The Dallas Cowboys have lost one of their own, as Scott Laidlaw, a running back who was in the NFL for six seasons and won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys, died Thursday, January 29, at the age of 72. The news comes from a report from Jonah Javad of WFAA.
“Sad news to report: Scott Laidlaw passed away on Thursday, his family informs me,” Javad said.
Laidlaw played five seasons with the Cowboys, from 1975 to 1979, before ending his career with one year with the New York Giants in 1980. Laidlaw, a fullback and halfback, was a huge part of the team’s chemistry under head coach Tom Landry at the time.
Laidlaw made his way to not one but two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, including the team’s win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. He finished his career with 16 carries for 255 yards and nine touchdowns, according to NFL research. He also clocked 74 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns in his time in the NFL.
The Dallas Cowboys’ official website Rank’Em: Best Picks By Round in Cowboys History in the history of the franchise.
About the Prized Dallas Cowboys Running Back
Laidlaw, who hailed from Hawthorne, California, was drafted by Dallas in the 14th round of the 1975 NFL draft out of Stanford. During his rookie season, he only appeared in eight games, due to a knee injury early in the season. He ended up getting surgery and coming back stronger than ever.
He appeared in 13 games during the 1976 season, according to StatMuse, and started in seven games. He finished his NFL career with 94 carries for 424 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, as well as 38 catches for 325 yards.
Towards the end of his time with the Dallas Cowboys, Laidlaw started in eight regular season games between 1976 and 79 and then was released and signed with the New York Giants.
Another Dallas Cowboys Great Dies
Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Billy Truax, a player who played in the team’s victory Super Bowl VI, also recently died. News of his death broke on Wednesday, January 7. He was 82 years old.
The Gulfport, Louisiana, native showed promise in football early in his career. He became a first team All-American at Louisiana State University. Then, it was onto the pros.
“Billy Truax is arguably, the finest all-around tight end ever to come out of New Orleans. He was All-Prep at Holy Cross, and named All-Southeastern Conference at LSU,” We Are HC notes. “He was a second-round NFL draft choice by both the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and the AFL’s Houston Oilers.”
“Super Bowl VI meant even more to me because it was in Tulane Stadium in New Orleans in front of friends and family,” Truax said in an interview with the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee. “I had played every game that season with the injury and I wasn’t going to miss the Super Bowl in my New Orleans.”
“A consummate tight end, but LSU’s offense in his era was geared towards the run and, consequently, his talents as a pass receiver were never exploited,” the Historical Marker Database adds. “It was mostly his superb blocking that earned him All-American status in 1963.”
Cowboys Super Bowl Champion Dies