#26: Bob Lilly | The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players (2010) | NFL Films

[@MaynardGKrebs-gv4vy]

When I was in college, I worked at a Phillips 66 service station on I-35 in San Marcos, Texas. This was back when there was no self-service. A big van pulled in one day and I walked around the vehicle to the drivers door in time to see it open and a GIANT of a man get out. I immediately knew it was Mr. Bob Lilly. With my eyes bulging and my mouth hanging open I asked if he wanted it filled up. He said that he did. I told him it was a pleasure to have him in our station. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met. It didn't take long for a crowd to gather, all wanting to speak with him and get an autograph. He was very gracious and signed autographs for almost an hour before he had to leave. He even waited for a buddy of mine to run to his apartment a couple of blocks away to get his camera. Mr. Lilly: a class act all the way.

[@elizabethbennett5844]

I met Bob Lily at a Convention in San Antonio he was there with the Red Rider gun presentation.i was in awe of his stature and was so impressed by his wonderful gentleman manners .I'll never will forget that brief encounter.im 83 now and he still wowed me out if my shoes.e bennett

[@ireallylikeasoiaf4946]

This story is so heart warming on this thanksgiving. A real time machine back to a different time. You painted a beautiful picture sir.

[@Joe-kg2po]

Who was better Bob Lilly or Randy White?

[@MrRufusRToyota]

This started out like a gay Penthouse Forum story.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

God, he was so smooth. That hurdle at 1:45 is so sick.

[@justinmix143]

He was even a pretty darn good photographer too. Those are some great shots at the end there

[@thegorn68]

Tom Landry called Bob Lilly "...the greatest player I ever coached." That should tell you enough.

[@caponekingpinking9917]

It says alot

[@mcuthor7831]

Bill Walsh called Bob Lilly the 4th greatest player he had ever seen regardless of position. Think about that.

[@mja91352]

Greatest defensive tackle ever. Aaron Donald wishes ...

[@heathbrodersen7654]

Only because he never coached Joe Greene

[@dennisreagin2949]

@@heathbrodersen7654 Or Reggie White,Deacon Jones,Alan Page,or Merlin Olsen.Bob Lilly was an NFL legend,no doubt one of the very best to ever play.

[@ralphmoore69er]

I'm a life long Packer fan. This is the man. Bob Lilly is Mr. Cowboy indeed. 14 yrs. of professionalism.

[@mikeb9080]

Hands down, my all time favorite Cowboy. Made the play then back to the huddle. When they say they had to gameplan for a player, he was the mold.

[@randycrocker5908]

They tried for 14 years to game plan for Mr. LILLY, but it didn't work, he was to good. Still the only defense to hold their opponent to not scoring a touchdown in the Superbowl. Not the feared Steel Curtain, nor the 86 Bears great 44 defense can say that. Been nice if it would have been a shutout, but the Dolphins had a damn good team and Greise isn't in the Hall of Fame by accident. He held most of the records at Purdue for 30 years until a kid from Austin Westlake High School showed up. He wanted to stay in Austin and be A Longhorn , but coach John Macovich didn't think he was going to be good enough. After he broke Bob Greise's records he was drafted by The Saints , won and was MVP of the Superbowl. Broke every Saints record at quarterback too... Drew Brees ,yeah he's to small...

[@javadude54]

Bob Lilly started playing professional football about the same time I started watching it when I was a kid. Growing up in Oakland I was a Raider fan but I never missed a Cowboy game on TV because I knew Bob Lilly was going to do his thing like no one else could. He was like a force of nature. That was a good time to be a football fan, boy howdy.

[@derektorres9275]

I'm a big time Lions fan, but had the chance to meet Bob Lily last year. He was class all around and very nice to meet. And he's still pretty big

[@constantdarkfog49]

This man played 14 years with Dallas, that alone is amazing. Lilly was tops, impossible too stop.

[@trwent]

To.

[@DC4L99]

Greatest defensive tackle ever.

[@beatlejim64]

Lilly was brutal...GREAT DT!!!

