Walt Garrison Walter Benton " Walt " Garrison ( born July 23 , 1944 ) is a former professional football player , a fullback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League . He was selected in the fifth round of the 1966 NFL Draft ( 79th overall ) out of Oklahoma State , where he was a two - time All Big Eight choice . Early years . Born in Denton , Texas , Garrison attended nearby Lewisville High School in Lewisville , and graduated in 1962 . College career . Garrison enrolled at Oklahoma State University and began his freshman year on defense as a linebacker , until Phil Cutchin became OSU head coach in the spring and moved him to running back . He finished his sophomore season only 12 yards behind rushing leader George Thomas Jr . As a junior in 1964 , he led the Big Eight Conference in rushing with 730 yards and was also named All - Academic Big 8 . Garrison completed his senior season as OSU ' s leading rusher with 924 yards and led the Cowboys ' to their first win over Oklahoma in 20 years . He was named to the All Big - 8 team and his post - season highlights included appearances in the East – West Shrine Game in San Francisco , the Senior Bowl in Mobile , Alabama , where he was voted the Outstanding Back of the North team , the Coaches All - America Game in Atlanta and the College All - Star Game in Chicago against the Green Bay Packers . He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma State University Hall of Honor . Professional career . Garrison was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1966 NFL Draft . Known for his toughness and blocking , he took over at fullback after the retirement of Don Perkins in 1969 and had a career high 818 yards rushing and 2 touchdown s . His style of play and perceived ability to play hurt brought recognition in Cowboys lore , even playing the 1970 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers with a cracked collarbone and a broken ankle . During Dallas ' championship season of 1971 , Garrison showed his pass - catching skills , leading the team in receiving with 40 catches and a 9 . 9 per catch average . He made the Pro Bowl after the 1972 season when he rushed for 784 yards and 7 touchdown s . That year he was a major part of the Cowboys ' three - headed rushing attack that also included Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas . The previous year , the Cowboys had ridden these three running back s all the way to a Super Bowl VI victory . Garrison was featured on the cover of " Sports Illustrated " in September 1972 for its pro football preview issue ; the photo was from Super Bowl VI in January . A " real " cowboy , Garrison spent time on the professional rodeo circuit during the football off - seasons . His signing bonus with the Cowboys in 1966 season included a horse trailer . A knee injury he sustained in an exhibition steer wrestling accident at the College National Rodeo Finals in 1974 ended his pro football career . He played in the NFL for 9 seasons ( missing only 7 games ) , all of them with the Cowboys . He finished his career with 3 , 886 yards rushing and 1 , 794 yards receiving . Garrison retired as the third leading rusher and fourth leading receiver in Cowboys history . One of the more humorous sports quotes was attributed to Cowboy quarterback Don Meredith speaking about Garrison ' s dependability , " " If it was third down , and you needed four yards , if you ' d get the ball to Walt Garrison , he ' d get ya five . And if it was third down and ya needed twenty yards , if you ' d get the ball to Walt Garrison , by God , he ' d get you five . " He was named to the Dallas Cowboys 25th anniversary team and also inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in Fort Worth . Life after football . Garrison was a long - time spokesman for Skoal smokeless tobacco , and is the current television spokesman for Bill Utter Ford near Denton . In 1988 he published his biography " Once a Cowboy " with writer John Tullius . The title is a reference to not only his rodeo cowboy career , but also his career with the Dallas Cowboys , and his college career with the Oklahoma State Cowboys . Garrison established the Walt Garrison Multiple Sclerosis Foundation . He has been known to recite humorous poems and currently resides in Argyle , Texas .