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. 83:
- There's an easy enough starting point for No. 83, based on this weekend's events. How about Terrance Williams? The Baylor wideout is the Cowboys' newest No. 83, and Dallas fans will hope he will become the best. Only time will tell.
- 1983 was a productive year for the Cowboys. They posted an impressive 12-4 record, which ties with eight other Cowboys teams for second-best record ever, behind 2007's 13-3 squad.
- A lot of the credit can go to Tony Dorsett, who posted his second-best season in 1983 with 1,321 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
- The '83 Cowboys also set the franchise record for points scored in a season with 479. That's an average of 29.9 points per game. The offense's 59 touchdowns in '83 is the second-highest total all-time.
- Danny White winged the ball all over the place in the early 80s. In 1983 he set the franchise record for most pass attempts in a game with 59 against Kansas City. He also set the record for completion percentage in a game that same year, when he completed 21-of-24 passes (87.5 percent) against Philadelphia.
- An Oct. 9, 1983, game against Tampa Bay was perhaps the ugliest in franchise history. The Bucs and 'Boys combine for 26 penalties on the day.
- Of course it's worth noting that Dorsett's famous 99-yard run, celebrated earlier in this countdown, happened on Jan. 3, 1983.
- Three players in franchise history have served 15 seasons with the Cowboys – the individual record for seasons played with the team. Two of them, tackle Mark Tuinei and safety Bill Bates, began their careers in 1983. They both played their full careers with Dallas, retiring in 1997. Tuinei was a two-time All-Pro, selected to two Pro-Bowls and played for all three 90s Super Bowl squads. Bates was a one-time All-Pro, selected to one Pro Bowl and also won three world championships.
- Up until Tony Romo showed up in Dallas, Roger Staubach held the franchise record for quarterback rating at 83.4
