There are currently two Canadian Dallas Cowboys players on the active roster who will be celebrating Canada Day today. They are, defensive linemen Neville Gallimore and Brent Urban. The Dallas Cowboys have been represented well in recent years by Canadian players and that has earned them the distinction of being not only America’s Team, but Canada’s Team as well. In celebration of that fact and in honour the great nation of Canada on its 154th birthday, I have compiled a list of the top 5 greatest Canadian Dallas Cowboys players of All Time.
5. MIKE VANDERJAGT, KICKER (2006)
Mike Vanderjagt may be remembered most for being the “idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off” according to Peyton Manning, but at one point in his career he was the most accurate kicker in NFL history. The kicker from Oakville, Ontario had fallen from grace after his days as a Pro-Bowler in Indianapolis. That didn’t stop Jerry Jones from signing him to lucrative deal in 2006 in an attempt to resolve the Dallas Cowboys kicking woes. It did not start out very well for Vanderjagt as he struggled in the preseason and then had to miss time in the regular season with a hamstring injury. It was because of that hamstring injury, the Cowboys had to bring in another kicker named Shaun Suisham, who also happens to be Canadian. I can’t verify this beyond a shadow of a doubt, but I do believe it is the only time in NFL history that a team had 2 Canadian kickers on their active roster at the same time. Vanderjagt only appeared in 10 games that season and made 13 of 18 field goals. Those numbers sound somewhat respectable but he was only 2 of 5 from beyond 35 yards and he had made some crucial misses. As a result he was replaced by Martin Gramatica after failing to live up to his big contract.
4. CHRISTIAN COVINGTON, DT (2019)
Christian Covington was signed as a free agent in 2019. Covington was another prototypical, Will McClay, bargain bin free agent, brought in to fill a roster need and provide depth. The Vancouver, British Columbia native proved to be a solid rotational player who appeared in all 16 games in 2019 and contributed with a sack and a handful of tackles for a loss over the course of the season. Covington only played one season in Dallas and then he signed with Cincinnati the following year. Second year defensive tackle Neville Gallimore will likely replace him on this list but for the time being, Covington edges him out.
3. EDDIE MURRAY, KICKER, (1993)
Eddie Murray of Halifax, Nova Scotia, had a very lengthy NFL career but he only played one full season with the Dallas Cowboys. Unlike Mike Vanderjagt, his one season was a an absolute success. Murray made 28 of 33 FG’s in the 1993 regular season and he never missed an extra point. He was also perfect on field goals and extra points in the playoffs, including 3 for 3 on FG’s in the Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills. Eddie Murray is only the second Canadian player to win a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys, the other being WR/ST Tyrone Williams in 1993. Murray returned to the Cowboys briefly in 1999 and converted 7 of 9 field goals in 4 appearances.
2. L.P. LADOUCEUR (2005-2020)
L.P. Ladouceur has a strong case for #1 on this list. The long snapper from Montreal, Quebec played his entire 16 season career with the Dallas Cowboys and was a rock on special teams. He decided to hang up his cleats after the Cowboys declined to bring him back for a 17th season but he is a Cowboys special teams legend and an All Time great among Canadian Dallas Cowboys players.
1. TYRONE CRAWFORD, DL, (2012-2020)
The pride of Windsor, Ontario, Tyrone Crawford is one of the more underappreciated Dallas Cowboys players of this generation. Crawford suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2013 and missed the entire season but bounced back in 2014 with a strong season at Defensive Tackle to earn himself a lucrative contract extension. The following years presented various challenges with injuries, switching positions to DE, to DT again, and then back to DE again but the versatile Crawford remained a consistent player and key run defender no matter where he was asked to play. Crawford was also recognized as a team leader and was named team captain. The Canadian legend registered 25 sacks over the course of his career, while many Cowboys fans wished for more production, it was his willingness to do the dirty work in the trenches that made him a valuable member of the team throughout his career. For his many contributions, Tyrone Crawford is the #1 All Time greatest Canadian Dallas Cowboys player.
Photo by Joe Glorioso All-Pro Reels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
**All data and statistics obtained and verified from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/