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We already knew that the Dallas Cowboys gave Morris Claiborne the number 24. During the introductory press conference Jerry Jones presented Claiborne with the No. 24 jersey and talked about how Everson Walls and Larry Brown were two outstanding cornerbacks to have worn the jersey before. Other players who have worn that number since are Roger Harper, Omar Stoutmire, Vashone Adams, Tony Dixon and most recently, RB Marion Barber.
Today, the Cowboys have assigned numbers to their 2012 draft class (although not to the undrafted free agents). Here they are:
- Morris Claiborne - #24
- Tyrone Crawford - #70
- Kyle Wilber - #51
- Matt Johnson - #37
- Danny Coale - #81
- James Hanna - #84
- Caleb McSurdy - #56
Like the 24 now worn by Claiborne, many of the numbers will always have a strong association to a given player, and that association may differ from one fan to the other. Some fans will look at Tyrone Crawford's No. 70 and recognize Leonard Davis' old number, others will realize that this number belongs Hall Of Famer Rayfield Wright. Kyle Wilber's No. 51 is the number Keith Brooking wore for the past couple of years, but if you remember the 90's team, you'll know that the mighty Ken Norton wore that number as well. And we can hope Matt Johnson got No. 37 because the Cowboys think he'll emulate James "Drive-By" Washington's ferocious hits.
Danny Coale's No. 81 was worn by Laurent Robinson last year, but the number was made famous by Terrell Owens during his brief stint with the Cowboys. Those of you that recognized Norton's number will also know James Hanna's No. 84 was Jay Novacek's back in the day, others, perhaps younger fans, may think of Patrick Crayton first. Finally McSurdy's No. 56 was Bradie James' number for his nine years in Dallas, but was previously worn by Hollywood Henderson and Eugene Lockhart.
If you're interested, you can browse all the Cowboys' jersey numbers and their history at Know Your Dallas Cowboys.com.