The 15 Most Hated Dallas Cowboys Players Of All Time

There simply does not exist a professional sports team in America that has as many haters as the Dallas Cowboys. Their combination of brash success in the 1990s, claim to being ‘America’s Team,’ outspoken owner in Jerry Jones, and a revolving door of loud personalities over the years has made them the most loved and hated team in the land.

It is an interesting task putting together a list of the ‘most hated Dallas Cowboys players of all time‘ because it becomes equal parts players hated by Cowboys rivals due to them being among the greatest in NFL history (Troy, Emmitt, Dez, Irvin, etc) and a few players who Cowboys fans themselves hated. So without further ado, here at the 15 most hated Dallas Cowboys players of all time (mostly by opposing fan bases).

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t just ‘America’s Team,’ they are also the most valuable sports franchise on earth with a valuation over $10.1 billion. And heavy is the head that wears the crown, because no sports franchise in America has more haters than the Dallas Cowboys, who have won 5 Super Bowls (3 under current owner Jerry Jones).

Looking at the ‘Most Hated Dallas Cowboys Players of All Time’ is funny because oddly enough, it’s almost just a list of the greatest Cowboys players of all-time, save for one or two names on the list. Because it was the on-field heroics from Dem Boyz that cause legions of haters to amass.

15. Michael Irvin, 3x Super Bowl Champion, 2007 Hall of Fame

A common refrain from NFL fans is ‘I love Michael Irvin now but despised him with the Dallas Cowboys’ and that is because ‘The Playmaker’ out of The U terrorized opposing defenses. Irvin won 3 Super Bowls with Dallas (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX), led the league in receiving yards in 1991, has been named to the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, and used to have ‘PLY MKR’ as his custom license plate.

But as an NFL Network analyst and former Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN, Michael Irvin has won over the haters with time.

14. Tony Dorsett, Super Bowl XII Champion RB, 1994 Hall of Fame

Despite winning the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, and leading the nation in rushing yards his senior year at Pitt with 2,150 yards, NFL scouts were skeptical that Tony Dorsett’s skill set would translate to the NFL. He proved them all wrong.

Spending 11 season with the Dallas Cowboys, Dorsett won Super Bowl XII against the Denver Broncos where he opened scoring in the game with a 3-yard touchdown (66 yards, 15 carries). The dude was a terror for DLs and set an NFL record with a 99-yard rushing TD that can only be tied by others. One of the most popular Cowboys RBs of all-time with Dallas fans, millions of others hated to see him on the field.

13. Greg Hardy

Greg Hardy only spent 1 season with the Dallas Cowboys (2015), his final season in the NFL. Hardy was one of the most polarizing figures of his 2010 NFL Draft class and a 2014 arrest for assault ultimately led to his release from the Carolina Panthers and who swooped in to pick him up? The Dallas Cowboys, of course.
Once in Dallas after signing a 1-year contract worth $11.3 million, Hardy was arrested for cocaine possession. The Cowboys were widely criticized by opposing NFL fans for signing Hardy in the first place and then repaid Dallas with the drug arrest. Within the locker room, Hardy’s own coach (Jason Garrett) was furious with him over inappropriate tweets. He was reviled by Cowboys fans and Dallas haters alike.

12. Troy Aikman, 3x Super Bowl Champion (XXVII, XXVIII, 1996)

Troy Aikman could have easily gone at #1 on this list if it wasn’t for (1) one of the most hated (and beloved) Dallas Cowboy of all time occupying that spot and (2) Troy winning over haters throughout the years. Aikman won 3 Super Bowls for Dem Boyz, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006, and is arguably one of the 5 most iconic quarterbacks in NFL history… With all of that success came a LOT of haters. Even still, Troy Aikman takes as much criticism for his work in the booth calling games as anyone on Sunday.
It pains me to imagine what Troy’s mentions on Twitter would have been like back in the early 1990s if social media existed back then when he was on top of the world in Dallas.

11. Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott, the current Dallas Cowboys QB, is either beloved or hated by Cowboys fans depending on the day and the same can be said for opposing NFC East fan bases. When Prescott is at his best, Eagles/Giants/Commanders fans despise him. And when the 2016 Rookie of the Year is under-performing the opposing fan bases love him and Cowboys fans call for him to be axed.

The 3x Pro Bowler ranks 7th all-time in career completions and 8th in regular season passing rating, but he has a dismal 2-5 record in the NFL Playoffs when things really matter. Like I said before, who Dak Prescott’s biggest haters are changes by the minute.

10. Terrell Owens, 6x Pro Bowler

Terrell Owens played the bulk of his career with the 49ers but moved on to the NFC East where he joined the Eagles for a season but was badly injured by Cowboys safety Roy Williams so naturally, Owens joined the Cowboys.
As one of the loudest and proudest wide receivers of his generation, fans either loved or hated Terrell Owens. There was no indifference when it came to T.O. and when he put on a Dallas Cowboys uniform his number of haters hit an all-time high.

