Duane Thomas, a former Dallas Cowboys running back who helped lead the team to victory in Super Bowl VI, has died, according to the Dallas Morning News. He was 77 years old.
A Dallas native, Thomas starred at West Texas State in college and landed with his hometown team as the 23rd overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft. His next two seasons were eventful.
There was undoubtedly success on the field. Thomas ascended to the starting role midway through his rookie season and ended up leading the league with 5.3 yards per attempt, with 803 rushing yards total and five touchdowns. He finished second in AP Rookie of the Year voting and was poised for stardom in an early NFL.
He saw even more success in his sophomore season, leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 11 and total touchdowns with 13. One of those was the first touchdown in the history of Texas Stadium. Then he was arguably the best player on the field in Super Bowl VI, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts in the Cowboys’ first championship.
Roger Staubach, who threw for 119 yards with two touchdowns, won Super Bowl MVP instead.
Off the field, however, Thomas saw plenty of friction in Dallas. After that great rookie season, he tried to re-negotiate his contract. When the Cowboys refused, he was quoted as calling Tom Landry “a plastic man… no man at all” and legendary executive Gil Brandt “a liar.”
Thomas refused to report to camp after that, and was traded to the New England Patriots. That trade was voided by NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle after Thomas walked out of Patriots training camp. He then didn’t report back to Dallas until October (the same year he led the NFL in TDs) and didn’t speak with the media the entire season. He was arrested for marijuana possession two weeks after the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys were apparently ready to move on after that. They traded him to the San Diego Chargers the following summer. He missed the entire 1972 season after refusing to report to the team. He played his final two seasons in Washington, where he accrued a total of 442 rushing yards.
After a stint in the World Football League, Thomas re-signed with the Cowboys, but was waived before the start of the season.