[@nathansellers2387]

I never saw Bob Lilly play football, but this man left an everlasting impression on me way back in the 90s at a Midland Angel's AA baseball game. He was the main attraction that night signing autographs for the entire ballpark. As a kid, I brought him a mini baseball bat and a piece of paper to sign for me. I thought he was Jay Novacek. I greeted him as Mr Novacek, he signed for me, and then I saw number 74 in the sig. I then tried to correct myself and called him Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Mr. Lilly never corrected me, although an employee at the auto session promptly did. Incredibly embarrassed, I apologized to Bob, and hastily tried to leave. Bob took the time to call me back, talk to me, and got my family into the all you can eat hot dog and soda seats at the ballpark. It sounds dumb 30 years later but it was a big deal. Class act. Great person. I learned a life lesson on interacting with people that day, although it wasn't realized until years later. Thank you Mr. Cowboy.

[@hmsljj]

Back in the day I never liked my team playing the Cowboys ... and Lilly was a big reason why. They actually have a couple of clips in this video showing Lilly dominate in the 1970 NFC Championship game against my Niners. You hated playing him and yet you couldn't help but admire just how good he was. It was a pleasure to watch his play and he more than deserves to be on this list.

[@timbryant8152]

EXACTLY how I felt about Montana

[@t4texastom587]

Henry from CO Great comment, Henry. Your John Brodie-era 49ers were obviously an awesome football team. Many great players on those teams. Seems like people forget that. I was a Tom Landry-era Dallas Cowboys fan, but I loved to watch SF back then and always cringed when I would see the 49ers on the schedule.🏈

[@layziehorse72]

Dude had elite explosiveness and acceleration ahead of his time.

[@dizza8742]

1:45 just a d-linemen casually hurdling someone...no biggie

[@mauriciokrebs2913]

insane

[@maxhubbard8470]

Freak of nature

[@Crusader1815]

And then catching OJ Simpson, who was 8 years his junior. Best defensive lineman ever to play the game.

[@aye__brum3687]

Right my gosh that was badass

[@All4mula]

@@Crusader1815 wow

[@ralphstasilli4273]

Bob Lilly is one of the ten best players to EVER play in the NFL ..PERIOD ! PS. There will never be another Bob Lilly !

[@dominickdegregorio9834]

Coach Bill Walsh of the 49er's once said "Top 5 player of all time" ,...that says a lot

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

Not a bad thing to put on a job resume lol.

[@myimorata7678]

Magnificent player. Man-oh-man.

[@impassable]

Now days they base too much on how much you can lift or how fast you are and not enough on heart and talent

[@lyrics2challenged]

impassable well he was still strong asf. I myself lift way under other lineman and am nowhere close to their limit weight. Me and one other. He's 170 and the best lineman in awhile for hs fb... Blocking 40p lb guys

[@lyrics2challenged]

400*lbs. The problem was we didn't know when he needed help if coach didn't speak. We're used to him dominating lol.

[@javadude54]

I was always amazed at the strength of his hands. Once Lilly got a hand on you it was all over.

[@tombryan1]

You sound like a grumpy old man. Move over, life is running you over

[@burgerflipper6952]

You don’t need to look to look like a body builder but you need to be strong along with heart,technique,and just be aggressive

[@willoneil1456]

Mr. Dallas Cowboy awesome 😍

[@deanconner2475]

He was my football star when I was growing up, I played ball just like him.

[@georgemcfly3482]

I wanna see more tape on this guy

[@jackallen6562]

Me too. Every time I watch J.J. Watt I see Lilly. So good.

[@jamesdesch3201]

God what a football player! Bob Lilly, you the man!

[@PlasticStrws]

He would dominate today

[@777Outrigger]

Charlie Waters said that Bob Lilly usually tackled in a very soft way, to which Lilly responded, well, I was raised not to hurt anyone. But he could put the hurt on you if you were diving for a first down, or a touchdown. :-)

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

How many injuries did he keep from happening because of the way he tackled. People dont understand its not only the tackled that can get hurt during a play, but the TACKLER as well. Everybody loves a big booming hit, but if you are smart enough to not care about the macho BS, just getting the ball handler on the ground, without risking hurting yourself, is probably the best way to tackle. Anyone out on the field is a man anyway. You dont have to break bones to prove anything. Bob was smart, and his philosophy of just getting the guy on the ground was probably a huge reason he only missed one game in fourteen years.

