DeMarcus Ware finished 2011 with 99.5 sacks over his career, ranking fourth on the Dallas Cowboys' all-time list of sack leaders. He also finished the season only half a sack away from becoming the only player in NFL history to have two separate 20 sack seasons. A seven-year veteran, it is only a matter of time before Ware becomes the Dallas Cowboys' all-time sack leader, possibly surpassing all three leaders in 2012.
Here is a look at the Cowboys' players that Ware is closing in on.
Harvey Martin (114)
While Michael Strahan is the NFL single-season sack leader with 22.5, the statistics did not become an official stat until 1982. That is unfortunate, because according to the Dallas Cowboys, defensive end Harvey Martin accumulated 23 sacks in 1977, picking up the NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. In that same year, he and Randy White were named co-Super Bowl MVPs for their performance against the Denver Broncos. Over his nine year career, he led Dallas in sacks in seven of them and finished up with 114 for his career.
Randy White (111)
While DeMarcus Ware is making his case for the title, I still consider Randy White to be the greatest defensive player in Dallas Cowboys' history. He holds the Cowboys' record for most All-Pro honors, with eight, and also played in nine consecutive Pro-Bowls. Aside from maybe Bob Lilly, there are few people in Cowboys' lore to dominate the game like White did. White had pure strength and just destroyed anyone who tried to block him, finishing with 111 career sacks, with a high of 16 in 1978.
Ed "Too Tall" Jones (106)
For people who don't think that Tom Landry had "characters" on his teams like more recent coaches did, I point out Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Not only did Jones have his wonderful nickname but he attempted to start a boxing career, retiring from the NFL after only five seasons. However, Jones returned after that fell through and played for ten more seasons. Jones, a 6-9 defensive end, played in more games than anyone in Dallas Cowboys' history with 224. He led the Cowboys in sacks in three seasons, his high being 13 in 1985.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
