Cowboys All-Pro Guard John Niland Dies at 82

John Niland, a three-time All-Pro guard who was a cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line during the franchise's first Super Bowl championship, has died. He was 82.

Niland died Saturday morning, August 15, 2026, in McKinney, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. His daughter, Haven, confirmed the news, and his family announced it in a Facebook post on Sunday, August 16. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Niland was a foundational player for the Cowboys for nearly a decade. Dallas selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa, making him the first offensive lineman the team ever drafted in the first round. He became the full-time starting left guard in 1967 and anchored the line for nine seasons, starting 111 of 124 games with the Cowboys from 1966 through 1974.

His consistent excellence earned him six consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1968 to 1973 and first-team All-Pro honors in 1969, 1971, and 1972. Niland was instrumental in one of the most successful eras in Cowboys history. He started in the franchise's early championship heartbreaks, including the "Ice Bowl" loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 1967 NFL...