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Doomsday Redux: A Visit With Larry Cole

The Original Doomsday Defense Front Four- George Andrie, Bob Lilly, Jethro Pugh and Larry Cole.

The Original Doomsday Defense Front Four- George Andrie, Bob Lilly, Jethro Pugh and Larry Cole.

I had the pleasure of recently meeting Larry Cole at a luncheon in Decatur, Texas. Cole played defensive end and defensive tackle for the Cowboys from 1968 through 1980. He played in five Super Bowls, winning two of them. He was drafted in the 16th-round and wore the star his entire career. He played for one coach, Tom Landry.

Today, Larry is a very successful real estate developer in the DFW area and the CEO of Larry Cole Communities. He's tall, thinner than his playing days, but I can imagine how big and imposing he was with pads and at his playing weight.

He's a very gracious man and still is a big Cowboys fan. When I introduced myself and asked him if he still followed the Cowboys, his passion for the team and the game was evident. I wondered if he would be willing to give me some insights into his days as an original member of the Doomsday Defense and share his perspective on the current Dallas Cowboys. I asked if he would answer 10 questions, (I snuck in an extra) he agreed, and the Q&A results follow the jump.

Larry, thank you for taking time to speak with BTB and thanks for the great Cowboy memories!

Star-divide

1)      What are your most vivid memories of Coach Landry?

        Winning the first Super Bowl (VI). Rayfield Wright and I lifted him on our shoulders. He had that "ear to ear" grin. He had been through so many frustrating end of seasons that this got the "monkey off his back".

2)       You played in 5 Super Bowls, winning two of them. Do you have a favorite Super Bowl story?

        The night before Super Bowl VI my Mom and Dad took me and my Godparents out to dinner. I decided that I wanted to try something different for dinner. I ordered quail. I got two of them but they were only the size of an egg. When we left I was still hungry so we stopped at McDonalds so I could eat more. I had a good game as the whole team did. I recovered a Larry Csonka fumble and helped Bob Lilly tackle Bob Griese for a 29 yard loss that seemed to demoralize their team after that. So "I had it my way" by eating at McDonalds!" 

3)     Who gave you the nickname Bubba? Why?

        Dave Edwards, outside linebacker, was the master of giving nicknames. He started this one. It wasn't Bubba, but was "Bubber Frank". I had to have two names in Texas. I think I got it because I played the left side at defensive end, which is the strong side for offenses. We had to stuff more of the running plays on our side. He played next to me and we were kind of the "stumps" to shut down the run.

4)      Tony Romo is criticized for not being a leader. What advice would you give him?

        Talk to Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. It is my understanding that he did spend time with Troy. He reminded me a little of Don Meredith who wanted to win, but didn't want it bad enough. I think dumping Jessica, at least until the end of the season, was good for him. He is handling himself very well this year. Not having to deal with T.O.'s personality is a plus at his age. I think Troy could have handled T.O.

5)     When Landry devised the ‘flex' defense, how did it effect opposing offenses?

        It was designed to stop the Green Bay Packer power sweep and trap series. It absolutely shut it down when executed properly. Once offenses changed to short passing it wasn't as effective. Landry abandoned it his last year of coaching and did a 3-4 defense, the same as coached by Wade Phillips.

6)     Who was the meanest guy in the league during your era?

        Conrad Dobler. He was a nasty player who stretched the rules and literally bit Jethro Pugh on his calf muscle. Dobler was a great competitor with limited talent. Dick Butkus was the other but he also played defense same as me so I didn't play against him.

7)     If you were Wade Philips, what changes would you make to the current Cowboys team?

        I like what he has done this year. I still have a lot of confidence in Jason Garrett. His father was a good football man. Jason was one of the ball boys in training camp. Other than that keep Felix Jones healthy!

8)     Do you have a favorite Cowboy player? Past and present?

        Bob Lilly is like a big brother to me. He has been and still is very supportive of anything I do. I learned the pro game from him. Demarcus Ware is such an awesome athlete and seems to be a good person off the field.

9)    How has the game changed since you played?

        Yes. In my day they took big bodies and made the best football player and athlete out of him. Now they take a fullback with good agility and footwork and make a defensive lineman out of him. These kids start playing, running and weight lighting when they are in junior high. I would love to take the 1971 team and morph into the bodies of these guys. We were more focused and disciplined and were more hungry since we didn't make enough money. Making the playoffs meant adding up to 40% more salary.

10)  In your career you had three interceptions and one fumble returned for touchdowns. You must have been pretty fast for a big man, do you think Bob Hayes was concerned you might give him a challenge?

