Don Perkins, a six-time Pro Bowler during an eight-year career as a Dallas Cowboys running back, died Thursday at the age of 84, according to the team.
Perkins played for the Cowboys from 1961 to 1968. The 1961 NFL Rookie of the Year, Perkins rushed for 6,217 career yards with 42 touchdowns, tallies that both rank fourth in franchise history.
He was inducted into the Cowboys’ ring of honor in 1976.
Perkins played college football at New Mexico, where he was an All-American in 1959 and had his No. 43 retired by the school.
“I am just proud to have known him and him being a great Lobo. It’s really cool that he played and was a great player here and then got to become a well-known great player in the NFL,” current New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales said, according to KRQE in Albuquerque. “I am proud of that, and I am constantly reminding our guys of the great ones that have came through here.”
The Cowboys have had several prominent former players, coaches and front-office personnel die in 2022, including Hall of Fame offensive tackle Rayfield Wright; offensive tackle Ralph Neely; running back Marion Barber; Dan Reeves, who played and was an assistant for the Cowboys before his head-coaching career; scouting director Larry Lacewell; running backs coach Gary Brown; and Marilyn Love, who served as a longtime assistant to team owner Jerry Jones.