Ralph Neely was drafted by the Houston Oilers of the American Football League and the Baltimore Colts of the NFL, and he secretly agreed to play for the Oilers (it was kept secret so he could play for the University of Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl).
Neely was ready to be an Oiler, but the Colts traded his rights to the Dallas Cowboys, a team he would rather play for, and "Big D" would land the Offensive Tackle.
The AFL was clearly the place for Neely, as he would play there from 1965 to 1977, which was his entire professional NFL career. He was at his best in the late '60s, when he was a First Team All-Pro three years in a row (1966-68) and earned All-Decade Team honors. The tackle helped them win two Super Bowls (VI & XII). His career seemed to be tailor-made for Dallas.
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