John Niland, who helped the Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl championship, has died

Dallas Cowboys guard John Niland, a three-time All-Pro who helped the team clinch their first Super Bowl championship, has passed away at the age of 82. Niland spent nine seasons with Dallas, starting 111 games out of 124. A standout player for Philadelphia prior to joining Dallas, Niland made the Pro Bowl for six consecutive years from 1968 to 1973, and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1969, 1971, and 1972.

His defensive prowess is famously credited for shielding quarterback Roger Staubach during the Cowboys' Super Bowl victory over the Miami Dolphins on January 16, 1972. Niland, a native of Massachusetts, honed his skills at Iowa before being drafted by the Cowboys fifth overall in 1966. He was inducted into the Hawkeyes' Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006. Niland is survived by his wife Shaughn and daughters Jordan and Haven.