Doug Cosbie Douglas Durant Cosbie ( born March 27 , 1956 ) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft . A 6 ' 6 " , 236 - lb . tight end from Santa Clara University , Cosbie played his entire NFL career for the Cowboys from 1979 to 1988 . He was a three - time Pro Bowl selection from 1983 to 1985 . Early years . Cosbie is a graduate of Saint Francis High School in Mountain View , California . In 1973 , he helped the Lancers reach the finals of the Central Coast Section playoffs , before losing the title game 32 - 30 to Saratoga High School . In 1974 , he was part of the first Santa Clara Valley All - Star Football Game , playing with the North team . College career . After high school he moved on to De Anza College . He transferred to the College of the Holy Cross but lasted less than a year there , before transferring again to Santa Clara University , where he was a three - year starter at a tight end for head coach Pat Malley . In the 1978 Spring Game , he ran over the strong safety ( Dan Keefe ) twice , knocking him unconscious both times . Coach Malley insisted that Cosbie had actually let up just before impact . He finished his college career as Santa Clara ' s top receiving tight end with 120 receptions , 1 , 721 receiving yards , 14 . 3 yards per reception and 10 touchdowns . His records were eventually broken by Brent Jones . For his achievements , Cosbie was inducted into the Santa Clara University Athletic Hall of Fame . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . Cosbie was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft . That year , the Cowboys were placed in the third round just ahead of the San Francisco 49ers . The Cowboys ' draft strategy through that time was to take the highest - ranked player on their draft board , regardless of position . When the Cowboys ' turn came up in the third round , the highest rated player on their board was Joe Montana . However , feeling that the quarterback position was in excellent shape with Roger Staubach and Danny White , and needing a tight end , the Cowboys went off their strategy and drafted Cosbie . The 49ers ended selecting Montana . By his third season in Dallas , he was sharing the starting tight end spot with Billy Joe DuPree and eventually replaced him in 1982 . Although he was an effective blocker , he became more of a receiving threat than any previous Cowboys tight end . He caught over 60 passes in a season twice during his career , and set team records for a tight end with catches and yards per season and career , which have since been broken by Jay Novacek and Jason Witten . In 1982 , he lost his starting job to Thornton Chandler . Cosbie caught 300 passes for 3 , 728 yards and 30 touchdown s and also had 22 catches for 243 yards and 3 touchdown s in 7 playoff games . He still ranks seventh in franchise history in receptions . He made three straight Pro Bowl s from 1983 to 1985 . In 1985 , he was named to the UPI All - Pro NFC team . He is part of the Cowboys franchise ' s legacy of great tight ends that includes : Jim Doran , Lee Folkins , Pettis Norman , Mike Ditka , Billy Joe DuPree , Jackie Smith , Jay Novacek and Jason Witten . Denver Broncos . In 1989 , he was left unprotected by the Cowboys in Plan B free agency and signed with the Denver Broncos . He decided to retire during training camp that season , after playing for 10 years in the NFL and also in three NFC Championship game s . Business career . Cosbie worked in Hollywood from 2006 to 2010 for Shangri - La Entertainment . He is also co - owner of The La Jolla Group , along with fellow Santa Clara University athletes , Rich Brown and Kurt Rambis .