Professional Career
Garrison was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1966 NFL Draft. Known for his toughness and blocking, he took over at fullback after the retirement of Don Perkins in 1969 and had a career high 818 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. His style of play and perceived ability to play hurt brought recognition in Cowboys lore, even playing the 1970 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers with a cracked collarbone and a broken ankle.
During Dallas' championship season of 1971, Garrison showed his pass-catching skills, leading the team in receiving with 40 catches and a 9.9 per catch average. He made the Pro Bowl after the 1972 season when he rushed for 784 yards and 7 touchdowns. That year he was a major part of the Cowboys' three-headed rushing attack that also included Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas. The previous year, the Cowboys had ridden these three running backs all the way to a Super Bowl VI victory. Garrison was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in September 1972 for its pro football preview issue; the photo was from Super Bowl VI in January.
A "real" cowboy, Garrison spent time on the professional rodeo circuit during the football off-seasons. His signing bonus with the Cowboys in 1966 season included a horse trailer. A knee injury he sustained in an exhibition steer wrestling accident at the College National Rodeo Finals in 1974 ended his pro football career.
He played in the NFL for 9 seasons (missing only 7 games), all of them with the Cowboys. He finished his career with 3,886 yards rushing and 1,794 yards receiving. Garrison retired as the third leading rusher and fourth leading receiver in Cowboys history.
One of the more humorous sports quotes was attributed to Cowboy quarterback Don Meredith speaking about Garrison's dependability, "If it was third down, and you needed four yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, he'd get ya five. And if it was third down and ya needed twenty yards, if you'd get the ball to Walt Garrison, by God, he'd get you five."
He was named to the Dallas Cowboys 25th anniversary team and also inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in Fort Worth.
Read more about this topic: Walt Garrison
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