There are Dallas Cowboys and then there are Dallas cowboys. Walt Garrison can lay claim to both types of cowboys.
Back in the day, when Dandy Don Meredith was the face and twang of the Dallas Cowboys, Walt was the real thang. In addition to being a Dallas Cowboys fullback back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, he would work on the professional rodeo circuit during the off-season. The former Cowboy even asked for a “two-horse trailer as part of his signing bonus after Dallas drafted him in 1966.” Walt’s football career ended as a result of “an exhibition steer wrestling accident at the College National Rodeo Finals in 1974.”
Old teammates recalled his cowboy ways back in January when Walt was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame:
- Lee Roy Jordan: “He not only was a Cowboy, he was a cowboy.”
- Bob Lily: “He’d have a whole new bunch of cowboy stories when we’d go to training camp. Some of those stories would last over an hour. He also taught us how to whittle. He was our big entertainment.”
Perhaps it’s the importance that ranching played in his childhood that he’s co-chairing along with world-champion steer wrestler Rope Myers and Honorary Chair Michael Irvin the Cowboys and Cowboys Sky Ranch Gala on Saturday, February 22, at the Omni Dallas Hotel.
Proceeds go to Sky Ranch that provides scholarships and supports a variety of outreach initiatives. “Since 1955, Sky Ranch has been a non-profit organization that has provided nationally recognized summer camps, retreats and conferences in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado, as well as Championship Rodeo Camps. Last year, Sky Ranch served over 55,000 children and young adults throughout the summer and school year emphasizing character and leadership development.”
And, yes, you can expect to see Cowboys and cowboys in western attire, so plan on wearing your chicest buckaroo outfits.
* Photo provided by Cowboys and Cowboys Sky Ranch Gala