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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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An anchor of the great Dallas Cowboys teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s has passed away.
Tom Rafferty, an offensive lineman who protected quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman over a 14-year career in Dallas, died Thursday. Rafferty was 70 years old when he suffered a stroke in Windsor, Colorado.
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At one point, Rafferty played in more consecutive games (167) than any other player in Cowboys history. He spent his entire NFL career with the franchise, and played in 221 career games in total.
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An undersized lineman for his era — listed at 6-foot-3, 256 pounds — Rafferty earned All-American honors at Penn State in 1975. After he lettered in his final three seasons under head coach Joe Paterno, the Cowboys drafted Rafferty in the fourth round of the 1976 draft.
The Cowboys would reach the Super Bowl in Rafferty's second year in the league. It was his first season as a starter in the NFL, and it culminated in his only championship when the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII.
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Rafferty returned to the right guard position the following season, which ended with the Cowboys' 35-31 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII.
In a memorable 1983 play, Rafferty provided a block that helped Tony Dorsett run for a record 99-yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.
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Rafferty's final season in the NFL, 1989, was the first for the future Hall of Fame quarterback Aikman. Rafferty started eight games at center for a 1-15 Cowboys team.
After retiring, Rafferty received his MBA degree from the University of Dallas, and worked as a regional sales manager for a sports supply company in the Dallas area.
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In 2008, Rafferty was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder that left him with no feeling below the waist. Yet he taught himself how to walk again after refusing a wheelchair, according to the Dallas Morning News.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Rafferty is a member of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame (inducted in 1998), and the Fayetteville-Manlius Hall of Distinction (inducted in 2000).
Rafferty is survived by his wife Donna, their two children, and two grandchildren.
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