[@777Outrigger]

@@chocolatetownforever7537 He intimidated by his excellent play, not with a BS macho mask.

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

@@777Outrigger Amen sir.

[@chaycequintana1928]

1:50 🤯 defensive linemen hurdling a running back chop block to get the TFL

[@davidwiltshire4577]

Now this is how football was meant to be played, watching these videos these guys seemed bigger and played harder till the 2000s

[@davidorme1993]

Mr. Cowboy. He was awesome.

[@xxxxbigrich5752]

He was dominating 💪🏽

[@stephenmcguire7342]

Any ranking system that doesn't have Bob Lilly in the top ten is bogus!

[@jamessmalls444]

The greatest Cowboys 🤠 of them all

[@KevinBarry-j8w]

I read a recent comment by one of the NFLs game film watchers who go over film from all NFL history saying Bob Lilly was regarded as the fastest defensive lineman ever off the ball when first hiked.

[@StellarFella]

His upper body strength was great, but his legs were more like those of a runner. His fast legs caught up to the runner with the ball and his strong arms grabbed the runner without letting go until the runner was tackled. He knew how to skillfully bring the runner down by momentum and by means of his own body weight.

[@bravobravoh1344]

50 years later and Bob is still one of the strongest and best players ever. He could pull 800 pounds up to his chest and some of the powerlifters think they're something if they can deadlift that much.

[@RTD3]

I've met Bob Lilly on two occasions. Class act and the guy is a MONSTER BIG human being.

[@texasrockshillcountry6574]

Bob Lily was deceptively FAST!

[@Rushmore222]

Back in the days when QB's feared the pass rush of an interior lineman instead of a linebacker or a free safety.

[@Weshopwizard]

Bob Lilly, Randy White, Ed Jones and DeMarcus Ware would be my all time Dallas front 4.

[@stevenkloepping2953]

No Harvey Martin?

[@73Trident]

Drop Ware and add Harvey "Too Mean" Martin. Harvey should be HOF.

[@beaux2585]

Certainly in my top 3 DT's of all time and I watched them all play including Lilly. Mean Joe Greene and Merlin Olson make up that elite triad. And Aaron Donald is currently making a strong case to join that elite group.

[@bluestar9463]

The definition of a class human being who happened to be one of the greatest football players in history.

[@piijay14]

Keep these Cowboys videos coming!

[@DestinyHogue]

Bob is the best at all times.

[@cowpoke02]

nice . love these stories and nfl life stories . before my time. wish had jim thopre footage man . cool beans . great player . glad i looked ..

[@radar0412]

I was 13 when I saw Lilly chase down Greise. I'd just started watching the NFL and didn't know who Lilly was. It seemed to me the game was a foregone conclusion after the play.

[@UncleClaudeSportsandThangs]

Mr. Cowboys BEFORE Jolly Roger. Still the best Cowboy of all time. Easily one of the top 5 DT's of all time.

[@mikethaxton4935]

Roger wasn't called Mr. Comeback for nothing ! He does have 4 trips to the SB 2 wins and would have had 3 wins if Jackie Smith hadn't dropped the ball

[@dwightlove3704]

+Mike Thaxton Jackie heard Lambert coming!!!!!

[@mikethaxton4935]

Dwight Love We fixed that in the 90s

[@777Outrigger]

Actually, Lambert was blitzing when Jackie dropped the ball, and Cowboy halfback, Scott Laidlaw, stuck his helmet into Lambert's ribs, and put him out of the game for a while. It wasn't the only time Laidlaw flattened Lambert in that game. He was one of the great blocking halfbacks.

[@ibleedblue0518]

Mike Thaxton hes got to be the sickest man in America

[@Yeomannn]

His athleticism in that era is so absurd and unprecedented, regardless of position.

[@gregj831]

I'm from Ohio but I was a huge Cowboys fan in the 70s. I now live in Dallas and recently walked into a Mexican Restaurant that had all these pictures on the wall and one big picture near our table caught my eye. I immediately recognized the man in the picture as the legendary Bob Lilly.

[@niegelbryant]

He went to my Grandfather’s church and my dad knew him.

