Don Talbert

Don Talbert
Don Larry Talbert (born March 1, 1939) is a former American football offensive tackle who played eight years, interrupted by two years in Vietnam, in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys including the Super Bowl VI champion Cowboys. Prior to that he was an All-American college football at the University of Texas at Austin.
Early years
Talbert attended Texas City High School, where he played football and basketball.
He played college football at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a two-way tackle and a three year letterman. He missed the 1958 season with a broken leg.
As a fifth year senior in 1961, he was named All-SWC, an All-American and was voted outstanding SWC lineman in the Dallas Times Herald poll. He helped Texas to win co-conference championships twice, tie Alabama in the 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl and win the 1962 Cotton Bowl Classic. The Longhorns finished the 1961 season ranked #3, the best final ranking since 1950.
In 1992, he was inducted into the Longhorns Hall of Honor.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys (first stint)
Talbert was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the eighth round (100th overall) of the 1961 NFL Draft with a future draft pick, which allowed the team to draft him before his college eligibility was over. He was also selected by the Houston Oilers in the 34th round (271st overall) of the 1962 AFL Draft.
As a rookie in 1962, although he played as a defensive end and linebacker, he was mostly the backup at right offensive tackle and got a chance to start in 4 games.
Talbert was in the reserve officer program at Texas and had to miss the next 2 seasons because of military service in the Vietnam War, where he was a police lieutenant in Saigon. He returned to the team in 1965 and played in all 14 games as a backup.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons selected him from the Cowboys roster in the 1966 NFL Expansion Draft. He was the franchise's first starter at left tackle. He was a three-year starter. On July 3, 1969, he was traded along with Errol Linden to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for offensive linemen Roy Schmidt, Jim Ferguson and Jerry Jones.
New Orleans Saints
Talbert was a two-year starter at left tackle with the New Orleans Saints. On August 2, 1971, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for defensive end Doug Moore and a fourth round draft choice (#104-Eric Allen).
Dallas Cowboys (third stint)
In 1971, he was a backup until replacing Ralph Neely in the starting lineup at left tackle in the eighth game, after Neely had a motorcycle accident. Talbert promptly sprained his ankle and he was first replaced with Forrest Gregg and later by Tony Liscio. Nonetheless, he was able to be a part of the Super Bowl VI winning team.
He was waived on September 7, 1972 and later put on the future list, where he remained for the rest of the season. He was re-signed in 1973, but was waived on September 5 and placed on the team taxi squad, before being waived again on September 19.
Houston Texans/Shreveport Steamer (WFL)
Talbert was selected by the Chicago Fire in the sixth round (64th overall) of the 1974 WFL Pro Draft of NFL and CFL Players. He was signed by the Houston Texans. After playing 11 games, the team relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana on September 18, where they were renamed as the Shreveport Steamer.
Personal life
Both of Don's brothers played college football at Texas as well. Charlie was a two-way starter at defensive end and receiver; the leading receiver on the 1963 National Championship team. His youngest brother Diron Talbert played defensive tackle in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. Diron was also inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor, in 2005 after being all-southwest conference player.
References
1939 births
Living people
People from Texas City, Texas
Players of American football from Texas
Sportspeople from Galveston County, Texas
American football offensive tackles
Texas Longhorns football players
Dallas Cowboys players
Atlanta Falcons players
New Orleans Saints players
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
United States Army officers
Military personnel from Texas