Pat Donovan ( American football ) Patrick Emery Donovan ( born July 1 , 1953 ) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League was spent with the Dallas Cowboys ( 1975 - 1983 ) . In 1975 Donovan was one of the " Dirty Dozen " of rookies who helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl X . Donovan became a starter at left tackle in 1978 . He was a four - time Pro Bowl er , attending the game in 1979 through 1982 . " Sports Illustrated " named him the 4th greatest Montana athlete of the 20th century . Early years . Donovan is considered to be one of the greatest athletes in the history of the state of Montana . While attending Class A Helena Central High School as a freshman and sophomore , he lettered in football , basketball and track and field , winning the state shot put title as a sophomore . After Helena Central closed , Donovan attended Class AA Helena High School , continuing to excel in track and field at the Class AA level , winning the shot put and discus competitions at the state meet in both his junior and senior seasons . He also was fast enough to anchor the school ' s 880 - yard relay team to a state championship as a senior . He graduated as the holder of three school records in the shot put , discus and Javelin competitions . Donovan also led Helena to the state championship basketball final as a junior and senior , losing to Kalispell in 1970 and winning against Billings West in 1971 . He was named all tournament both years . He went on to earn All - State honors on both offense and defense in football , was an All - State basketball player and won six first place medals at state track meets . In 1994 he was inducted into the Montana High School Association Hall of Fame and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame . College career . Donovan received a football scholarship to play at Stanford University . He was named the right defensive end starter during his sophomore campaign and by the time he was a junior , he posted 109 tackles to lead his team and being named first - team All - America n . As a senior , he received Consensus All - America n honors . He was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame and was also named to the Stanford ' s All - Century football team . Professional career . Donovan was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL Draft as a defensive end . He was one of 12 rookies who made the team that year - hence the " Dirty Dozen " nickname for the Cowboys 1975 draft , that helped the team reach Super Bowl X . In 1975 , the Cowboys needed help at offensive tackle and like defensive tackle Blaine Nye a few years before him , he was switched to the offensive line three days into training camp . As a rookie he gained more weight and saw action at both left and right tackle . After being a reserve during his first two seasons , he took over the right tackle job in 1977 when Rayfield Wright went down with an injury , helping the team win Super Bowl XII . In 1978 , he moved to the left side after Ralph Neely retired and Rayfield Wright returned from injury . Donovan became one of the top offensive tackle s in the NFL during the late 1970s and early 1980s and together with Herb Scott formed one of the best left - side tandems in the league . During his time with the Cowboys , center John Fitzgerald nicknamed the Cowboys offensive line as the " Four Irishmen and a Scott " , when it was formed by Donovan , Fitzgerald , Jim Cooper , Tom Rafferty and Herb Scott . That group helped paved the way for Tony Dorsett ' s Hall of Fame rushing career . Donovan was a catalyst on the Cowboys offensive line and a four - time Pro Bowl offensive lineman from 1979 to 1982 . He remains one of just four offensive tackle s in club history to make at least four Pro Bowl s , joining Rayfield Wright ( six ) , Flozell Adams ( five ) and Erik Williams ( four ) . He didn ' t suffer any major injuries during his entire career , but at the end of the 1983 season , because of the accumulation of wear and tear , he ended up needing surgery to repair both shoulders and decided to retire . Donovan never missed a game in 9 seasons , played in 20 playoff contests , including six NFC Championship s and three Super Bowl s , earning a title ring in Super Bowl XII against the Denver Broncos . He is considered to be one of the greatest offensive tackle s in Cowboys franchise history .