[@killawaplayer]

Man it's crazy watching how guys used to play the game. Before linebackers weighed 230+, and your offensive line needed to weight at least 1500 cumulative pounds to be relevant. I wish we could go back to this era of football with the same amount of protective gear players have nowadays. A lot of people will hate on me, but at least the game wouldn't be so riddled with injuries and retired veterans who are suing the NFL...

[@epeon7]

the rules were different. It was rare to see 300 lb defensive lineman because you could cut them. Most 300 lb lineman don't have quick feet (a few do and they are usually HOF players). A good example of this was in the ice bowl. Jethro Pugh was a very big defensive lineman. but, it didn't matter, when Jerry Kramer cut him on the goal line. You can't do that today because if someone else touches Pugh (and someone always will) it is illegal. so, lineman become Sumo wrestlers.

[@bobanderson6656]

@@epeon7 No, Pugh was double teamed on that play. Kramer and Ken Bowman blocked him.

[@epeon7]

@@bobanderson6656 - my point is that you could not cut him under today's rules like Kramer did

[@xaviervega468]

I can't stand the Cowboys, but this dude was a beast.

[@spencerpearson3986]

why?

[@xaviervega468]

@@spencerpearson3986 I'm a Giants fan.

[@spencerpearson3986]

Xavier Vega damn shame.

[@joeschmo5021]

Over the last 25 yrs the Giants have won more championships than the Cowboys.

[@spencerpearson3986]

Joe Schmo that’s all you got?

[@rickstclair2217]

contrast listening to this all time great to today's athletes, our country has changed, not for the better.

[@paysonfox88]

Now that's the way to start a Franchise!!!! First Draft Pick in Cowboy's history in 1960 was a Hall of Fame Player! Tom Landry knew talent when he saw it huh?

[@ralphstasilli4273]

Bob Lilly is the best player I've ever seen! A man amongst boys!

[@mhlaw229]

It was terrific that the Cowboys finally won the SB that year. So many great early players were still playing but about to retire. Lilly and Walt Garrison especially. They should have beaten the Colts a few years earlier if Staubach had played. Craig Morton was the biggest choker ever, never played well in the big game and sucked in the SB vs the Colts

[@DiegoVergudo180]

They could've won it against the colts if they had put staubach under center.

[@mhlaw229]

@@trwent The Super Bowl is always "on the road"

[@gregschnos2113]

I met Bob Lilly at a restaurant I was working at in 2001. He was there for a banquet event. For some reason I thought guys that played back in the day weren't that big. That was a dumb assumption on my part. He was like a walking doorway. Also this was like 25 years or so after he retired. He was still in good shape, no big belly or anything like that. He was very kind and spoke with me briefly and gave me an autograph.

[@cortchiewelch9492]

i was lucky enough to see roger play for three years. wish i had the opportunity to see lily, hayes, perkins, walt garrison, calvin hill, duane thomas and meredith play. i missed out.

[@roquey44]

Had Duane Thomas been more affable, we never would have had to draft Dorsett. Duane was 6-3, 230 with swivel hips and speed. Had he stayed in Dallas with Calvin Hill, I think Dallas gets back the following year and probably beats the Dolphins again.

[@cortchiewelch9492]

@@roquey44 probably would've beaten the steelers during one of those super bowl meetings, with duane running the ball.

[@thomaslilly7522]

None of y’all no this but I am related to Bob and I love him so much and going to follow his foot steps

[@kingdraco3069]

Really? Also D Tackle?

[@t4texastom587]

I've been watching pro football since 1964. I could make a "top ten", "top twenty", "top thirty", or even a "top hundred" pro football DTs, and as everyone knows, there have been many great defensive tackles since the beginning of the NFL in 1920. I'll just say that at the top of my list of the greatest DTs list is Bob Lilly.🏈

[@bodyweightkiller]

He was an absolute beast. He would body slam players.

[@shhotput]

Lilly was GREAT. Deacon Jones, Allen Page, Merlin Olsen, Carl Eller all played in the 60's. I'm just sorry that Alex Karras isn't in the HOF.

[@trwent]

ALAN Page.

