Randy Hughes

No. 42

Position:

Safety

Personal information

Date of birth:

April 3, 1953

Place of birth:

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Height:

6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)

Weight:

209 lb (95 kg)

Career information

High school:

Tulsa (OK) Memorial

College:

Oklahoma

NFL Draft:

1975 / Round: 4 / Pick: 96

Career history

Dallas Cowboys (1975–1980)

Career highlights and awards

2× All-Big Eight (1973, 1974)
Second-team All-American (1974)
Academic All-American (1974)
Big Eight 1970s All-Decade Team
All-Time Big Eight Team
Super Bowl champion (XII)

Career NFL statistics

Interceptions:	9
Games played:	77
Player stats at NFL.com

Player stats at PFR

James Randell Hughes (born April 3, 1953) is a former American football safety who played six seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL Draft.

Early years

Hughes played football at Tulsa Memorial High School, where he was chosen by the Tulsa World newspaper as the Prep Player of the Year, becoming the first defensive back to ever win the award.

In 1973, he earned the starting strong safety position for the University of Oklahoma, leading the team in interceptions (5) and being named All-Big Eight.

In 1974 he played a key role against the University of Nebraska, when he intercepted three passes and had 11 tackles in a 28-14 victory, for the team's second straight Big Eight championship, en route to an undefeated season and the National Championship. As a senior he was named All-Big Eight, second-team All-American, National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete, GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and also played in the Senior Bowl.

He finished his career after being a part of three Big Eight Conference titles, one National Championship, finishing fourth in school history with 14 career interceptions and tying the record for passes broken up in a season with 12 (1974). In 1979 he was voted to the seventies All-Decade Big Eight Team and in 1995 to the All-Time Big Eight Team.^[1]^[2]

Professional career

Hughes was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He was one of 12 rookies who made the team that year - hence the "Dirty Dozen" nickname for the Cowboys 1975 draft, that helped the team reach Super Bowl X. From the start, his skills earned him comparisons to Cowboys great Cliff Harris.^[3]

Super Bowl XII was arguably his best game as a professional, registering 5 tackles, an interception and two fumbles recoveries, while earning MVP consideration.^[4]

During his first four seasons, he played mostly as a nickelback and served as the backup to Harris and Charlie Waters. In 1976, he had a chance to start 2 games after Harris was injured, and in 1979, he started in place of Waters, who sat out the entire year with an injured knee. On December 8 1979, he dislocated his right shoulder playing against the Philadelphia Eagles, which became an injury that eventually would end his career.

In 1980 he was the likely replacement for the retired Harris at free safety, but he missed most of the year, after reinjuring his right shoulder during pre-season and being operated on it twice.^[5] He was replaced in the starting lineup by Dennis Thurman.

In 1981 he was projected as a starter, but dislocated his right shoulder while playing against the Los Angeles Rams in pre-season. The injury would open the door for rookie Michael Downs to earn the free safety job and for Hughes decision to retire before the start of the regular season.^[6]

Although he played six seasons and recorded 9 interceptions with the Cowboys, his career never fully blossomed because of recurring shoulder injuries. He tied a team record with interceptions in 3 straight playoff games.

Personal life

Hughes' son, Hampton Hughes, played defensive back for Boston College.^[7]

References

External links

1974 Oklahoma Sooners football—AP national champions

Karl Baldischwiler Dean Blevins Billy Brooks Sam Claphan Steve Davis Jimbo Elrod Zac Henderson Randy Hughes Horace Ivory Elvis Peacock John Roush Tony Peters Lee Roy Selmon Dewey Selmon Rod Shoate Joe Washington Head coach: Barry Switzer Assistant coaches: Donnie Duncan Galen Hall Warren Harper Larry Lacewell Rex Norris Jerry Pettibone

Dallas Cowboys 1975 NFL draft selections

Randy White Thomas Henderson Burton Lawless Bob Breunig Pat Donovan Randy Hughes Kyle Davis Roland Woolsey Mike Hegman Mitch Hoopes Ed Jones Dennis Booker Greg Krpalek Charles Bland Herbert Scott Scott Laidlaw Willie Hamilton Pete Clark Jim Testerman

Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl XII champions

1 Efren Herrera 11 Danny White 12 Roger Staubach 18 Glenn Carano 20 Mel Renfro 21 Doug Dennison 25 Aaron Kyle 26 Preston Pearson 31 Benny Barnes 33 Tony Dorsett 35 Scott Laidlaw 36 Larry Brinson 41 Charlie Waters 42 Randy Hughes 43 Cliff Harris 44 Robert Newhouse 46 Mark Washington 50 D. D. Lewis 53 Bob Breunig 54 Randy White (Co-MVP) 56 Thomas Henderson 57 Bruce Huther 58 Mike Hegman 59 Guy Brown 61 Jim Cooper 62 John Fitzgerald 63 Larry Cole 64 Tom Rafferty 65 Dave Stalls 66 Burton Lawless 67 Pat Donovan 68 Herbert Scott 70 Rayfield Wright 71 Andy Frederick 72 Ed "Too Tall" Jones 73 Ralph Neely 75 Jethro Pugh 77 Bill Gregory 79 Harvey Martin (Co-MVP) 80 Tony Hill 83 Golden Richards 86 Butch Johnson 87 Jay Saldi 88 Drew Pearson 89 Billy Joe DuPree

Head coach: Tom Landry

Coaches: Ermal Allen Mike Ditka Jim Myers Dan Reeves Gene Stallings Ernie Stautner Jerry Tubbs

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