Don Smerek, former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman, dies at 66

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Don Smerek passed away last week following a battle with cancer. He was 66 years old and is survived by his wife, Tandi.

Smerek played for the Cowboys from 1980 to 1987, slotting in at defensive tackle. An undrafted free agent out of Nevada, the team picked him up after he earned All-Big Sky honors as a senior and helped lead the team to an 11-0 finish.

Though injuries to his ribs and knee ended his first two seasons in the league, Smerek bounced back. While he was inactive in his second season, he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

In 1982, Smerek took his first snaps as a starter. He replaced injured DT John Dutton on the left side of the line. His first career start came in a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. He posted 10 tackles and a sack during that game.

Smerek officially retired when the Cowboys waived him from the roster in 1988. In 69 career games played, he accumulated 14.5 sacks.

“He was a great teammate, a great person,” Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Cowboys standout Randy White said, via FoxNews. “He was just solid as a football player and I can always count on him. He would come in on third downs and rush the passer and the thing about Don as a football player, he was 100 percent.”

Debbie Nye, Smerek’s sister, also opened up about the former Cowboys tackle after his death. She told the Dallas Morning News about her brother’s “magnetic personality.”

“His teammates are lifelong friends, even going back to high school, college and NFL,” Nye said via The Dallas Morning News. “There’s still all of those people, were pretty much by his side. He was a larger-than-life individual, a very magnetic personality.”

Smerek’s family will hold a private memorial service to honor him later this month in Henderson, Nevada. He is survived by his wife, his three brothers, his sister, and several nieces and nephews.