Former Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh passed away Wednesday, the club announced.
Pugh, 70, was a starter on four Super Bowl clubs for Dallas, including two Super Bowl winners. He recorded 95.5 sacks in his 14 seasons with Dallas (1965-1978), sixth-most in franchise history, the team said.
Pugh died of natural causes, his family told the Cowboys.
“This is a sad day for Cowboys fans, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Jethro’s family,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a team-issued statement. “He was loved and appreciated by his teammates and Cowboys fans for decades, and his spirit will be felt when our team travels to Green Bay this weekend.”
Pugh was an 11th-round pick out of Elizabeth City (N.C.) University in 1965. He played on the Cowboys’ club that fell to Green Bay in the 1967 NFL Championship — the “Ice Bowl.” Pugh was supposedly so cold he began to hallucinate, according to an ESPN feature on the game.
