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the semi-finals of the Oregon playoffs.
He moved on into the basketball sea-
son, as he had in Texas, and was again
honored as an all-state player. He was,
after all, a solidly-built young man who
was close to his adult height of 6’5.5.”
Although Texas was not out of Lilly’s life
(he would soon attend Texas Christian
University), that one year in Oregon was
admittedly special. So special, in fact,
that he journeyed there recently for a
Pendleton High School Hall of Fame
banquet―a fundraiser for the Don Requa
Memorial Scholarship, honoring his late
coach, who compiled a career record of
273-86-5 and is in the National High
School Football Hall of Fame.
As much as Lilly appreciated Dutch
Kline’s influence, he ranks Requa and
Dallas Cowboys’ legend Tom Landry on
top as “the two coaches that I would re-
member above and beyond any others.”
The makings of an All-Star
Of course, there was also Abe Martin,
TCU mentor at the time, who said that
all it took to get Lilly back to the Lone
Star State was a postcard inviting him to
visit campus during Christmas break in
1956. A football scholarship was offered
and accepted.
While the Horned Frogs’ varsity was
going 5-4-1 in 1957, defensive end Lilly
and the rest of the freshmen team went
4-1, in a time when frosh were not eli-
gible for varsity.
In Lilly’s three years on varsity, TCU
had a 20-9-3 record and went to two bowl
games, one of those the January ’59 Cot-
ton Bowl, which resulted in a scoreless
tie with Air Force. “Eighteen inches of
snow fell the day before,” Lilly recalled.
“It melted before the game, but footing
was bad.”
Interestingly, another post-season game
was played in December 1959―the Blue-
bonnet Bowl in Houston, featuring TCU
versus Clemson. TCU lost, 23-7, but Lilly
recalls the game gave him a great deal
of confidence. Why?
“I was voted ‘Lineman of the Game,’
which isn’t typical for anyone on a los-
ing team,” he said.
Although the Frogs struggled at 4-4-2
in his senior season, No. 72 was a con-
sensus All-American.
Following his final collegiate game―
and this could be a record―Lilly was
selected for and played in four games
of the all-star type; they were the East-
West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, the
Coaches’ All-American Game and the
College All-Star Game versus the Phila-
delphia Eagles. The latter two games
came in summer 1961.
Moving on, in fall 1961, to the profession-
al ranks with the Dallas Cowboys of the
National Football League, Lilly made No.
74 so famous as a defensive tackle that
he became known as “Mr. Cowboy,” after
being the first Dallas player inducted into
the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton,
Ohio. He also has a Super Bowl ring from
the 1972 win over Miami.
Even though there was nothing special
about either his college number or his pro
number (“They were simply assigned”),
it seemed fitting that he decided to retire
after the ’74 season. “An earlier neck
injury became a factor,” he explained
Star player & military man
Looking back, there was a military as-
pect to his life that came close to being
extended. “I was in line for a commission
and was mighty tempted,” he admitted.
As it was, from 1962 until 1968, Lilly
simultaneously served in the Texas Air
National Guard as a photographer, while
also continuing his pro football career.
In 1967, about midway through his seven
years of being First Team All-Pro, his
ANG unit spent a two-week tour in Ger-
many, giving Sergeant Lilly a glimpse
of life in Europe. He added memories to
that later when he and his wife traveled
to Rome.
“And in 1971, shortly after we lost Su-
per Bowl V to Baltimore, I was part of
a USO Tour to Japan, Guam and the
Philippines,” he added.
Life After Football
After retiring, he gained additional
fame for his photography―although his
involvement has diminished in recent
years―and as co-author of two books.
One of the books,
Reflections
, first pub-
lished in 1983, is a compilation of photos
from his Cowboys days with accompany-
ing personal commentary.
Then came his autobiography, entitled
A Cowboy’s Life
, which was published
in 2008.
So, yes, Lilly is famous and has lived
here with wife, Ann, since 1997. How-
ever, spending even a few hours with
him showed this writer that it is the full
life Lilly has lived and the many friends
he has made that have defined him. He
wears fame with humility.
Bob Lilly, also known as “Mr. Cowboy,” was the Dallas
Cowboys’ first-ever draft choice in 1961, and the first
player who spent his entire career with the Cowboys
to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
He starred as a defensive end in his first season with
the Cowyboys, but moved to a defensive tackle spot
in his third season. He retired from pro football in 1974.
Bob is the only Dallas Cowboy to wear #74
―
the only
number unofficially retired by the team.
Photo by Larry Dennis