[@frankiewillis1772]

Bob Lilly was my favorite. He was born in Olney, Texas but lived in Throckmorton, Texas. Which is a one horse town. When you enter that town there is a big sign that says Home Of Bob Lilly. I know I have been there many times on my way to Olney. My moms family lived there. I got interested in football when I was ten years old in 1962. Didn't know one thing about it and didn't care who was playing I was watching it all by myself. I had 5 brothers and 2 sisters. When I found out there was a Dallas team that did it for me I watched them all. I watched so much football I learned the game no one taught me anything. My brothers at that time didn't play mainly to young. Then one day my mom decided she was going to watch with me to see what I got out of watching football. After that she was hooked on the Dallas Cowboys. My whole family got hooked years later. Back then football was not what it is today. I knew all the players by name they were like my family. The only regret I have I was born a girl and no football playing for me.

[@kingleonidas6352]

what a beast

[@jonniez62]

I cried when he announced his forced retirement.

[@kenarthur6253]

Still remember that sack of Bob Griese in the Super Bowl. 29 yards! Great player, and I am NOT a Cowboy fan.

[@NickErrrr]

And what you notice about Bob is he never used his head while tackling he used his body for a majority of his hits…it’s why he’s 82 and been able to stay alive up to this point

[@merseybeat1963]

And he looks like a gentleman when playing.Pure football no abuse

[@LinkRocks]

LOL! What are you talking about, he was one of the most violent players in the league. Ask anyone who faced him.

[@abrahamjackson6019]

Bob Lilly revolutionized the DT position. Joe Green and Randy White took it to the next level...

[@abrahamjackson6019]

@@everettherrera1604 How could i forget Alan Page..

[@mdlmrc1051]

I met him. No way of believing he was the same man on the line. Great player, but a great personable man too.

[@iamdalastape6948]

I've never seen a player hurdle a guy and proceeds to make the tackle on the ball carrier

[@aje9374]

RIP Dan Reeves!!

[@encyclopediaamericana7234]

He was the anchor of Doomsday.

[@jimbiddle8646]

A lot of truly great people ( not just great athletes) with the early Cowboys. Not so much now.

[@JSalonsky]

Randy White, Bob Lily, Deon Sanders, Demarcus Ware, Charles Haley.. wow

[@brandonmaddox4862]

There’s No Doomsday without Bob Lilly

[@eddiebills6569]

a great HOFer.

[@joeschmo5021]

Lifelong Steeler fan, and I hate to admit it, but I believe he was a better tackle over his career the Joe Greene. Lilly was dominant for 14 yrs. Greene however peaked around his 6th yr. An arm issue caused him alot of pain much of his career.

[@57preston]

The old days, the Cowboys were tough and respectable. So many great players on those Cowboy teams. Never been a Cowboy fan.But I lost respect for them with the arrival of Jerry Jones and the horrible treatment of Tom Landry. A man that did so much for the Cowboys organization and the NFL.

[@m3gusta17]

very few, if any, Cowboys fans that like Jerry Jones.

[@billbates5475]

@@m3gusta17 JJ is the ultimate malignant narcissist.

[@DiegoVergudo180]

All of us hate Jerry Jones

[@tonymoreno1416]

@@DiegoVergudo180 Although Jones runs the team with his corporate mentally, don't forget he did bring the team 3 super bowl championships.

[@djtennessee9016]

My personal opinion, if you didn't play under Tom Landry you're not a Dallas Cowboy but by 1988 the rest of the league finally caught up to landrys offense and flex defence and I have to say that cowboys fans are ungrateful jerry said in his first press conference after buying the team we will win and they did they won 3 super bowls how do you have a problem with a man who kept his word?

[@mmz1049]

he is the opposite of aikman the most underrated cowboy of all time

[@pjtheory]

Ranking Joe Greene ahead of Bob Lilly is a joke. Lilly made more Pro Bowls and had 27 more career sacks than Greene. Lilly is the greatest D-Tackle in NFL history. Period.

[@greensmithfootball10]

John Randle is the greatest d tackle in history

[@pjtheory]

Please. Randle was one of best pass rushing DT's to ever play, but he paled in comparison to Bob Lilly, Joe Greene, and Merlin Olsen as a run defender. Teams routinely ran right at Randle whereas Lilly was the heart of Landry's Flex Defense. In terms of being an all-around DT, Randle can't hold a candle to Lilly.

[@richardmorris7063]

I'm going to throw Merlin Olsen in the mix. 15 seasons 14 pro bowls.