9. Dez Bryant, 3x Pro Bowler

Ask a room full of Philadelphia Eagles fans which Dallas Cowboys wide receiver they have hated the most over the years and you’re certain to hear a few of them say ‘Dez Bryant.’ As a 3x Pro Bowler, Dez was a menace to opposing defenses and led the league in receiving touchdowns in 2014.
Off the field, Dez Bryant was arrested for domestic violence in 2012 but later became an outspoken advocate against domestic violence. He was accused of causing $60,000 in damage to a home owned by Texas state senator Royce West. If he didn’t already have enough haters, Dez Bryant also endorsed Kanye West to run for President of the United States in 2020.

8. DeMarcus Ware

As a linebacker for the Cowboys for 9 seasons, DeMarcus Ware was one of the most feared men on the field. He was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2023 as well as the NFL Hall of Fame and with all of his on-field success came armies of haters, both because he played for Dallas and because he was an absolute menace to offenses.
Ware led the league in sacks in 2008 and 2010, he was a 9x Pro Bowler, and he reigned terror upon offenses in the NFC East throughout his entire tenure in Dallas. He finally got his Super Bowl ring in SB50 with the Broncos, a loss that Carolina Panthers will never forget as Cam Newton was sacked by DeMarcus to end the first half and finished the game with 5 tackles and 2 sacks.

7. Tony Romo, 4x Pro Bowler

Would it be possible to have a list of the most hated Dallas Cowboys players of all-time without Tony Romo on it? To be sure, Dallas fans loved Tony. Romo always seemed to peak in November and drive opposing fan bases nuts only to regress as the season wound down and ruin his goodwill with Dallas Cowboys fans.
A 4x Pro Bowler who dated celebrities like Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood, Tony Romo represented a return to the flashiness that was woven into the Dallas Cowboys fabric back in the early 1990s but had been lost over the years.

6. Larry Allen

A 6x First Team All-Pro and Super Bowl 1996 champion, Larry Allen was ranked by his own franchise as the 5th greatest member of the Dallas Cowboys of all-time. Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, Allen played with the Cowboys for 14 seasons and was impeccable during this time with Dallas. Truly, a generational talent. Which only fueled the hate from opposing fan bases. You can be darn sure Larry never got a free drink in the City of Brotherly Love or NYC throughout his entire career.

5. Herschel Walker

2x Pro Bowler, Heisman Trophy winner, Co-chair of the President Trump’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports… Herschel Walker has his haters and of them there are many. He spent two stints with the Dallas Cowboys as bookends to his NFL career.

Herschel Walker became the 10th player in NFL history to record 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards and was a menace to defense along the way. Coming to the NFL from UGA, Walker already had his haters but donning the Dallas Cowboys uniform truly brought out the haters.

Off the field, Herschel Walker has faced domestic violence allegations and has been accused of fathering children he never publicly acknowledged. Walker gets a 8 out of 10 on the ‘most hated Cowboys’ score from your average NFL fan.

4. Ezekiel Elliott

The mere mention of Ezekiel Elliott’s name is enough to elicit rage from some NFL fans. His signature ‘eating’ celebration drove opposing fan bases in the NFC East insane for the first 7 seasons he spent with Dem Boyz. Leading the league in rushing yards for 2 seasons didn’t earn him any love from the rest of league either.

3. Roger Staubach, 2x Super Bowl Champion

Roger Staubach is the oldest player on this list and for many it is hard to contextualize just how much ‘Captain America’ was hated by the rest of the league. At quarterback, Staubach led the league to wins in Super Bowls VI and XII, earning MVP honors in the first.
Staubach led the league in Passer Rating in 4 seasons, was a 6x Pro Bowler, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, and though widely respected by most fan bases he was hated by anyone who had to face him on Sundays.

2. Emmitt Smith, 3x Super Bowl Champion

A 3x Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) and Super Bowl XXVII MVP, Emmitt Smith was THAT DUDE. As a kid, I couldn’t understand how the men in my family despised Emmitt Smith when he made magic happen on Sundays. But as an adult, I understand it was because what Emmitt Smith was doing to opposing fan bases was tantamount to torture.

The greatest Dallas Cowboys running back in franchise history, Emmitt was an 8x Pro Bowler, led the league in rushing yards in 4 seasons, led the league in rushing TDs in 3 seasons, and his list of accolades just goes on and on and on. Eagles fans still have nightmares about Emmitt.

1. Deion Sanders, 2x Super Bowl Champion

C’mon, it was always going to be ‘Prime Time’ at #1, wasn’t it? As an FSU fan my whole life and a Florida State alum, I’ve always been a fan of Coach Prime’s. But goodness gracious this man has accumulated haters over the years. I don’t need to look any further than the BroBible Facebook comments on any article we post about Deion Sanders to see that the hate for Coach Prime is as alive and well today as it was back when he was the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. As a multi-sport athlete, Deion Sanders is the only person on this list that can lay claim to having haters in more than one professional sport and for that reason alone he deserves the coveted #1 spot on the list of the Most Hated Dallas Cowboys Players of All Time.