THOMAS “HOLLYWOOD” HENDERSON

"Tom Landry didn’t want to waste a No. 1 draft pick on a guy from a HBCU. That’s 'historically black colleges and universities'. So, Red Hickey and Gil Brandt challenged him and said he’s the best player on the board. So, Landry went with his scouts and picked me 18th in the first round on January 29, 1975. I was in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere and the phone rang. My roommate answered and he said, hey man, it’s the Cowboys. The Cowboys are on the phone. There was no watch party. My family wasn’t dressed up like we were going to church. I got on the phone and it was Gil Brandt, and he said we just picked you in the draft, 18th, in the first round. He says can you get to the airport? This was about 10:00 in the morning. He hollered back at his secretary. Hey, what time is the nonstop coming from Oklahoma City and she goes 3:30. He said can you be there at the airport by 3:00. I go yeah, I can be there by 3:00 and that was my draft day."

John Niland – Dallas Cowboy Pro Bowl Guard

Paul Heckmann sat down with John Niland – a former Iowa Hawkeye and Dallas Cowboy from the East Coast that played under Tom Landy and earned the nickname “Night…

Tommy Loy, Dallas Cowboy Trumpeter

After he performed The National Anthem for Mr. Murchison, he waited to hear if he got the job. The clock was fast approaching kickoff and he hadn’t heard if he was selected so he prepared to find a place to watch the game. Five minutes before kickoff, he got the call that Mr. Murchison wanted to go with his solo rendition, which began what would be a 22-year stint as the Dallas Cowboys solo trumpeter.

LOUIS FITE, PARADE ALL AMERICAN

Right, and I didn’t know anything. I was just playing football. But the first time I noticed about colleges is Keifer Chatham. I don’t know if you knew Keifer Chatham, he was a defensive end for us. He was like a top 20, a top 30 ranked. He was a senior when I was a junior. And I came out the locker room, when I came out the locker room I was running, and I did a flip. I ran and did a flip, woo! And I was almost like a double. I got lead and I kept running. I guess all of the scouts was out there. They was like, “Who is that?” Because he was like, “That’s Louis Fite. He is gonna be the best.”

THOMAS “HOLLYWOOD” HENDERSON

Growing up in Austin was a great experience. I was loved. I was disciplined, but again I had a little thug in me, which doesn’t hurt you over your lifetime. You get to protect yourself and you have very little fear and anxiety because basically, I can’t be intimidated. There’s some value to being thuggish.