The Dallas Cowboys are celebrating one their all-time greats from their Super Bowl days.
Longtime strong safety Darren Woodson won the Tom Landry Award, which he received at the Cowboys’ last practice of preseason Wednesday at the team’s practice facility, The Star, in Frisco.
The Cowboys give the award annually to a franchise great recognized for their efforts on and off the field.
Woodson spent his entire 12-season career with the Cowboys, earning three straight All-Pro honorees, including the 1995 season when they last won the Super Bowl.
Woodson received the award from Drew Pearson, the Cowboys’ Hall of Fame wide receiver who won the award in 2024.
Why Did Darren Woodson Win The Tom Landry Award?
Woodson may be less famous than other Hall of Fame teammates like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin or Deion Sanders, but he has become memorable in the Metroplex for his charitable efforts.
“Off the field, his legacy continues as Woodson has made significant contributions to his community, both in Dallas and Phoenix, where he grew up and went to high school and college at Arizona State,” Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com reported. “Currently living in Dallas, Woodson is an active board member at C5 Youth Foundation of Texas, which helps high potential youth with limited resources become successful and responsible leaders in their communities.”
Yet, those of a certain age will also remember Woodson’s consistency on the field too. Woodson helped Dallas win three Super Bowls, including 1993 when he was second on the team in tackles (155) and helped the Cowboys win their second straight championship.
Woodson earned five Pro Bowl honors and was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor.
More than 30 Cowboys greats were on hand to watch Woodson receive his honor, including Super Bowl teammates Charles Haley, Daryl “Moose” Johnston, Tony Casillas and Kevin Smith.
Is Darren Woodson In The Hall of Fame?
Woodson is one of the few mid-90s Cowboys greats that have not been enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Yet, Woodson has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame in three consecutive years but has fallen short every time.
“I gotta deal with it,” Woodson said, according to Cowboys.com. “I mean, it just is what it is, man. It sucks, I wish I could walk in and grab that gold jacket, it’s painful man, it really is.”
“I felt like I worked hard on my game, at the same time, it’s out of my control. I’m not controlling the situation, but it still feels like failure to me.”
Though Woodson admitted the voting was out of his control, playing such an integral part on a dynasty-style team should speak for itself. Yet, Woodson also took some accountability for falling short, even though he is the Cowboys franchise leader in solo tackles (827)
“I had plenty of opportunities when I was playing to take it out of the writers’ hands and to control the narrative as far as my play,” Woodson said. “Not only that, but having conversations with my position coaches to play one position instead of three positions. I could have controlled that narrative.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cowboys Make Major Announcement About Legend as Training Camp Wraps Up appeared first on Heavy Sports.