Bob Lilly facts for kids
Lilly c. 1968
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| No. 74 | |||||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | July 26, 1939 Olney, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Pendleton (Pendleton, Oregon) |
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| College: | TCU (1958–1960) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1961 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13 | ||||||
| AFL draft: | 1961 / Round: 2 / Pick: 14 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Robert Lewis Lilly (born July 26, 1939) is a famous American football player. People called him "Mr. Cowboy"! He played as a defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 years. He also played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs. Bob Lilly is so good that he was put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. He also joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
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Early Life and College Football
Bob Lilly was born in Olney, Texas. He grew up in Throckmorton. His family worked in farming and ranching. A big drought in the 1950s made his family move.
They moved to Pendleton, Oregon for his last year of high school. At Pendleton High School, he was named All-state in football. He was also a strong player in basketball.
College Career at TCU
Lilly got a scholarship to Texas Christian University (TCU). His teammates called him "Tiger Lilly." In his second year, his team won the Southwest Conference (SWC) championship. He was mostly a backup player then.
The next year, he became a starter. He played next to another great player, Don Floyd. Their team tied for the SWC championship. Their defense was amazing, letting opponents score only eight points per game.
In 1960, Lilly was named an All-American. This means he was one of the best college players in the country. He was put into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981.
Becoming a Pro Football Star
The Dallas Cowboys picked Bob Lilly in the 1961 NFL Draft. He was the 13th player chosen overall. He was the very first player ever drafted by the Cowboys team!
Lilly started his career as a defensive end. But in 1963, his coach, Tom Landry, moved him to defensive tackle. This was a great move! Lilly became the most important player in the Cowboys' famous "Doomsday Defense."
Super Bowl Success
As a defensive tackle, Lilly was named a first-team All-NFL player many times. He was chosen every year from 1964 to 1969, and again in 1971.
In 1970, the Cowboys reached the Super Bowl V. They played against the Baltimore Colts. The Cowboys lost a very close game, 16–13. Lilly was very frustrated after the loss.
But in 1971, Lilly and the Cowboys won Super Bowl VI. They beat the Miami Dolphins 24–3. In that game, Lilly made a huge play. He sacked the Dolphins' quarterback Bob Griese for a 29-yard loss. This was a record at the time and is still one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history!
Lilly's Amazing Skills
Lilly was named an All-Pro seven times. He was also picked to play in 11 Pro Bowl games. His best skills were rushing the passer and breaking up plays. He was very agile and had great instincts.
Lilly had a special way of standing before a play. He put both hands on the field, which gave him more power. His quickness helped him score four defensive touchdowns in his career. One was from catching an intercepted pass. The other three were from picking up fumbles.
What made Lilly special was his amazing agility, strength, and fitness. He could make tackles all over the field. NFL Films made a video about him. They called him the "unblockable, unstoppable, force of the Doomsday Defense." Teams often had to use two or three players to try and block him.
Lilly played in 196 games in a row! He only missed one NFL game in his whole career. This was because of a leg injury.
"Mr. Cowboy" and His Legacy
Bob Lilly is lovingly known as "Mr. Cowboy." He was the very first person to have his name put in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor. This special honor is displayed at the Cowboys' stadium. The Cowboys had a "Bob Lilly Day" in 1975 to celebrate him.
Lilly was put into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. He was the first player who played his whole career with the Cowboys to get this honor. Many experts call him the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history.
Coach Tom Landry said about Lilly, "Another Lilly won't come along in my time." He also said, "Nobody is better than Lilly." Bob Lilly is part of the best NFL teams of the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Lilly as the 10th greatest football player ever. He was the highest-ranked defensive lineman and the highest-ranked Cowboy. Sports Illustrated also said he was one of the 10 most important defensive players ever.
The Cowboys don't usually retire jersey numbers. But Bob Lilly is the only player to wear number 74 in the team's history during regular games.
Life After Football
Bob Lilly also loves photography. He got his first camera when he was named an All-American in college. He took many pictures of old sports stadiums. He even wrote a book in 1983 called Bob Lilly Reflections. It had many of his black-and-white photos of his teammates. He was also a photographer for the Texas Air National Guard.
After he stopped playing football, Lilly lived in Waco, Texas. He ran a successful business. Later, he decided to sell his business and become a landscape photographer. He opened a photo art gallery in New Mexico.
In 1989, he moved back to Texas. As of 2016, Bob Lilly lives in Georgetown, Texas with his wife, Ann. He is a grandfather and great-grandfather.
Images for kids
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Lilly c. 1968
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Lilly signing autographs in 2014