        Not hardly! Two of the runs were over 40 yards. I felt like I was running on a treadmill! It took forever to get to the endzone.

11) Have you had a chance to see the new stadium? What do you think?

        Yes, I went to the Ribbon Cutting. It is awesome! it is big, but not gaudy. I love the plazas at the end of the end zones. There are 6 levels.  It's kind of like TCU's plaza where you can get out of your seat and mingle and keep up with the game. You can easily see the whole field in the endzone. It just feels right.

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Must have been quite the experience...

..and kind of random, for happening in lil ol Decatur…see him at the Chilis? lol

Superbowl, or BUST.

by .FRoST.USAF on Aug 25, 2009 2:18 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Decatur Chilis?

Obviously you know this town. Actually it was further up 287 in what used to be the Armadillo Grill. I can’t think of the new name.

"He has a peculiar felicity of expression." John Adams

by Jim Vance on Aug 25, 2009 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm actually from Saginaw..

..but lived in Rhome and worked at the Chilis for awhile… think I know where you’re talkin’ about.

Superbowl, or BUST.

by .FRoST.USAF on Aug 25, 2009 4:23 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Great Article ... kudos to Bubber Frank :)

I forgot that it was Coles that helped Lilly make that sack. After so many years finishing #2, I’m sure it was a tremendous feeling getting over that final hurdle — and in such convincing fashion! Come to think of it, in the 5 Super Bowl victories, the Cowboys DESTROYED their opponents in 4 of them.

That 70s team had a TON of quality guys, but when Coles talks about “focused, disciplined and hungry,” while I do think the older guys were more intense, you can’t deny the round-the-year dedication practically required of today’s player. It makes for a good debate … I think more guys back then had that intangible called “heart” … that inner drive … his reference to Meredith in comparison to Romo was interesting. The jury’s out for me; I hope Romo shows his real desire this year.

Those 70s teams also had their share of bruisers. Walt Garrison was definitely a guy that stood out as tough — both on and off the field. He came back into a game in which he’d been carried off. He was featured in what was probably one of the first books I actually liked reading, the title was something like “NFLs 10-Toughest Guys” and featured Dobler, Butkis, Garrison … the story I’ll remember is him putting lighter fluid under his tongue, then lighting it as he spit it across the room. Even as an idiot 8 year old, I wasn’t about to try that.

Doomsday returns... Wade Phillips style.

by DalaiLuke on Aug 25, 2009 2:57 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Hat tip to Cliff Harris

I agree with your assessment of Walt Garrison. But sticking with the defensive side of the ball, I’ll say pound-for-pound Cliff Harris was one of the toughest players in football.

Growing up a cowboy’s fan in Dallas was a childhood highlight. You hear so much talk of economic malaise during that time, but as a kid, all you thought about was sandlot football and being Roger Staubach or your favorite Cowboy player.

My grandmother, living in San Antonio at the time, was a huge huge huge Bob Lilly fan. One Saturday, my grandparents were visiting and Bob Lilly and Larry Cole were at a real estate development endorsment event (I forgot where). My dad surprised her and took her to meet Bob Lilly. You would have thought she died and went to heaven. And my grandfather, as a charter subscriber to Dallas Cowboy’s Weekly, kept every issue mailed to him. My uncle and I went through his things after he passed and found, gosh, maybe over 40 boxes of the Weekly plus other miscellaneous team memoribilia. Talk about a walk down memory lane.

For my money, I’ll take heart over “year round” talent any day.

by TXStampede on Aug 25, 2009 5:48 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Do you remember a Sports Illustrated article featuring Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters?

I seem to remember they practiced martial arts in the off-season? Those two were no small part of the Cowboys success.

I think you still see plenty of heart in the current batch of players, I just think you also see too many guys that seem to think they deserve it. No need to earn it. But yea, attitude trumps talent, there’s no doubt about it.

Doomsday returns... Wade Phillips style.

by DalaiLuke on Aug 25, 2009 6:09 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

King Kong sized Monkey
He had been through so many frustrating end of seasons that this got the “monkey off his back”.

Landry finally won a Superbowl after 12 seasons as head coach. Talk about an Andy-Reid-type futility.

The Cowboys started off with 6 consecutive non-winning seasons, followed by 5 consecutive seasons where they made the playoffs but failed to reach the SB. In the 1970 season, they made the SB but lost to the Baltimore Colts, and then, finally, won the SB in 1971 24-3 against the Dolphins.

