IRVING, Texas – While the focus remains heavily on the draft and free agency, it won't be too long before the Cowboys report to training camp in Oxnard, Calif.
It'll be a longer camp and preseason this year with the Cowboys playing five exhibition games, including the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. That pushes up the start date to camp, meaning the pads will be coming on before too long.
So as we count down the days to camp, let's take a light-hearted look at the significance of each number as we stroll through the years of Cowboys football, continuing today with No. 82:
- The No. 82's belonged to tight ends in Dallas since 2000, and no player's worn it longer or played better in it than Jason Witten, who's had the jersey since 2003. Witten came back from a spleen injury to put together one of the greatest seasons ever for a tight end last year, totaling 110 catches for 1,039 yards. Other notable players to wear the jersey include receivers Alvin Harper and Jimmy Smith.
- The Cowboys recorded their 200th regular-season victory with a 24-10 win against the Redskins in the 1982 season. In a strike-shortened regular season, the Cowboys finished 6-3 that year, establishing an NFL record of 17 consecutive winning seasons.
- In that shortened season, no player reached 1,000 yards rushing or receiving. Yet Everson Walls still recorded seven interceptions.
- The Cowboys had the NFC Defensive Back of the Year and the NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1982 in Walls and Randy White, respectively. It's the first time they won either honor. Walls had seven interceptions in 1982 and 11 the year prior.
- Opponents of the Cowboys in the '82 playoffs didn't play by the rules. The 10 penalties by the Buccaneers in a Jan. 2 contest trailed only the Packers' 11 penalties for the most by a Cowboys opponent in the playoffs in team history. In that Tampa Bay game, the Bucs were penalized for 105 yards, the third most against the Cowboys in a playoff game. One week later, the 49ers would be penalized for 106 yards against the Cowboys, but they also recorded 26 first downs, tying them for the most ever for a Cowboys opponent in a playoff game. [embedded_ad]
- The Cowboys' best overall pick at No. 82 in any draft was defensive end George Andrie in 1962. Dallas had 16 picks in the 1982 draft, but none of them became Pro Bowlers, MVPs or Hall of Famers. Five of those players – Rod Hill, Jeff Rohrer, Monty Hunter, Phil Pozderac and George Peoples- made the active roster.
