Mel Renfro Melvin Lacy " Mel " Renfro ( born December 30 , 1941 in Houston , Texas ) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen - year career with the Dallas Cowboys . Early years . Born in Houston , his family moved to Portland , Oregon where he attended Jefferson High School , starring as a two - way football player and track and field athlete . As a sophomore ( 1957 ) and junior ( 1958 ) , he contributed to his team achieving a 23 - 0 record , including two Class A - 1 football state championships . The Democrats 1958 team is regarded as one of the greatest in Oregon prep history , which had a backfield that included him at halfback , quarterback Terry Baker ( Heisman Trophy winner at Oregon State University ) , halfback Mickey Hergert ( one of the leading ground gainers in the nation at Lewis & Clark College ) and his brother Raye Renfro at fullback ( in 1958 he broke a Portland Interscholastic League record with 24 touchdown s ) . In 1959 after Baker graduated , he saw playing time at quarterback and was also an all - state selection at running back , although his team would lose 7 - 6 to Medford High School in the state title game . In track in 1959 , he helped Jefferson win the team title by winning the 180 - yard low hurdles , the 120 - yard high hurdles ( breaking the state record ) and the broad jump state titles . In 1960 he broke two Oregon junior AAU champinonship records with a 120 - yard high hurdles of 13 . 9 seconds and 19 . 3 seconds in the 180 - yard low hurdles . Renfro also collected 32 points outscoring every team except one , recording the state record with a 24 . 1 broad jump and winning the low hurdles , high hurdles and the half - mile relay team . He was named outstanding athlete in the Golden West Invitational track meet , which brought annually the nation ' s top high school seniors . In 1983 he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame . College career . Renfro attended the University of Oregon , where he excelled in track and as a two - way football player , an All - America n halfback and defensive back . In football he earned All - Pacific Coast Conference recognition three times and is one of only two - time All - America n ( Steve Barnett is the other player ) in university history . He is also the second two - sport All - America n in university history , the first one was George Shaw in football and baseball . In 1992 he was inducted into the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame . Football . From the start of his sophomore season he received recognition as one of the best and most complete running backs in college football , being able to run inside or outside , catch , block and play special teams . In 1963 he was even named the team ' s backup quarterback . One of Renfro ' s best collegiate games took place against Rice University at Houston in 1962 . Renfro shined on both offense and defense , leading the Ducks to a 31 - 12 victory . Rice Stadium had been a whites - only facility prior to the Ducks ' visit , but university officials allowed Renfro ' s family to enter and sit in a special section of the stadium near the 35 - yard line . According to a contemporary account in the Eugene ( Ore . ) Register - Guard , when Renfro left the game , he was given a loud and appreciative ovation by the Rice crowd . An Oregon sportswriter asked a Houston counterpart in the press box if an African - American had ever received such an ovation by a predominantly white crowd . The Texan enthusiastically replied , " We ' ve never seen any player that good ! " The morning after the game , a Houston paper headlined , " Renfro Runs Rice Ragged . " He led his team in rushing three straight season ( 1961 – 63 ) finishing with a career total 1 , 540 yards while scoring 23 touchdowns . He still holds the university ' s career record for highest average per play 6 . 01 yards . He also finished his career with 41 catches for 644 yards and 5 TD , very impressive numbers in an era when running backs usually did not catch more than 10 passes during a season . In 1986 , Renfro was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington , D . C . , a National Intercollegiate All - American Football Players Honor Roll . He is considered to be the best running back in the history of the University of Oregon . Track and Field . From 1960 through 1965 , the Oregon ' s men ' s track and field team led by coach Bill Bowerman was one of the best in the United States . In 1962 Renfro contributed to the university ' s first NCAA team championship by finishing second behind teammate Jerry Tarr in the 120 - yard high hurdles with a 13 . 8 time and third in the long jump with a 25 - 11 1 / 4 inch leap . That year he was part of a world record - setting 440 yard relay team with a time of 40 . 0 seconds , his running mates were Tarr , Mike Gaechter and Harry Jerome . At the end of the year he was named to the All - America n track and field team in the high hurdles and the broad jump . In 1963 he injured his knee on a foul broad jump in the NCAA Championships . In the same meet at Albuquerque , despite the injury he entered the high hurdles but failed to qualify . Professional career . Renfro was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1964 NFL Draft . Although he had won many accolades as a running back and at the time teams put their best athletes on the offensive side of the ball , Tom Landry looking to build a dominating defense decided to start him at safety . As a rookie he had an impressive season by leading the team with 7 interceptions , the NFL in both punt return and kickoff return yardage ( including a franchise record 273 total return yards against the Green Bay Packers ) and culminated his great campaign with an invitation to the Pro Bowl . The 30 yards per kick - off return average he posted in his second year ( 1965 ) still remains a franchise record . In 1966 , despite Renfro coming off of an All - Pro season at safety , the Cowboys named him their starting halfback in an effort to improve its offense . He was injured in the opening game against the New York Giants and replaced by Dan Reeves , who was so impressive that Renfro was moved back to defense when he returned to action and would end up being named to the All - Pro team again . He was switched to cornerback in his fifth season . The speedy Renfro ( 4 . 65 40 - yd dash ) became an exceptional threat to wide receivers , leading the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1969 . Renfro was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first ten seasons in the league , including five All - Pro selections in 1964 , 1965 , 1969 , 1971 and 1973 . He was named the defensive MVP of the 1971 Pro Bowl . In his fourteen seasons , Renfro intercepted 52 passes , returning them for 626 yards and 3 touchdowns . He also returned 109 punts for 842 yards and 1 touchdown , 85 kickoffs for 2 , 246 yards and 2 touchdown s , along with recording 13 fumble recoveries , which he returned for 44 yards . In the 1970 NFC title game , Renfro had a key interception that led to the Cowboys ' game - winning touchdown over the San Francisco 49ers that helped them get to Super Bowl V , where they lost to the Baltimore Colts . He would later play in Super Bowls VI , X and XII , retiring after Super Bowl XII , a Cowboys victory over the Denver Broncos . He remains the Cowboys all - time leader in interceptions with 52 ( In 1969 he led the NFL in interceptions with 10 ) and in career kickoff - return average ( 26 . 4 yards ) . His 14 seasons with the team ties him for second place in franchise history . Renfro joined the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1981 , and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 . During his time with the Cowboys , even though one of his teammates was former Olympic gold medalist Bob Hayes , many experts still considered him the best athlete on the team . Personal life . In 1984 he coached the defensive secondary under John Hadl with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL . In 1986 he was part of Gene Stallings Saint Louis Cardinals coaching staff as his defensive backs coach . He currently works as a motivational speaker .