Dave Manders

Manders was born on February 20, 1941, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.{{Cite web |title=Dave Manders Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MandDa00.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He played football at Kingsford High School, where he was twice named Michigan all-state in football at center, and lineman of the year as a senior. He also played basketball and was on the track team, and set an Upper Peninsula of Michigan shot put record.{{Cite web |title=Dave Manders Class of 1980, Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame |url=https://upshf.com/inductees/bios/Dave_Manders |website=upshf.com}}{{Cite news |last=Zima |first=Jim |date=August 31, 1980 |title=Where are you now Dave Manders? |work=Green Bay Press-Gazette |pages=24}}

His number 51 is only one of three numbers retired by the school, along with Dick Berlinski, who also played football at Michigan State,{{Cite web |date=2024-09-07 |title=Honoring Flivver Football’s Dick Berlinski |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/honoring-flivver-football-dick-berlinski-174735894.html |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Yahoo Sports |language=en-US}} and future 10-year NFL player{{Cite web |title=Timothy Kearney (1982) - Hall of Fame |url=https://nmuwildcats.com/honors/hall-of-fame/timothy-kearney/112 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Northern Michigan University |language=en}} Tim Kearney.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} Manders and Kearney became good friends, and when Kearney was at Kingsford, Manders helped him learn proper weight training.{{Cite news |last=Kelley |first=Mark |date=May 26, 1971 |title=Wildcat Captain Tim Kearney: The Making Of A Linebacker |url=https://uplink.nmu.edu/_flysystem/repo-bin/2023-07/nmu_133330.pdf |work=The Northern News |pages=9}}

In 1980, he was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame.

Manders went on to play at Michigan State University (1959–61), wearing No. 50, where he was a two-way player,{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=Ranking Cowboys' top 10 undrafted free agents of all time, and who could be next standout in 2023 and beyond |url=https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ranking-cowboys-top-10-undrafted-free-agents-of-all-time-and-who-could-be-next-standout-in-2023-and-beyond/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}} playing center on offense{{Cite journal |last=Hyman |first=Mervin |last2=Sharnik |first2=Morton |date=September 19, 1960 |title=BIG MEN OF THE MIDWEST |journal=Sports Illustrated |volume=13 |issue=12}} and linebacker{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} on defense.{{Cite web |last=Tucker |first=Cody |date=June 16, 2018 |title='Who wore it best' at Michigan State: No. 50 |url=https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/2018/06/16/who-wore-best-michigan-state-no-50/695304002/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Lansing State Journal |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=1961 Michigan State Spartans Roster |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/michigan-state/1961-roster.html |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} He became the starting center as a sophomore in 1959.{{Cite news |date=October 13, 1959 |title=Dave Manders Moves Up To First String At Michigan State |work=The Escanaba Daily Press |pages=11}} He was teammates with future hall of fame defensive back Herb Adderly,{{Cite web |title=Herb Adderley College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/herb-adderley-1.html |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Herb Adderley {{!}} Pro Football Hall of Fame |url=https://www.profootballhof.com/players/herb-adderley/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=pfhof |language=en}} who would later be his teammate again with the Dallas Cowboys.{{Cite web |title=Cowboy 72 (Media Guide, p. 29) |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/747374896/Cowboys-1972-Media-Guide-Dallas}}

During his college career, he was among the team leaders in tackles, even though he experienced leg injuries in his last two years.{{Cite news |last=Graham |first=Gordon |date=November 4, 1960 |title=Purdue Hosts MSU Tomorrow |work=Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Indiana) |pages=16}}{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} As a sophomore, he was a third-team All-Big Ten selection and became an All-American honorable mention after his senior year.

Manders college coach, future College Football Hall of Fame member Duffy Daugherty,{{Cite web |title=Duffy Daugherty (1984) - Hall of Fame |url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1851 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=National Football Foundation |language=en}} had held back mail inquiries from NFL teams to his players to prevent distraction, and few members of his Spartans team were drafted in the 1962 NFL draft. Manders signed as a free agent with the Cowboys in 1962, to play linebacker, but after a short stay in training camp, Manders decided to return to Michigan State to complete his engineering degree. He then worked two years as an engineer at General Mills, first in Grand Rapids, Michigan and then in Toledo, Ohio, before deciding to pursue a football career again.{{Cite web |title=Cowboys Alumni Series: Catching Up With Dave Manders |url=https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/cowboys-alumni-series-catching-up-with-dave-manders-338666 |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=www.dallascowboys.com |language=en-US}}

