While the Dallas Cowboys’ story didn't begin for many fans until the early '70s, they still had star power in the 1960s.  One such performer was Don Perkins, their Fullback from the University of New Mexico.

Perkins played eight years in the NFL, all of which were with the Dallas Cowboys, and he would secure a selection to the Pro Bowl in six of them.  He was a cerebral player in that he lacked speed but had bursts of quickness from the Line of Scrimmage and knew what to do to avoid tackles.  He would rush for over 6,000 Yards and be considered to be an above-average blocker.

Bob Gain was drafted 5^th Overall in 1951 by the Green Bay Packers, but that year he elected to play in Canada with the Ottawa Rough Riders instead.  

Mike Stratton was the leader of one of the best linebacking crews in the American Football League, though his accomplishments seem to have been forgotten in the game’s folklore.  A 13^th Round Pick from Tennessee in 1962, Stratton fit in immediately with the Buffalo Bills, settling in at Right Linebacker, and from 1963 to 1968, he was a perennial AFL All-Star with two of those years seeing him chosen for First Team All-Pro.  Stratton was a massive cog in the Bills’ AFL Championship wins in 1964 and 1965, and in the former, he made "the hit heard round the world,” taking San Diego Chargers Running Back Keith Lincoln out of the game and changing the momentum of a game that Buffalo was losing in the first half.  

Stratton would be named a Second Team All-AFL player and is recognized in the Bills Wall of Fame.

From the University of Minnesota, Rick Upchurch came to the Denver Broncos in 1975, and like many Wide Receivers, he was used as a returner as a rookie.  This was the role he primarily played in his first four seasons.  During that time, he was a Pro Bowler and a First Team All-Pro Selection twice and was regarded as the NFL's premier punt returner.

While still returning on a regular basis, he would be used more as a Wide Receiver from 1979 to 1983, peaking with a 64 Reception Season in 1979 and finishing with 267 receptions for 4,369 yards and 24 Touchdowns.  Upchurch went to his third Pro Bowl in 1979, with his fourth coming in 1982, coinciding with a third First Team All-Pro selection.  Upchurch would have another 3,008 Punt Return Yards, with eight of them going into the end zone.