D.D. Lewis, Cowboys linebacker and two-time Super Bowl champion, dies at 79
Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker D.D. Lewis, a key member of the Doomsday Defense and two-time Super Bowl winner, has died at age 79, the team announced.
Dallas Cowboys announced the death of former linebacker D.D. Lewis on Monday. He was 79 and helped the franchise win two Super Bowls during the 1971 and 1977 seasons.
Lewis was a sixth-round pick in the 1968 NFL draft out of Mississippi State and spent his entire 13-year NFL career with Dallas, finishing in 1981. He appeared in 186 games and was credited with 15.5 sacks. He also played in 27 playoff games, a Cowboys franchise record.
During the heyday of Tom Landry's Doomsday Defense, Lewis developed into one of the unit's top linebackers alongside Lee Roy Jordan. He contributed with two fumble recoveries in 1973 and recorded a sack in Super Bowl XII, a 27-10 win over the Denver Broncos.
Mississippi State highlighted his college achievements, noting he was an All-SEC standout and the 1967 SEC Defensive Player of the Year before his NFL career. He appeared in five Super Bowls with Dallas, winning two, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
Though never a Pro Bowl selection, Lewis was named to the Cowboys' Silver Anniversary Team in 1984 and has been described by the franchise as one of the most underappreciated players in its history.
Off the field, Lewis was known for a memorable quip about Texas Stadium: "Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch his favorite team play."
In 186 career games with Dallas, Lewis logged 15.5 sacks and became a fixture on the defense through the 1970s. His passing marks the end of an era for a Doomsday Defense that remains a touchstone in franchise lore. The Cowboys confirmed his death, underscoring his place in a generation defined by the team's championship runs and the enduring legend of its defensive one-two punch.
Mississippi State also posted condolences on social media, praising his college career and his lasting ties to the school.
Lewis's legacy endures in Cowboys history, both for the two championships and for the role he played in the Doomsday Defense, a chapter fans and historians often point to when recalling the franchise's most storied era. Teammates, opponents, and generations of fans remember him as a cornerstone of a defense that helped define an era.