Throughout his 79 years, Walt Garrison was known as a cowboy in various ways. He spent nine seasons as a fullback for America’s Team under the guidance of coach Tom Landry. Before that, he was an athlete at Oklahoma State, where he played football and participated in rodeo events. Garrison also had a successful career as a professional steer wrestler.
Last Wednesday night, Garrison passed away, according to the Dallas Cowboys website. He was born in Denton, Texas, and attended high school in Lewisville before heading to college north of the Red River.
During his time at OSU, Garrison played fullback from 1963-1965. He earned a spot on the 1964 All-Academic Team and led the Big Eight in rushing yards in 1965. He even received the title of Outstanding Back in the Senior Bowl. While attending OSU, he dedicated a year to the rodeo team as well.
Following college, Garrison was drafted as the Dallas Cowboys’ fifth-round pick (79th overall) in the 1966 NFL Draft. Throughout his nine-year career as a fullback in the NFL, Garrison played in 119 regular season games and 13 post-season contests.
The Dallas Cowboys shared that Garrison still holds the fourth spot on the club’s all-time list for average yards per rush (4.32) and ranks ninth in career rushing yards (3,491).
During an interview with the team, Garrison revealed that while he enjoyed playing football, his true passion was rodeo. If he had the opportunity to earn more money from it, he would have pursued rodeo full time.
Garrison considered the Dallas Cowboys’ victory in Super Bowl VI over Miami in 1971 as a highlight of his NFL career. However, he revealed that he was extremely pleased when he won money and achieved success in steer wrestling events at the prestigious Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo in 1974.
After retiring from both football and rodeo, Garrison was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. He is also a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and was named to the Dallas Cowboys’ 25th anniversary team. In 1993, he was honored with induction into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he was inducted into the Oklahoma State Athletics Hall of Honor.
Details about Garrison’s funeral arrangements have not yet been announced publicly.
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