DALLAS (AP) — Lee Roy Jordan, a linebacker on the first Super Bowl-winning team for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s, has died. He was 84.
The Cowboys announced Jordan's death Saturday without saying when he died or giving a cause of death.
Jordan was a first-round draft pick by Dallas in 1963 after a standout career at Alabama, where he played for the late Paul “Bear” Bryant.
Jordan was a big part of the “Doomsday” defense that carried the Cowboys to a Super Bowl title in a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins during the 1971 season. He retired in 1976, the year before Dallas won its second championship.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Jordan was the first player inducted into the team's ring of honor after owner Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.
Jordan is still second on the team's all-time tackles list with 1,236. Darren Woodson, a safety on the Dallas teams that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s, has 1,350.
“With fearless instincts, leadership and relentless work ethic, Jordan was the embodiment of the Cowboys' spirit,” the team said. “Off the field, his commitment to his community was the centerpiece of his life after retiring in 1976.”
The Cowboys were known as “next year's champions” after the famous “Ice Bowl” loss to Green Bay in 1967, when the Packers went on to win their second consecutive title in Super Bowl 2. Three years later, Dallas lost to the Baltimore Colts on a last-season field goal in the Super Bowl.
The breakthrough finally came a year later with a linebacking crew led by Jordan and Chuck Howley, along with defensive tackle Bob Lilly, whose 29-yard sack of Bob Griese was the signature play in the Super Bowl win.
Jordan was the defensive leader on Alabama's 1961 national championship team and was an Associated Press All-American a year later. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
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FILE - Former Dallas Cowboys player and Ring Of Honor member Lee Roy Jordan looks on before a halftime ceremony during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam, File)
FILE - Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Harold Carmichael is swarmed by the Dallas Cowboys defense, including linebacker Lee Roy Jordan (55) during third period of an NFL football game in Irving, Texas, Nov. 15, 1971. (AP Photo/File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Coach Steve Kerr spoke with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga during the morning shootaround Thursday about the player's situation being out of the rotation for more than a month now with expectations he will be traded before the deadline next month.
“We talked this morning and that’s all private,” Kerr said. “I will keep coaching him, he’ll be part of the team, he’ll be here. It is what it is.”
Kerr discounted any issues between them as being reason Kuminga has reportedly requested a trade from the team after not being used in the last 13 games since Dec. 18 and 16 of 17 — though he has been listed as injured for nine games this season.
“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr said before Golden State hosted the New York Knicks. “There's not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff. It is what it is, difficult situation for everybody and part of this league, part of the job. We just keep moving forward.”
Kuminga has been training much of the time on his own, shooting on the Warriors’ practice floor out of the eyes of fans at Chase Center. He wears a black hood over his head on the end of the bench during games. Perhaps Kuminga and the Warriors weren't a great fit from Day 1 — not that it's his fault — and he might be eager to leave and start fresh elsewhere. If so, the Golden State brass might want to make sure he doesn't get hurt before trying to trade him.
Yet nobody has taken issue with his work ethic, at least not publicly. Kuminga, selected seventh overall in the 2021 draft, has been known to stay long after games shooting on the arena's main floor.
The 23-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has appeared in just 18 games total with 13 starts, averaging 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
On Sept. 30, he agreed to a two-year contract that could be worth up to $46.5 million if the team were to exercise its option for 2026-27. Kuminga had had a $7.9 million qualifying offer in hand since June 29 but was also weighing other options and he missed media day.
He has long had the support and confidence of teammates — like Jimmy Butler saying he has been having Kuminga over and continuing to encourage him.
Kuminga missed much of last season with a right ankle injury. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 24.3 minutes over 47 games with 10 starts. He also scored 15.3 points per game over eight playoff games while shooting 48.4% from the floor and making 40% of his 3-point attempts. That included a career-best 30-point performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kerr said the uncertainty around Kuminga's future “won't be a distraction.”
“Jonathan's a great young guy, his teammates like him,” Kerr said. "He's handling himself well.”
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Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) and Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) swap jerseys after the Warriors defeat the Jazz during an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Justine Willard)
