Former NFL Star Passes Away at 79

(RepublicanPress.org) – Born in Denton, Texas, Walter Benton Garrison started playing football in high school, like many teens do. He took that love to Oklahoma State University, catching the eye of recruiters and making him the fifth-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys in 1966. The athlete stayed with the Cowboys for nine years as a star fullback until 1974, retiring as the NFL team’s number three rusher and number four receiver. Sadly, the former football star, steer wrestler, and all-around cowboy spent the last few years of his life in a memory care facility.

On October 12, the Dallas Cowboys announced that 79-year-old Garrison had died. The team paid tribute to the acclaimed player, detailing not only his career in football but his activities off the field. The athlete was apparently a cowboy through and through, with a love for performing in the rodeo that likely surpassed his adoration for the field. He reportedly had a talent for doing rodeo and spent his off-season time making his rounds and a name for himself on the circuit. That is, until his coach found out in his rookie year with the Cowboys, pumping the brakes on his extracurricular activities.

Former Dallas Cowboys great, rodeo cowboy Walt Garrison dead at 79 https://t.co/q2QRYIlPfP pic.twitter.com/2rHcIkCuAV

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 13, 2023

After Coach Landry found out about the rodeo, he reminded Garrison that a clause in his contract stated if he was injured participating in another sport, it would void his football agreement. The NFL star said he understood, but he didn’t view his activities bringing down steers by jumping off a horse as all that dangerous. Garrison messed his “knee up bulldogging at a college rodeo” in 1975 and was unable to return to the NFL. But the athlete wasn’t upset about it, stating the injury made a difficult decision easier. It let him leave the sport on a high note at the age of 30. He had already helped the Cowboys win the Super Bowl in 1971 and had many successes on the field. Afterward, he continued doing his thing in the rodeo and seemed to have no regrets.