After spending 1963 playing semi-pro football in the United Football League for the Toledo Tornadoes, Manders called Gil Brandt in the Cowboys front office and asked for another chance. Brandt signed him in December 1963 and he made the team the next year as a center, backing up four year starting center Mike Connelly (though he did start three games).{{cite web |date=December 12, 1963 |title=Dallas Signs Manders (Toledo Blade) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19631212&id=x_xOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QgEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7062,1316696 |access-date=February 19, 2017}}{{cite web |last=Rothman |first=Seymour |date=January 18, 1971 |title=I've Heard (Toledo Blade) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19710118&id=qPFOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ywEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6925,6225050 |access-date=February 19, 2017}}{{Cite web |title=Mike Connelly Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ConnMi21.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

Nicknamed "Dog" by his teammates, he was quick, strong and had huge legs.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} He was always considered to be one of the hardest-working players on the team. Cowboys special assistant Ermal Allen said the Cowboys would measure their players effort by comparing them to Manders, as Manders always gave 100%. In 1965, his second season in the NFL, he became the Cowboys starting center replacing Mike Connelly.

In 1966 he was selected to the Pro Bowl,{{Cite web |title=1966 NFL Pro Bowlers |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1966/probowl.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} becoming the first franchise offensive lineman named to the Pro Bowl. In 1967 during pre-season, he suffered a career-threatening right knee injury and missed the entire season, and was told he would never play again.{{Cite journal |date=September 18, 1967 |title=CAPITOL STAYS WEST |journal=Sports Illustrated |volume=27 |issue=12}} Manders did return in 1968, but upon his return he served as a backup to Malcolm Walker (the starting center in 1968-69) and Connelly (himself a backup in 1968). Manders remained a backup in 1969, until he returned to form and took his job back in 1970.{{Cite journal |date=September 21, 1970 |title=NATIONAL EAST |journal=Sports Illustrated |volume=33 |issue=12}}{{Cite web |title=Malcolm Walker Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WalkMa20.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} CoachTom Landry also made him a team captain in 1970.

He was a starter in the Cowboys first Super Bowl–Super Bowl V, held in Miami on January 17 1971 against the Baltimore Colts.{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl V - Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Colts - January 17th, 1971 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197101170clt.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He was also involved in one of the game's controversial plays, when the Cowboys Duane Thomas fumbled the ball on the Colts two-yard line. Although Manders recovered the ball, the officials still awarded it to the Colts (convinced by the Colts Billy Ray Smith he had recovered it, not Manders). The Colts won their first Super Bowl as Jim O'Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal with time running out for a 16-13 victory. Eminent Baltimore sportswriter John Steadman believed Manders version of events.{{Cite web |last=Steadman |first=John |date=1993-02-03 |title=At bottom of 22-year pile, ex-Cowboy still insists he, not Colts, had fumble |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/02/03/at-bottom-of-22-year-pile-ex-cowboy-still-insists-he-not-colts-had-fumble/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Baltimore Sun |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=1999 – John Steadman |url=https://nationalsportsmedia.org/awards/hall-of-fame/1999-john-steadman |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=National Sports Media Association |language=en}}

Manders was the starting center during the period in 1971 when coach Landry was splitting time between quarterbacks Craig Morton and Roger Staubach, in a competition to determine the number one starting quarterback.

He was the starter in the Cowboys first championship team in franchise history, that won Super Bowl VI in 1972.{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl VI - Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins - January 16th, 1972 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197201160dal.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} In 1973, he retired due to a contract dispute, but by the month of September, he was back working out with the team. He played in the majority of games during that season as center on special teams, although John Fitzgerald was the starter at center for the Cowboys in 1973-74. He continued splitting time with Fitzgerald until his retirement at the end of the 1974 season.{{cite web| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19750701&id=kgxZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SUYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6321,234051 | title=Manders To Retire | access-date=February 19, 2017}}{{Cite web |title=John Fitzgerald Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FitzJo21.htm |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

After retiring, Manders and his wife moved to McKinney, Texas, where he ran a commercial landscaping company.

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Category:1941 births

Category:Living people

Category:American football offensive linemen

Category:Dallas Cowboys players

Category:Michigan State Spartans football players

Category:United Football League (1961–1964) players

Category:Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players

Category:Players of American football from Milwaukee