Lee Roy Jordan, who helped the Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl title, dies at 84

DALLAS — Lee Roy Jordan, a linebacker on the first Super Bowl-winning team for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s, has died. He was 84.

The Cowboys announced Jordan’s death Saturday without saying when he died or giving a cause of death.

Jordan was a first-round draft pick by Dallas in 1963 after a standout career at Alabama, where he played for the late Paul “Bear” Bryant.

Jordan was a big part of the “Doomsday” defense that carried the Cowboys to a Super Bowl title in a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins during the 1971 season. He retired in 1976, the year before Dallas won its second championship.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Jordan was the first player inducted into the team’s ring of honor after owner Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.

Jordan is still second on the team’s all-time tackles list with 1,236. Darren Woodson, a safety on the Dallas teams that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s, has 1,350.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

“With fearless instincts, leadership and relentless work ethic, Jordan was the embodiment of the Cowboys’ spirit,” the team said. “Off the field, his commitment to his community was the centerpiece of his life after retiring in 1976.”

The Cowboys were known as “next year’s champions” after the famous “Ice Bowl” loss to Green Bay in 1967, when the Packers went on to win their second consecutive title in Super Bowl 2. Three years later, Dallas lost to the Baltimore Colts on a last-season field goal in the Super Bowl.

The breakthrough finally came a year later with a linebacking crew led by Jordan and Chuck Howley, along with defensive tackle Bob Lilly, whose 29-yard sack of Bob Griese was the signature play in the Super Bowl win.

Jordan was the defensive leader on Alabama’s 1961 national championship team and was an Associated Press All-American a year later. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.