Garrison, who was born on July 23, 1944, rose to renown in the 1960s and 1970s as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Garrison, who was renowned for his tough playing style and persistence on the field, rose to fame in NFL history. It’s crucial to note that my knowledge may be stale, so for the most latest information about Walt Garrison’s health and well-being.
Walt Garrison Cause of Death
Walt Garrison, a true cowboy both on and off the football field, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79. The reason for Walt Garrison’s death has not been officially determined, rumors in the sports community point to Alzheimer’s disease.
Walt Garrison 79, who led the Big 8 in rushing as an Oklahoma State Cowboy, won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys & in the NFL offseason competed as a rodeo cowboy, died. The NFL team posted on its website Thur. that Garrison died overnight. It did not give a cause of death.😢 pic.twitter.com/x8nJLwbzmh
— Sumner (@renmusb1) October 13, 2023
In the Tom Landry era, Garrison, a gritty, hard-nosed fullback, rose to legendary status while playing for the Dallas Cowboys. Prior to that, Garrison played for the Pokes from 1962 through 1965 as a Cowboy at Oklahoma State.
Garrison was a true cowboy who, while working for Dallas, competed as a steer wrestler on the professional rodeo circuit during the off-season.
“Coach Landry pointed out that there was a clause in my contract that if I got hurt doing another sport, that my contract would be null and void, and I said, ‘OK,'” Garrison once said.
Garrison attacked rival football players the same way he attacked cows in a rodeo.
“I wasn’t starting,” Garrison once said. “I was returning punts and kicks and covering on the kamikaze squad, that’s all I was doing. And, hell, you could get hurt worse on them than you can rodeoing. I didn’t think much about it, but the Cowboys did.”
During the regular season, legendary Cowboys head coach Tom Landry forbade Garrison from moonlighting as a real cowboy, but he carried on in the offseason.
“Coach Landry pointed out that there was a clause in my contract that if I got hurt doing another sport, that my contract would be null and void,” he was quoted as saying. “And I said, ‘OK.’ I didn’t think rodeo was that dangerous.”
Garrison decided to end his football career after suffering an injury while steer wrestling in 1975. Garrison served as a national spokesperson for Skoal at the height of his fame with the Cowboys.
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Eventually, Garrison was instructed to stop working a second job throughout the season. He restricted his rodeo career to the off-season after that. After the 1970 season, Garrison ran for 65 yards in the fifth Super Bowl, a 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Colts, and for 74 yards in the Super Bowl the following year, when Roger Staubach led Dallas to a 24-3 victory against Miami.
Garrison was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1972 after rushing for 784 yards and seven touchdowns and receiving for 390 yards and three additional scores. Unfortunately, during steer wrestling in 1975, Garrison tore his knee. At age 30, he was compelled to retire.
He is a member of both the Oklahoma State Athletics Hall of Honor and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Garrison was also inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Dallas Cowboys 25th anniversary squad.
