Former Dallas Cowboys great Ralph Neely passed away on Wednesday at age 78.

Ralph Neely, who played on five Super Bowl teams and winning two NFL championships with the Dallas Cowboys, has passed away, the club announced.

He was 78. He died on Wednesday at his home near Dallas.

Neely played his entire 13-year career with the Cowboys and is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the history of the team. He played from 1965 to 1977, retiring after the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos in Super XII.

From 1967-69, Neely earned three first-team All-Pro awards and he also made the Pro Bowl in 1967 and 1969. In 1970, after spending the first five years of his career at right tackle, Neely moved to the left side for the rest of his career.

Neely ranks 11th Cowboys history with 168 games started. He played in 172 games.

Neely was born on Sept. 12, 1943 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He played football for the Farmington High School Scorpions in New Mexico.

He helped Farmington to the New Mexico state championship football game in 1960. The Scorpions met the Clovis Wildcats in the AA championship game with Clovis winning, 20-14, and handing Farmington its only loss.

In addition to football, Neely played baseball and basketball and was a shot putter on Farmington’s track and field team. After graduating in 1961, Neely attended the University of Oklahoma, playing for coaches Bud Wilkinson and Gomer Jones.

While playing for the Sooners, Neely earned All-Big Eight Conference and All-America honors in 1963 (second team) and 1964 (consensus). He played both on both the offensive and defensive lines for Oklahoma.

He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the second round of the 1965 American Football League draft and by the Baltimore Colts in the second round of the 1965 National Football League draft. The Colts traded his NFL contractual rights to the Cowboys in exchange for Billy Lothridge and a fourth-round selection in 1966.

Neely signed with the Oilers before the Cowboys acquired his rights. He returned his check to the Oilers and joined the Cowboys, and the Oilers sued. The teams resolved the lawsuit in 1966 as part of the NFL-AFL merger.

As a result of the settlement, the Cowboys agreed to play the Oilers in a preseason game each season.

Neely earned all-rookie honors, three first-team All-Pro and twice made the Pro Bowl.

He was injured halfway into the 1971 sesason, when he fractured his left leg in an off-road motorcycle accident; and missed the rest of the year. The Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins, 24-3, in Super Bowl VI.

He was selected to the 1960s NFL All-Decade team, but has not been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame or the Cowboys Ring of Honor.

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