[@ralphstasilli4273]

Lilly litterally gave opposing players nightmares. The secret to his strength was in his enormous back . He'd grab a linemen and throw him aside. He's the greatest D lineman to ever play the game !

[@trwent]

Bob Lilly and Jethro Pugh played next to each other on the Cowboys' defensive line for many years. Pugh was a good player but not a great one like Lilly. But they still formed a very fine DL duo for over a decade.

[@joelilly00]

Hey that's my great grandpa

[@MaynardGKrebs-gv4vy]

That is cool. I met him in San Marcos TX one time. See my recent comment on this video.

[@zzremington]

They didn't have the field turf then, they did have the fields that were perfectly manicured and had underground heat and drainage systems - when it rained then, you went to war in the mud, the way it should be!

[@57clc]

Tough to imagine 25 football players better than Mr. Lilly.

[@DigitalDul]

You can look at certain guys & tell they can play in era

[@dcbandnerd]

As much as I loathe the Cowboys - Bob Lilly is truly "Mr. Cowboy" in the best possible way. Great player and by many accounts, a gentleman of the highest order.

[@WatcherMonkey]

The helmet throw catapulted Lilly to one of the greatest players in the NFL.

[@MTRZ97]

WatcherMonkey He was already one of the greatest at that time

[@chriswebster1099]

Old school. Is he playing a 2 technique? Right over the guard.

[@ItsHDFrostyv2]

yeah or its a 1 tech I cant really tell

[@greensmithfootball10]

I never thought that troy aikman was that great, he was a good quarterback on a great team.

[@manuelguerra774]

as a cowboys fan, I agree

[@mikethaxton4935]

Except he was one of the most accurate passers in NFL history and the 93 SB MVP

[@greensmithfootball10]

What's his completions percentage?

[@Budabout]

The cowboys mostly ran the ball when Troy was around

[@treywhite7145]

Very accurate passer, intelligent and great leadership skills.

[@joepadilla7871]

Lilly was the best

[@cliffordyawn2696]

Lily never missed a game

[@millardhale85]

Him and Merlin Olsen were as tough as they come!

[@ms.felonystrutter2472]

26????? Roger Staubach and Bob Lilly should be top 15.

[@frankrivera-cortes3887]

Music at 1:06?

[@chaosdweller]

I didn't know about him, ...cool

[@jaycompany4886]

Is Harvey Martin on this list?

[@camdenelliott]

No

[@camdenelliott]

Sadly not

[@mn5stoat169]

0:41 John Brodie : Crap ! Not again !

[@theprofessor8589]

A 60's version of J.J. Watt.

[@paysonfox88]

More Like Deacon Jones actually. Deacon was closer to J.J. Watt, and played in the same Era as Lilly.\ (1960 draft) David Jones "deacon" had 28 sacs in one season and 26 in the next in the early 67-68 by his team's film accounts. Lilly was great, but even this list agrees that Deacon was more J.J. Watt like

[@theprofessor8589]

Watt is a tackle, like Lilly was, Deacon was an end, so, I don't get the comparison??? Lilly more like Watt.

[@Asahel717]

Watt plays mostly RDE, Lilly played inside at RDT and would be a 3-Tech in today's NFL, while Deacon Jones played LDE alongside HOF DT Merlin Olsen. Jones and Watt both were ends but Watt lines up on the weak side more often than not. Jones played strong side and was the best of his era and one of the three or four greatest DEs of all time. Lilly, it can be argued, was the greatest DT ever, a title often argued for Alan Page and Olsen, with Joe Greene and Randy White in the mix.

[@drewerving7428]

Two different positions bro

[@roquey44]

@@paysonfox88 Deacon was an end and Bob was a tackle. Bob freed up the D-ends to get the sacks. Besides, he played in Landry's Flex Defense. He did a lot more "reading" than Deacon did.

[@PaulRobert474]

When I think of my Big "D" three. It's Roger, Emmitt and Bob...

[@salmanchaudry9300]

which song starts at :40?

[@mattyice1151]

Freaking badass with near super human size and strength... Wants to take pictures of trees..

[@TuckFrump-r9h]

Back when football players had other talents to pursue and planned accordingly.

[@caponekingpinking9917]

He before my dad He love photography I love photography