Countdown to the season opener: Day 51 Jim Jeffcoat

We’re counting down to the season opener (Day 51) with some Cowboys history

We’re counting down the days until the Dallas Cowboys battle the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener of the 2025 NFL season. To pass the time and mark the days, we running through 100 Days of Cowboys. So sit back and enjoy some Cowboys history while we countdown to football.

Today – number 51.

Jim Jeffcoat

Born: April 1, 1961. Long Branch, New Jersey
Position: Defensive end
Dallas Cowboys: 1983-1994
Awards: Super Bowl champion- XXVII, XXVIII

Jim Jeffcoat played defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys from 1983 to 1994, after being selected in the first round out of Arizona State. Known for his consistency, durability, and strength, Jeffcoat was a key fixture on the Cowboys’ defensive line for over a decade. He recorded 94.5 career sacks which still ranks eighth-most in team history, and he also had a career-high of 14 sacks in 1986. Another incredible stat from Jeffcoat is the fact he played in 176 consecutive games for Dallas, at defensive end that’s more incredible than his sack total. Jeffcoat was an important part of the Cowboys’ transition from the 1980s into the early ’90s dynasty, winning two Super Bowls before finishing his career with the Buffalo Bills.

SUPER BOWL XXVIII
January 30, 1994

The crucial first six minutes of the third quarter

Trailing the heavy-underdog #Bills 13-6, #Cowboys safety James Washington returns Thurman Thomas’s second fumble 46 yards to tie the game.

After a huge sack by Jim Jeffcoat and Charles Haley,… pic.twitter.com/7NT8ILYEP8

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) January 30, 2025

Best known for:
Jeffcoat was best known for being a reliable, quietly dominant pass rusher, serving as a veteran leader and key contributor on the Cowboys’ Super Bowl-winning teams in the early 1990s.

7⃣2⃣ 7⃣7⃣
Ed Too Tall Jones tips the pass and Jim Jeffcoat gets the interception return for a TD! #CowboysNation #DallasCowboys #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/1S7DYQa5Bj

— Dallas Cowboys Collaboration (@mailman_phil) June 23, 2022

Lesser known fact:
After retiring, Jeffcoat returned to football as a defensive line coach, first for the Cowboys in 1998 and finished his coaching career for the Dallas Renegades in the now disbanded XFL.

✭ COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF ✭
With 100 days to go until the #Cowboys kickoff the season against the #Eagles, we are counting down with a @BloggingTheBoys Top-100 consensus ranking.

We asked staffers to give in their top-100, here is:

DAY 51
Jim Jeffcoat #DallasCowboys… pic.twitter.com/YEdEtsNWRZ

— Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) July 15, 2025