Throughout the Dallas Cowboys' illustrious history, the franchise can boast of an impressive list of offensive guards, including Larry Allen, Zack Martin, Nate Newton and today's Tyler Smith. However, the bar for what would be expected of the position was originally set by John Niland, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 82.
"The Dallas Cowboys mourn the passing of John Niland," the team said in a statement. "An All-Pro guard, John was the core of Tom Landry's greatest teams and a Super Bowl champion. He was a tough, dedicated, team-first player who battled relentlessly on the line and represented excellence in every way. We send our condolences to his family."
Selected by the Cowboys with the fifth overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft, Niland was not only the first offensive lineman chosen in the first round by the team, but he remains the highest drafted as well. And he lived up to the billing.
An all-state high school fullback when he hit the University of Iowa campus, Niland was converted to tackle before spending his final two seasons with the Hawkeyes at guard. There, despite playing on losing teams, he was named All-Big 10 in both years and was a second-team All-American in 1964 before grabbing first-team honors in his 1965 senior campaign.
Perhaps it's no coincidence that the Cowboys' run of 20 straight winning seasons then began with the arrival of Niland. Although head coach Tom Landry avoided starting rookies, Niland did start four games in his first year before becoming the team's permanent left guard in 1967.
"I felt I could fit in right away," Niland said during a 2023 interview. "I think all my teammates, at least the ones on offense, we all had confidence in each other."
Known for his quickness and abilities as a pulling guard, Niland would go on to earn Pro Bowl invites in six straight seasons from 1968 to 1973, a total that is tied for the fourth most among Cowboys' offensive linemen. In addition, his streak is tied for third among offensive linemen and tied for eighth overall in team record books. Just as impressive, Niland was also named first-team All-Pro three times (1969, 1971 and 1972), a total that is tied for third among Cowboys offensive linemen.
"When you put Niland against some of the people that played his position or were offensive linemen," former player personnel director Gil Brandt once said, "I think he deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as much or more than a lot of those people that are there."
Over nine seasons with the Cowboys, Niland never played for a losing team, appearing in the playoffs eight times. He played in two NFL Championship Games, four NFC Championship Games, two Super Bowls and helped Dallas bring home the Lombardi Trophy in 1971 with a dominating 24-3 defeat of the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
"We were just confident that Miami was not up to our par," Niland said. "It was finally decided that we were going to win. We did win. We said that we would win. We didn't let anybody down, you know. We were pretty confident, not cocky, just confident."
Traded to the Eagles before the 1975 season, Niland finished out his career with one year in Philadelphia before retiring. He is a member of the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame and was named to the Cowboys' Silver Anniversary Team in 1984.
An often overlooked legend, Niland was undoubtedly a winner, helping to build a foundation of greatness for those who would later follow.
