National Football League

Michael Irvin reveals his top five Cowboys teammates, including two OLs

Updated Jan. 23, 2024 11:14 p.m. ET

Michael Irvin played on some of the most successful Dallas Cowboys teams of all time, and he was a huge part of that success.

The Hall of Fame wide receiver helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls as part of a three-headed offensive attack alongside quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith, who are also enshrined alongside Irvin in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But neither would be the first player selected if Irvin was to draft his former Cowboys teammates, he said during an appearance on his "Undisputed" co-host Keyshawn Johnson's podcast, "All Facts No Brakes."

That honor would go to four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Erik Williams.

"That dude sets the tone in everything," Irvin said. "Once we got Erik, things took off. Big E's a different dude."

Irvin was answering a question from Johnson about his top five Cowboys teammates of all time and quickly named Aikman, Smith and fellow Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, who was on the 1995 Cowboys team that won the last of those three Super Bowls. Irvin and Sanders have remained close friends since their playing days, and Irvin was a constant presence around Sanders' Colorado football team in the early part of the 2023 season.

"Deion, Emmitt and Troy are my boys to this day," Irvin said. "Every day, we're texting and calling and talking about how much we love each other, so they're great friends and I need them and love them."

But to round out his list, Irvin went back to the offensive line and named another longtime Cowboys stalwart and Hall of Famer — Larry Allen.

Irvin said that Allen's blocking was so ferocious, that sometimes Cowboys coaches would interrupt practices to show one of Allen's blocks to the entire team.

Like Sanders, Allen was only part of the Cowboys for the last of their three Super Bowls, but the 11-time Pro Bowler made a lasting impression.

"Dudes didn't even want to look at Larry Allen," Irvin said. "Larry would be pulling and [hit] a defender who would fly 20 yards."

Michael Irvin reveals his Top 5 Dallas Cowboys teammates

Johnson, who also played with Allen on the Cowboys later in their careers, said he once accidentally got hit by Allen on a blocking attempt — and flew down the field.

Irvin also shared some hilarious stories of his interactions with Allen over the years, including one time when he accidentally broke a rim while playing pickup basketball, and another when Allen dominated an impromptu bench press contest after a night of partying with Irvin at the Pro Bowl.

"I love my big fellas, man," Irvin said. "Big E and Larry, they would go all the time. That's what I need the Cowboys to have now, some real go-getters that will fight back with some real fight."

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