I did some work in the prison system in Georgia for a few years before moving on and I’ll never forget hearing how the inmates referred to Dirk.
I walked into the inmate barber shop and they all kept arguing back and forth about ‘that dirty white boy’. At first I thought they meant Larry Bird due to his penchant for trash talking but realized they meant the Dallas Maverick star. So I asked why they called him that. Almost in unison, ‘his game is soooo duuuurty!!’ I died laughing. It was funny cuz’ it’s true.
Bob, thank you for bringing back those memories. Dirk’s contribution to the Mavericks as well as Metroplex sports and the entire National Basketball Association cannot possibly be minimized.
Those early Mavericks teams may have been the most talented teams they ever fielded, but they could never break through against those great Lakers teams. The Mavericks team that went to the first championship series against the Heat was probably more talented than the 2011 squad. As was the team the following year that finished the year as the number one seed before flaming out against Nellie’s scrappy warriors. I have always believed that team was physically burned out after spending the regular season chasing the best regular season record to make their playoff path easier. Hah! With the length of their run to the finals the previous and failing to rest their starters enough in pursuit of the top seed, they didn’t have that extra spark of energy to get them past Golden State and their former coach who knew just how to best attack them.
And I’ve always wondered if there might have been some more championship runs if Mark Cuban hadn’t decided that Steve Nash was nearing the end of the line, letting him walk in free agency. I also feared that Nash’s loss might erode Nowitski’s loyalty to the team eventually. Add that to the list of things I worried about needlessly.
No the 2011 team probably wasn’t as talented as some other and had some mileage with several key players nearing the end of their careers. Biut they did have incredible chemistry, that undefinable element that cannot be described, only recognizable when you see it. Their bench was filled with role players who embraced their duties on the team, subduing their chance at personal glory for the chance for a ring. And of course they had Dirk, who by then had learned how to use the “refuse to lose” mentality that raised the performance of those around him.
As for your Mount Rushmore, I endorse it wholeheartedly. Except for the omission of Bob Lily. I know he was a little before your time, and that may skew your decision. Lily played at a time when there were fewer teams, so the talent around the league was not so diluted.
Unlike today when offensive linemen in college never learn to play with a hand in the dirt, guards and tackles went through an apprenticeship in college and usually the first couple of years in the league arriving at their spot on the line as fully formed nemesis
This was great and now it makes sense why you named Dirk the most influential player in DFW history. You admit your bias and I appreciate that. No way he ever tops any Cowboys player, but I appreciate your perspective.
Dirk is THE most influential DFW athlete of the last 20 years. All the Cowboys you might name...including Tony Romo, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, Dak Prescott, Zeke...none have had the impact Dirc did. I realized this hanging out with family and a bunch of young people; to those under 30 years old Dirk was easily the biggest sports start in DFW. Wasn't a debate.
So yeah, Staubach, Emmitt, Michael, etc sit on that Mount Rushmore with Dirk but all their accomplishments are more than a quarter century old.
Bob: These are all very good articles. I thought I understood you to say last week that you'd do a "Cowboys Questions" piece every Friday. Please advise?
Friday is normally going to be a mailbag. Not just Cowboys, but definitely some (mostly) Cowboys. But, I reserve the right to make an editorial decision on rare occasions where we need something better – like this! Dirk is going in the HOF. Questions can wait a few days, right?
The only other picture I'd add is one of the countless ones of him walking through the arena with an aluminum foil covered plate.
Every dude with a black wife knows all about that plate!! :)
And also goes to a very cool aspect of Dirk's personality. Dirk never got drawn offsides about the implications of a Euro player being soft. He was extraordinarily comfortable in his own skin and being who he was. I'm a fan of another NBA team, but always respect how he did things his own way and earned the respect of the entire league.
The original Athletic posts? I'm not a subscriber so I don't have access. Just a small credit underneath the photo would be appreciated by most readers and any photographer, I'm sure.
The result was that there were few weeks when Lily did not face top-notch opponents across the line. And playing in an era of great defensive tackles like Merlin Olsen and Alan Page meant there were always media members who would be tempted to favor another player because of seeing them play more often.
But stand out above the others Lily did. He was always double teamed and often triple teamed, but still dominated line play in a way only Aaron Donald among today’s tackles can. The career-defining moment of chasing Bob Griese 20 yards down the field came 12 years into his career, a time when most players’ skills are in steep decline. As the Cowboys first draft pick, he, above all others except for quarterbacks, was responsible for lifting an expansion team into a perennial title contender. There were reasons he was given the title of Mr. Cowboy. In a team full of all stars and future Hall of Famers, he stood above all the others, both literally and figuratively.
Bob, do the research that you excel in so well, and I believe you will come to agree with me on chiseling Lily’s likeness atop your Mt. Rushmore.
Wow, my son being born June 24th, 1998 has been elevated. Thanks Bob!
This had my sports tears flowing!
Finally got around to reading. Tearing up in my cubicle. I love both these guys!
And the Musers had me thinking WOWY meant something else!
I did some work in the prison system in Georgia for a few years before moving on and I’ll never forget hearing how the inmates referred to Dirk.