That type of patience with a head coach is simply unthinkable in this day and age.

by One.Cool.Customer on Aug 25, 2009 2:58 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

As much as I hate the Eagles, I have a lot of respect for what Reid has done.

He’s the NFCs closest equivalent to Belichek… taking a moderate payroll and cranking out contenders.

With today’s proliferation of media sources, you’d think Romo’s monkey is as big as Landry’s.

Doomsday returns... Wade Phillips style.

by DalaiLuke on Aug 25, 2009 4:56 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

During that time

The cowboys sucked, the redskins really sucked, and the Giants were no better than average. I don’t think the Eagles were as good as it was the rest of the division was bad. Maybe a little of both.

by Musiccitynorm on Aug 25, 2009 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

What a great article, Jim.
Other than that keep Felix Jones healthy!

My sentiments EXACTLY! As I’ve said many times. Felix is the new star of this team.

He reminded me a little of Don Meredith who wanted to win, but didn’t want it bad enough.

That one took me a little by surprise. I’ve always thought Romo was more like Stuabach the way he runs around back there making plays…..Of course I know there’s only one Roger.

You should catch up with more of the original heroes Jim. This was a fantastic idea.

Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "where the heck is the ceiling?"

by White Wolf on Aug 25, 2009 6:14 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah

Staubach has also compared Romo to himself. Of course, Roger served in Vietnam and even in those days, that wasn’t overly common in the NFL. The Romo comment was a little random. I think Tony’s more “fun” personality gets mistaken for not caring. But that’s not what his coaches and team mates say. I do think he’s moving from taking hisown job seriously to making other people’s performance as his responsibility as well.

Lilly was my favorite after Roger, but I remember Cole well. Smart, hard-nosed player.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Aug 25, 2009 7:00 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I also believe he's selling Romo a little short

It’s hard when you have 100 microphones in your face, and you just lost a huge game. How many of us would say the right thing? In life, Tony’s words about if the worst thing that ever happens to him is he loses a football game were words of Zen, but for us rabid fans it could be misconstrued. I never took Tony’s words as he doesn’t care. Quite the opposite, I think his desire to win is what drives him to be great, and will drive him to achieve great things.

Find some more of these kind of guys, Jim. There are so many former Cowboy players out there that would be riveting.

And Mr. Cole, you sir, are a great interview. You should be more available to the press and fans. I, for one, loved listening to your thoughts.

Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "where the heck is the ceiling?"

by White Wolf on Aug 25, 2009 8:13 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

well said

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Aug 25, 2009 8:18 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

ditto

"Everybody wants something but nobody wants to pay the price" - Michael Irvin

by 24Hz on Aug 25, 2009 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

+1

Couldn’t agree more

by ChrisRichey on Aug 26, 2009 4:38 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

People like to talk

Super Bowl seems to be the only measuring stick of a player. Until you win it the talk is that you never will. Used to say that about Peyton. Landry had the monkey on his back.

by Chris in Va on Aug 25, 2009 7:04 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Thanks Jim, this article was a lot of fun to read

I was a teenager in the 70’s so that era is my sweet spot. What a great time to be a Cowboy fan that was.

by StillHateTheGiants on Aug 25, 2009 7:50 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Eugene Lockhart

Does this name ring a bell? I started following the Cowboys only recently, so i do not have too much info on the players of the 90s.
I have a story that i thought would be interesting to share with you all, I was at a T-Mobile store in Plano and saw this guy wearing the 49ers practise t-shirt and shorts. I casually asked him if he is a fan of the 49ers, the guy looked at me and said he coaches the LBs for the 49ers.
I was quite surprised by the answer. so i probed a little further asking him what brings him to Plano. He looked at me and asked me if i followed football to which i said yes and i am a Cowboys fan.
He smiled at me and said i used to play for the cowboys for 10 yrs and my name is Eugene Lockhart. I was not sure how to react, but nevertheless asked him if he was part of the SB winning team.
He responded by saying Yes he was and asked me whether i wanted to look at his SB ring. He told me he had it in his car and could go get it if i bought him a Beer. Before i could say Yes or No, he went out of the store, to his car and got a ring.
He showed me this huge ring, that had a small football etched on top. I have seen SB rings before and did not believe that was it. Nevertheless i returned the ring back to him and was about to ask him whether he was serious about the beer, but he got a phone call and stepped out of the store again.
I came back to work and searched this guy on the web, and found out that he was not part of the SB winning team.
Anyways i just thought i would share this with you guys.

by thejanusman on Aug 25, 2009 7:59 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Eugene the Hitting Machine

He could lay the wood like no other. Nice story.

Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and I thought to myself, "where the heck is the ceiling?"

by White Wolf on Aug 25, 2009 8:07 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Mean Eugene the Hitting Machine

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors. - Thomas Jefferson

by Fighter15 on Aug 25, 2009 11:22 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

222 total tackles.

I thought he was the “Tackling Machine”.

The season begins in 3...2...
http://twitter.com/BloggingTheBoys

by Aaron Novinger on Aug 25, 2009 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Lockhart played in the 80s

He is of the D White, Dorsett, Springs, Newsome, R White, Ed Jones, E Walls era that produced really good teams but no SB titles.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Aug 25, 2009 8:19 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I worked in the same building as Lockhart

over off Coit and 635.

Saw him in the little cafe there a few times.

You walked in the bulding and his office was right up front.
Big picture of him playing, and a star on the door to the business.

Seems he is having some issues these days.
 http://www.mortgagefraud.org/journal/2005/7/11/new-questions-raised-about-former-dallas-cowboys-players-mortgage-business.html

that which doesn't kill you, probably hurts like hell.

by JasonAHeath on Aug 25, 2009 9:51 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hmm...

Sounds like he ripped off a bunch of people.

by thejanusman on Aug 25, 2009 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I doubt the ring he showed me was a SB ring

But it was heavy though…he got traded to the patriots, i am not sure if he won it with them.

by thejanusman on Aug 25, 2009 3:51 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Lockhart retired after the '92 season

he didn’t win a SB with any team.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Aug 26, 2009 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

wonder if he was a coach or a ref?

I recently took care of a Ref, in our ICU ( forget his name ) I’m pretty sure it was the Denver / Washington Superbowl, Big ole ring, had his number on it too ( can’t give it out for confidentiality reasons). He wouldn’t take it off. I’ made family take it home after we sedated him. By the way he got better and went home.

Point is it is a big ole ring, full of info, such as player’s/official’s number, Superbowl number, teams playing and were it was played. Oh, and a shit load of diamonds.

by bad knees on Aug 26, 2009 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

A two-bit version of

Madoff. Mama must be proud…

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Aug 25, 2009 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Just heard

that Giants DT Chris Canty (torn hamstring) will probably be placed on IR. Also, heard that Giants CB Aron Ross was injured early this morning. I was told that his injury is more serious than what has been stated so far.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&id=4210

by tyler2 on Aug 25, 2009 10:38 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Oy vey

I hate injuries, for any team. The Gnats have done pretty well bouncing back from the injury bug though.

"He has a peculiar felicity of expression." John Adams

by Jim Vance on Aug 25, 2009 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Crazy

Is it my imagination or are more players getting injured these days?

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Aug 25, 2009 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

It seems that way every year

I get that exact feeling every year about this time. I think it has something to do with the injuries happening in ps that makes them stand out more.

by StillHateTheGiants on Aug 25, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

You're probably right

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Aug 25, 2009 1:45 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

tell me about

they lost Usi and Strahan last year and still had a great defense.

by DavidH22 on Aug 25, 2009 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Great interview, Jim!

I like Cole’s humor. Weren’t all of his touchdowns against the Redskins?

The season begins in 3...2...
http://twitter.com/BloggingTheBoys

by Aaron Novinger on Aug 25, 2009 1:00 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Great interview with Larry Cole

Let’s not forget how he tripped up John Riggins on 3rd and 2 late in the classic 1979 Redskins game to get the ball back to Staubach & Co. so they could win 35-34.

What was most surprising to me about the Romo-Meredith comparison was that Cole said Meredith didn’t want to win (at least as much as others might have)!! To me that is quite an assertion. While I’ve thought that Romo and Meredith were similar in terms of fun-loving personalities, I thought Meredith was more of a “leader.” I don’t mean to cause trouble but I always had the thought that his fellow Cowboys were willing to run through a wall for him. Different times, though.

Speaking of different times, how about three starting caucasian defensive linemen…North Dallas Forty, indeed.

by DavidH22 on Aug 25, 2009 1:48 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

patience

The thing about now of not allowing a coach to go through that many losing seasons is the NFL is run different now then it was then . Its more about getting fans in the stadiums , buying clothes , back then they could wait to build a team now if you dont win your gone . Not many owners besides Art Rooney would stick with a coach that long .

by ~~banditwolf~~ on Aug 26, 2009 12:21 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

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