Jim Jeffcoat James Wilson Jeffcoat , Jr . ( born April 1 , 1961 ) is a former American football defensive lineman and current coach . A native of Matawan , New Jersey , Jeffcoat played college football at Arizona State University . A first - round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft , Jeffcoat was the 23rd overall selection and played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1983 to 1994 and the Buffalo Bills from 1995 to 1997 . In 1998 , Jeffcoat became defensive line coach for the Cowboys and would keep that position until 2004 . From 2008 to 2010 he served as defensive line coach for the Houston Cougars football team . From 2011 to 2012 , Jeffcoat coached the San Jose State defensive line . Since 2013 , Jeffcoat has been defensive line coach for University of Colorado football . Early years . Jeffcoat grew up in Matawan , New Jersey and played high school football at Matawan Regional High School in Aberdeen Township , New Jersey . where he earned All - America football honors while also lettering in wrestling . Jeffcoat was a three - year starter at Arizona State University from 1980 - 82 . In 1981 he earned honorable mention All - - Pac - 10 Conference accolades . In 1982 he became the catalyst of the Sun Devils ' No . 1 ranked Division 1 - A defense ( 228 . 9 yards / game ) . He collected 95 tackles , four sacks , four pass deflections , and forced two fumbles during his senior season , where he earned All - Pac - 10 Conference , Honorable Mention to the All - America Associated Press and Sporting News teams . He also played in the East – West Shrine Game and in the Senior Bowl . He was inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame on Oct . 22 , 1994 , and was arguably the best defensive line men to wear a Sun Devil uniform , finishing with 20 career sacks . Jeffcoat was also named to the Fiesta Bowl Hall of Fame . He dominated in Arizona State ' s Fiesta Bowl 1982 victory , earning defensive player of the game in a 32 - 21 win over University of Oklahoma . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted in the first round ( 23rd overall ) of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys . In 1984 he replaced Harvey Martin at the right defensive end position and became one of the league leaders by recording 11 . 5 sacks . His most memorable game was against the Washington Redskins on November 10 1985 , when he recorded 11 tackles and sacked Joe Theisman a club record 5 times tying a Bob Lilly ’ s 19 - year - old team record . Jeffcoat maintained a high level of play through the Cowboys lean years of the late 80s . His best season in Dallas came in 1989 , when he finished with a career - high 100 tackles , a career - high 42 quarterback pressures , 11 . 5 sacks and a career - high three fumble recoveries . During the 1992 season he became a pass rush specialist , when the Cowboys moved Tony Tolbert to the left defensive end position and acquired in a trade Charles Haley with the idea of making him the right defensive end . That season he led the team with 10 . 5 sacks and six tackles for loss , during the team ' s drive towards winning Super Bowl XXVII . His repertoire of moves , allowed him to remain an accomplished situational rusher through 1994 , playing only in passing situations . Jeffcoat played for the Cowboys for 12 seasons , won two Super Bowl s ( XXVII and XXVIII ) , totaled 698 tackles , 94 . 5 sacks and 149 quarterback pressures . He registered five seasons with 70 - or - more tackles and five seasons with 10 - or - more sacks and left the Cowboys as its all time leading quarterback sacker ( the NFL didn ' t start recognizing quarterback sacks as an official stat until 1982 ) . He also scored 4 touchdown s on interception and fumble returns , with both the interceptions coming against Phil Simms of the New York Giants , after passes swatted down by Ed " Too Tall " Jones . Buffalo Bills . After twelve seasons with the Cowboys , in which he won two Super Bowl rings ( 1992 – 93 ) , he left via free agency to the Buffalo Bills before the start of the 1995 NFL season , playing his final three years with the Bills before retiring . Jeffcoat finished his fifteen NFL seasons with 102 . 5 sacks , 745 tackles and 194 quarterback pressures and 2 interceptions for 91 return yards and two touchdown s , and eleven fumble recoveries for 121 yards and two touchdown s . He ranks among the NFL ' s top - 25 career leaders in sacks and his 227 games , place him among the top 40 players in NFL history in games played . He was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2008 although he never went to the Pro Bowl . Coaching career . After his retirement in 1997 , he spent seven seasons ( 1998 – 2005 ) on the Cowboys ' coaching staff . Jeffcoat spent his last five seasons in the organization as the defensive ends coach after two years as the club ' s assistant defensive line coach . On January 28 , 2008 , Jeffcoat was hired to join Kevin Sumlin ' s staff at the University of Houston as defensive line coach . Prior to arriving in Houston , Jeffcoat was in private business in the Dallas area for two years . In January 2013 , Jeffcoat joined the University of Colorado Buffaloes as defensive line coach under recently hired head coach Mike MacIntyre . Personal . After retiring as a player , Jeffcoat served as the defensive ends coach for the Cowboys , until 2005 . He and his wife , Tammy , live just outside the suburb of Plano , Texas with their four children : twins Jackson ( 20 ) and Jacqueline ( 20 ) , Jaren ( 22 ) , and Jasmine ( 13 ) . Jacqueline is a top 2010 class basketball center recruit for the University of Oklahoma , while Jackson Jeffcoat has chosen the University of Texas for football after being an All - State defensive end at Plano West Senior High School and being considered one of top players in the Class of 2010 nationwide . He currently owns an Allstate insurance agency .