### Longtime Cowboys Lineman Tom Rafferty Passes Away at 70

Tom Rafferty, a stalwart offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys over 14 seasons, passed away Thursday at the age of 70. Rafferty was being treated in Windsor, Colorado after suffering a stroke in early May, according to his daughter.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft out of Penn State, Rafferty was the 119th overall pick. He spent his initial five seasons with the Cowboys as a guard before transitioning to the center position for the remainder of his career. Rafferty's durability and consistency were notable; he started in 182 out of 203 possible games, including an impressive streak of 167 consecutive starts.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 256 pounds, Rafferty's physical dimensions might not match today's NFL offensive linemen, but he was exactly what head coach Tom Landry looked for at the time. "He wanted pulling linemen and guys who could get downfield in front of [Tony] Dorsett on a screen pass," said Brad Sham, a longtime Cowboys radio broadcaster. This tactical approach was evident when Rafferty threw a pivotal block for Dorsett's NFL-record 99-yard touchdown run on January 3, 1983, against the Minnesota Vikings, an unforgettable play executed with only ten men on the field.

For the past 17 years, Rafferty courageously battled transverse myelitis, a debilitating disorder affecting the central nervous system. His tenacity was evident through his recovery; despite being hospitalized for 48 days, he refused to use a wheelchair and eventually managed to walk again, even without sensation below his waist, recalled his daughter Rachel Powers.

Rafferty was one of just 12 players in Cowboys history to remain with the team for at least 14 years. He won a Super Bowl ring during his second season when Dallas triumphed over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII. The following year, the Cowboys reached Super Bowl XIII but fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rafferty's final season was in 1989, a challenging year for the Cowboys who finished with a 1-15 record during quarterback Troy Aikman's rookie year. Throughout his career, Rafferty had the privilege of playing alongside two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, leaving a lasting legacy with the franchise.