| No. 63 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1946-11-15)November 15, 1946 (age 79) Clarkfield, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 252 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Granite Falls (MN) | ||||||||||||
| College | Hawaii | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1968: 16th round, 428th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Lawrence Rudolph Cole (born November 15, 1946) is an American former professionalfootballdefensive lineman in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys. He played in fiveSuper Bowls, winningSuper Bowl VI andXII. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi and theAir Force Academy.
Cole attendedGranite Falls High School in Minnesota, where he was a starter atdefensive tackle. Granite Falls eventually merged with other schools, creating a new one calledYellow Medicine East High School.[1]
He accepted a football scholarship from theUnited States Air Force Academy. He was named a starter atdefensive end as a sophomore.[2] In 1965, the Air Force Academy was rocked by a cheating scandal in which over 100 cadets resigned or were expelled, including many of its top athletes. Though not personally implicated himself, Cole decided to resign from the school as well.[3][4]
He tried theUniversity of Houston but was unhappy about not being in the starting lineup.[1] He followed seven other former teammates from the Academy and transferred to theUniversity of Hawaiʻi to play his senior season in 1967.[5] He was named a starter atdefensive tackle, one of the team's co-captains and helped the school achieve its first winning season in nearly half a century.
Cole was selected in the sixteenth round (428th overall) of the1968 NFL/AFL draft by theDallas Cowboys, becoming the first player from Hawaii to be drafted by aNational Football League team. He was chosen as anoffensive tackle, but was switched to thedefensive line one week intotraining camp.
Dave Edwards nicknamed him "Bubber Frank", which later evolved into "Bubba". Cole made an immediate impact as a rookie, appearing in all 14 games, with 10 starts atleft defensive end (replacing an injuredWillie Townes) and scoring 2 defensivetouchdowns.[6]
In1972, he suffered a knee injury in the fourth game against thePittsburgh Steelers and didn't return to the starting lineup until the twelfth contest. In1975, because ofBob Lilly's retirement, he was moved fromdefensive end toright defensive tackle. In1976, he had 57 tackles, 5 unofficial sacks and one fumble recovery. He shared the starting job withBill Gregory for 2 seasons (1975 and1976).
In1977, he became a backup player afterRandy White took over theright defensive tackle position. He was relegated to a reserve role in the Cowboys' 27-10Super Bowl XII victory over theDenver Broncos.
In1978, he started 3 games in place of the injuredHarvey Martin andJethro Pugh. He made 3 key plays in the NFC championship game against theLos Angeles Rams, forcing a fumble fromrunning backJohn Cappelletti, stoppedPat Haden's quarterback draw short of a first down, which contributed to a missed field goal and pressured Haden into an interception. Cole also started inSuper Bowl XIII in place of injured Pugh, tying a record with 5Super Bowl appearances.
In1979, he was set to replace retired Pugh atleft defensive tackle, but opened the season atleft defensive end in place ofEd "Too Tall" Jones, who unexpectedly retired to pursue boxing. WhenJohn Dutton became the regularleft defensive end for the last four games. Cole switched back toleft defensive tackle. During his career, he made some of the biggest defensive plays in the history of the Cowboys franchise. Probably his most famous play, was the tackle of hall of famer-to-beJohn Riggins for a two-yard loss on third-and-two late in the game, that set up one of the most dramatic wins in Cowboys history on December 16. As it turned out, it was the last ofRoger Staubach's comebacks. In that game he also had 10 tackles and 2 unofficial sacks.
In1980, he started 16 games atleft defensive tackle ahead of Dutton. On March 26,1981, he announced his retirement, becoming along withD.D. Lewis, the first three-decade Cowboys in franchise history. He is one of only eight NFL players that appeared in fiveSuper Bowls: (V,VI,X,XII andXIII).[7] Cole helped the Cowboys win 2 Super Bowls and 5NFC Championships. He played in 26 total playoff games, a record when he retired.[8]
As an athlete, he was said to be very smart and versatile, playing different positions along thedefensive line during his career. He was a member of the "Zero Club" which prided itself on performing behind the scenes. Their first rule, "Thou Shalt Not Seek Publicity", kept their members (Cole,Blaine Nye andPat Toomay) out of the limelight.[9]
Cole was overshadowed as adefensive lineman by not one, but two generations of great players: first Lilly, Pugh andGeorge Andrie; then White, Martin and Jones. Cole started at left end for the Cowboys in their first twoSuper Bowls,Super Bowl V (a loss to theBaltimore Colts) andSuper Bowl VI (a 24-3 victory over theMiami Dolphins). InSuper Bowl X vs. thePittsburgh Steelers, Cole moved to right tackle to replace the retired Lilly and allow youngsters Martin and Jones to start at end.
TheNFL didn't start recognizingquarterback sacks as an official stat until1982, however, the Cowboys have their own records, dating back before the1982 season. Although he was known as a run specialist, he had the athletic ability to be unofficially credited with a career total of 60 sacks. With 15 sacks, he is also tied withWillie Townes for the third most sacks (behindDeMarcus Ware andHarvey Martin) recorded by a Cowboys player in his first two years in theNFL.[10]
Cole scored 4 touchdowns during his career (3interception returns and 1fumble return), all coming against the rivalWashington Redskins. His 3 interceptions returns for touchdowns, is tied for second in Cowboys history. During his last season, he returned an interception for a touchdown against the Redskins on November 23, 1980.[11] When he retired after playing 13 seasons, asked about the 11-year hiatus between his third and fourth NFL touchdowns, he replied: "Anyone can have an off decade".
After his football career he became a real estate developer. In 2012, he joined other retired players to file a concussion-related lawsuit against theNFL.[12]