I walked into the inmate barber shop and they all kept arguing back and forth about ‘that dirty white boy’. At first I thought they meant Larry Bird due to his penchant for trash talking but realized they meant the Dallas Maverick star. So I asked why they called him that. Almost in unison, ‘his game is soooo duuuurty!!’ I died laughing. It was funny cuz’ it’s true.
Bob, thank you for bringing back those memories. Dirk’s contribution to the Mavericks as well as Metroplex sports and the entire National Basketball Association cannot possibly be minimized.
Those early Mavericks teams may have been the most talented teams they ever fielded, but they could never break through against those great Lakers teams. The Mavericks team that went to the first championship series against the Heat was probably more talented than the 2011 squad. As was the team the following year that finished the year as the number one seed before flaming out against Nellie’s scrappy warriors. I have always believed that team was physically burned out after spending the regular season chasing the best regular season record to make their playoff path easier. Hah! With the length of their run to the finals the previous and failing to rest their starters enough in pursuit of the top seed, they didn’t have that extra spark of energy to get them past Golden State and their former coach who knew just how to best attack them.
And I’ve always wondered if there might have been some more championship runs if Mark Cuban hadn’t decided that Steve Nash was nearing the end of the line, letting him walk in free agency. I also feared that Nash’s loss might erode Nowitski’s loyalty to the team eventually. Add that to the list of things I worried about needlessly.
No the 2011 team probably wasn’t as talented as some other and had some mileage with several key players nearing the end of their careers. Biut they did have incredible chemistry, that undefinable element that cannot be described, only recognizable when you see it. Their bench was filled with role players who embraced their duties on the team, subduing their chance at personal glory for the chance for a ring. And of course they had Dirk, who by then had learned how to use the “refuse to lose” mentality that raised the performance of those around him.
As for your Mount Rushmore, I endorse it wholeheartedly. Except for the omission of Bob Lily. I know he was a little before your time, and that may skew your decision. Lily played at a time when there were fewer teams, so the talent around the league was not so diluted.
Unlike today when offensive linemen in college never learn to play with a hand in the dirt, guards and tackles went through an apprenticeship in college and usually the first couple of years in the league arriving at their spot on the line as fully formed nemesis
Thanks for the morning cry. Dirk will always have a special place for me. What a man.
This was great and now it makes sense why you named Dirk the most influential player in DFW history. You admit your bias and I appreciate that. No way he ever tops any Cowboys player, but I appreciate your perspective.
Dirk is THE most influential DFW athlete of the last 20 years. All the Cowboys you might name...including Tony Romo, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, Dak Prescott, Zeke...none have had the impact Dirc did. I realized this hanging out with family and a bunch of young people; to those under 30 years old Dirk was easily the biggest sports start in DFW. Wasn't a debate.
So yeah, Staubach, Emmitt, Michael, etc sit on that Mount Rushmore with Dirk but all their accomplishments are more than a quarter century old.
This was essential to honor my commitment to my father-in-law, ensuring that I could provide for his daughter whom I had married a few years prior.
Is this the same guy who took that daughter out to the front yard and showed her everything that Sports as provided? :-)
Both can be true!
Bob: These are all very good articles. I thought I understood you to say last week that you'd do a "Cowboys Questions" piece every Friday. Please advise?
Friday is normally going to be a mailbag. Not just Cowboys, but definitely some (mostly) Cowboys. But, I reserve the right to make an editorial decision on rare occasions where we need something better – like this! Dirk is going in the HOF. Questions can wait a few days, right?
The only other picture I'd add is one of the countless ones of him walking through the arena with an aluminum foil covered plate.
Every dude with a black wife knows all about that plate!! :)
And also goes to a very cool aspect of Dirk's personality. Dirk never got drawn offsides about the implications of a Euro player being soft. He was extraordinarily comfortable in his own skin and being who he was. I'm a fan of another NBA team, but always respect how he did things his own way and earned the respect of the entire league.
Awesome article. My wife liked it, too.
Greatness! Thanks for this!
AWESOME
Love you Bob. If I had one suggestion, I think whenever possible you should credit the photographer when you post photos.
The photog of the NBA Finals was credited in the original posts. Did I forget something specific?
The original Athletic posts? I'm not a subscriber so I don't have access. Just a small credit underneath the photo would be appreciated by most readers and any photographer, I'm sure.
Continued:
The result was that there were few weeks when Lily did not face top-notch opponents across the line. And playing in an era of great defensive tackles like Merlin Olsen and Alan Page meant there were always media members who would be tempted to favor another player because of seeing them play more often.
But stand out above the others Lily did. He was always double teamed and often triple teamed, but still dominated line play in a way only Aaron Donald among today’s tackles can. The career-defining moment of chasing Bob Griese 20 yards down the field came 12 years into his career, a time when most players’ skills are in steep decline. As the Cowboys first draft pick, he, above all others except for quarterbacks, was responsible for lifting an expansion team into a perennial title contender. There were reasons he was given the title of Mr. Cowboy. In a team full of all stars and future Hall of Famers, he stood above all the others, both literally and figuratively.
Bob, do the research that you excel in so well, and I believe you will come to agree with me on chiseling Lily’s likeness atop your Mt. Rushmore.