Former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Champion Dead at 72

Scott Laidlaw, a Super Bowl champion and key contributor to the Dallas Cowboys' backfield in the late 1970s, died recently. He was 72.

Laidlaw's passing was confirmed by multiple outlets. As of now, no cause of death has been provided.

A major cog for 'America's Team'

A 14th-round pick out of Stanford, Laidlaw was part of the "Dirty Dozen," Dallas' vaunted 1975 rookie class. After seeing spot duty in only eight games as a rookie, Laidlaw assumed a larger role in 1976, appearing in 13 games with seven starts and rushing for 424 yards and three touchdowns.

Laidlaw also scored a touchdown in the Cowboys' 14-12 Divisional Round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He followed that up by playing in all 14 games as a critical reserve on Dallas' Super Bowl XII champion squad in 1977.

Laidlaw's most productive seasons came in 1978 and 1979, when he rushed for 548 yards and six touchdowns in 32 regular season contests. The Hawthorne, California native also scored two rushing touchdowns in a first-round playoff win over the Atlanta Falcons in 1978 and posted a receiving score the following week in a win over the Los Angeles Rams.

After five years in Dallas, Laidlaw's career ended with seven games as a member of the New York Giants in 1980, where he rushed for 10 yards on five carries and caught two passes for 16 yards while also playing special teams.

'Dirty Dozen' remembered fondly

Laidlaw was part of three NFC Championships and one Super Bowl title with the Cowboys, but is best remembered as being a member of the "Dirty Dozen," 12 players who made the Dallas roster as rookies in 1975 and emerged as vital performers.

The headliner of the dozen was Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White, but the group also contained four-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Pat Donovan, three-time Pro Bowl offensive guard Herbert Scott, three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bob Bruenig, one-time Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, Laidlaw, 12-year veteran linebacker Mike Hegman, defensive back Randy Hughes and offensive lineman Burton Lawless.

You can read more about the "Dirty Dozen" here.