Dallas included 235 catches for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns.

7) Lance Renztel (1967-1970)
Lance Renztel's career in Dallas was a brief but productive one. In the four years he spent with the Cowboys, Renztel caught 183 passes for 3,521 yards and scored 31 touchdowns. His best year for Dallas came in 1969 when he led the league in yards per catch (22.3) and in touchdowns with 12. In both 1967 and 1968 Lance would also finished in the top 10 in the NFL in total receptions. All of Rentzel's 12 career +100 yards games came when he played in Dallas. In 1967, against the Washington Redskins, Lance would enjoy his finest game for the Cowboys, catching 13 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown.

8) Terry Glenn (2003-2007)
Injuries ended Glenn's career with the Cowboys prematurely, still the former Ohio State Buckeyes enjoyed some successful campaigns in Dallas. In a total of 54 games for the Cowboys, Glenn caught 208 passes for 3,337 yards and 20 touchdowns. He posted back to back +1,000 yards seasons for Dallas in 2005, and 2006, and had a total of 9 games in which he gained over 100 yards for the Cowboys.

9) Billy Howton (1960-1963)

Howton was a four time Pro Bowler long before he came to Dallas, having spent the early part of his stellar career in Green Bay. Playing his last four seasons for the Cowboys, Howton appeared in 50 games catching 161 passes for 2,368 yards and 17 TDs.

10) Rocket Ismail (1999-2001)

Only Michael Irvin, Jason Witten and Terrell Owens have caught more passes in a season for Dallas than Ismail who caught 80 passes for 1,097 yards and 6 TDs in 1999. A college football star in college and the Canadian Football League, before coming to the NFL Ismail finished out his career with the Cowboys where he caught 158 catches for 2,281 yards in 39 games.

Statistical Source:http:
www.pro-football-reference.com/players