D . D . Lewis ( linebacker b . 1945 ) Dwight Douglas " D . D . " Lewis ( born October 16 , 1945 in Knoxville , Tennessee ) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys . He played college football at Mississippi State University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft . Lewis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001 . Early years . Born in 1945 in Knoxville Tennessee , he was the youngest of 14 children . Lewis was named Dwight Douglas after two great generals in World War II ( Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur ) . Lewis attended Fulton High School , where he was a Tennessee All - State linebacker in 1963 . College career . He starred at Mississippi State University from 1965 to 1967 as a two - way player and three - year starter . D . D . Lewis led Mississippi State in tackles and assists all three of his varsity seasons and was named team captain his senior year . Despite being on teams that went 7 - 23 , Lewis earned All - Southeastern Conference honors twice and was a first team All - American selection his senior year . Repeatedly anointed as the top linebacker in the Southeastern Conference , Lewis made a distinct impression on rival coaches . Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant called D . D . Lewis " the best linebacker in the country " . Bill Yeoman applauded Lewis ' ability to recover and pursue and said he was the finest linebacker he had seen that year . Following the 1967 season , Vince Dooley said he was the best linebacker Georgia had faced - " He ' s terrific . " . Lewis won numerous awards : SEC all - sophomore team ( 1965 ) , All - SEC ( 1966 – 67 ) , SEC defensive player of the year ( 1967 ) , UPI - All America n ( 1967 ) , outstanding athlete ( 1968 ) . At the end of his senior year , Lewis was selected to play in the Senior Bowl , the Coaches All - America Game , and the Blue - Gray Game . For his accomplishments while at Mississippi State University , Lewis was inducted into the nation ' s College Football Hall of Fame in 2001 . In 1987 , Lewis was inducted into the state of Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame . Lewis is also a member of the Mississippi State , Blue - Gray Game , Knoxville and Tennessee sports Hall of Fame . Professional career . Although he was a tremendous college player , Lewis was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft , because teams thought that he was too small to play in the NFL . In 1969 , after his rookie year , Lewis spent what would have been his second season , doing military service . In 1973 after serving as a backup for four seasons , Lewis took over the weakside linebacker position , when Chuck Howley retired , and held this position for eight straight years . His best game was in the 1975 season NFC Championship Game , in which he intercepted two passes in a 37 - 7 victory against Los Angeles Rams , helping the Cowboys become the first wild - card team to make it to the Super Bowl . To this day , he holds the Cowboys playoff record with 27 games played . During his NFL career , Lewis played in 12 NFC Divisional Contests , one NFC Wild Card Contest and nine NFC Championship Game s . He made five Super Bowl appearances while winning Super Bowl VI and Super Bowl XII . During the 1980 season , he became along with Larry Cole , the first three - decade players in franchise history . Lewis wore # 50 and played for 13 years , until his retirement after the 1981 season . He was voted the " Most Popular Player " by the Cowboys fans and given the Bart Starr Meritorious Award in 1981 . During the 1982 season , Lewis famously reasoned that " Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch His favorite team play " . Although he was never selected to a Pro Bowl or All - Pro squad , he served as defensive co - captain in 1977 and 1978 . In 1984 , he was named to the Cowboys Silver Anniversary Team . He started 135 consecutive games , which ties him for third place in team history . He is one of only eight NFL players who have played in five Super Bowl s : ( V , VI , X , XII and XIII ) .