Robert Newhouse was never the featured ball carrier on the Dallas powerhouse of the 1970's,but he was the toughest player on the field for those teams.
Newhouse was the fullback,so he blocked for the likes of Calvin Hill and later Tony Dorsett,but had he been a member of another team,he might been their bellwether back.
Newhouse was a star rusher at Houston in college before being the second round selection of the Cowboys in 1972 and with his hard running style could have been the star on some teams.
Instead,Newhouse blocked,caught passes and did the short yardage dirty work that good teams always seem to need and tough players seem to relish.
Newhouse was noted for the size of his thighs for a player,let alone a running back at an astonishing 44 inches,which easily were the largest in the league.
Tackling Robert Newhouse was once described as trying to tackle a rolling bowling ball and given his dimensions-I could certainly believe that.
Watching highlights of the Cowboys and Newhouse saw a player that never stopped pushing downfield and those films would show him taking shot after shot yet spinning forward and never stopping.
Just watching those hits would make one a Robert Newhouse fan,even if I wasn't a Cowboys fan.
I remember as a kid buying the seasonal Topps Football cards and drafting teams against my dad and always taking Robert Newhouse as my fullback.
Dad hated the Cowboys and I did too,but I'm not sure Dad ever understood how I could hate the Cowboys so much,yet love Robert Newhouse!
I would always tell him "wouldn't it be great if the Redskins (I rooted for them as a kid in the NFC) traded for Newhouse?".
He always would say "Tom Landry will never trade anyone to George Allen".
Newhouse's most remembered plays wasn't even a run-it was his long touchdown pass to Golden Richards in the Cowboys 27-10 win over the Broncos in the 1978 Super Bowl.
Watching the play,it's a strong throw as Newhouse rolled to his left and let it fly!
A few years ago when I was in a mailing frenzy over the winter sending cards,I sent some cards to my old favorite and sure enough a month later,all three cards back,signed by my childhood star.
Newhouse worked for the Cowboys in retirement and his son Reggie played a few years with the Cardinals in the late 90's before his health issues came to the forefront.
Best regards to his family for their loss and a final thank you for the great memories of watching Robert Newhouse play....
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