Lee Roy Jordan, a five-time NFL Pro Bowler who helped the Cowboys win their first Super Bowl in 1971, has died.
He was 84.
The Cowboys confirmed the death with a heartfelt statement shared on X on Saturday.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we share the passing of Lee Roy Jordan,” the team wrote. “An inspirational leader of the Cowboys first championship teams, Jordan was at the core of the Dallas Cowboys ‘Doomsday Defense,’ anchoring the middle linebacker spot for 14 years.”
Jordan, born in Excel, Alabama, played his college football at the University of Alabama under the legendary head coach Bear Bryant.
It was in Tuscaloosa where Jordan where truly starred on a national stage, helping the Crimson Tide become the 1961 national champions.
The next year, he was a unanimous All-American and also an All-SEC member. According to the National Football Foundation, Jordan recorded 30 tackles in a win in the Orange Bowl over Oklahoma.
“A champion, a leader, and forever part of Alabama Football history,” Alabama football wrote on X in memory of Jordan.
In 1963, he was selected in both the NFL and AFL drafts, getting picked by the Cowboys with the sixth overall pick in the first round and the 14th pick of the second round by the Patriots.
He chose the Cowboys, a team he’d play with for the entirety of his 14-year NFL career. Jordan, per the team website, held 1,236 team-credited tackles, a franchise best that stood until 2002. He also had impressive ball-hawking skills, recording 32 career interceptions, including two seasons of six picks.
Jordan played two NFL championship games and three Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl VI over the Dolphins.
Though he has not been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was added to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 1989.
“With fearless instincts, leadership and a relentless work ethic, Jordan was the embodiment of the Cowboys’ spirit,” owner Jerry Jones said in a statement.