Had an outstanding performance in Dallas' 24-3 victory against Miami in Super Bowl VI
Dallas Cowboys, NFL team, announced this Thursday that Walt Garrison, champion with the team in Super Bowl VI -the final of the sixth edition of the championship-, passed away at the age of 79.
"It goes without saying that Walt was and will always be a true cowboy at heart," posted the team of the lone star.
Walt Garrison was selected by the Cowboys in the 1966 Draft and remained with the team throughout his career until 1974 under the guidance of legendary coach Tom Landry, a Hall of Famer.
He had an outstanding performance in Dallas' 24-3 victory over Miami in Super Bowl VI, with 74 yards.
In 1972, he was selected to the Pro Bowl after a season of 784 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, plus 390 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
In his nine years in the NFL, Walt Garrison played 119 regular season games and 13 playoff games; he ranks fourth in team history for average rushing yards per carry, with 4.32, and ninth in rushing yards for a power runner, with 3,491.
In his rookie year with Dallas, Garrison, born in Denton, Texas, would escape to compete in local rodeos and try to return before being discovered to not disrupt the team's discipline.
When Tom Landry found out, he banned this activity during the season; Walt obeyed, but used his free time in the offseason to stay active by tying down steers.
"There are many similarities between rodeo and football. The amount of energy and concentration you need to ride a steer is the same as you need in football; you need about three or four seconds to do it," Garrison said to compare football and rodeo.
His retirement from the NFL came at the age of 30 due to a knee injury that didn't happen on the field, but during a steer takedown, something that didn't sour him.
"That injury ended my career. Nine years as a running back is a long time in the NFL, but I broke my knee doing steer takedowns in a college rodeo. It was a good way to retire without someone saying, 'You're too old and slow'," Garrison said a couple years ago about his retirement from football.