OXNARD, Calif. — John Niland, one of the more decorated Cowboys offensive linemen in franchise history, died in McKinney on Saturday morning, his family confirmed.
The Cowboys selected Niland fifth overall in the 1966 NFL draft out of Iowa. The Oakland Raiders also drafted Niland in the 13th round of the AFL draft.
Niland signed with the Cowboys and, after starting in just four games in his rookie season, took over the job in the 1967 season. He played 124 games with 111 starts in nine seasons in Dallas. He was named a first-team All-Pro in the 1969, 1971 and 1972 seasons. Niland finished his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1975.
“He was the best dad,” said Niland’s daughter, Haven. “He was so wonderful. I mean, he was really bigger than life. He taught me so many amazing things. I was talking to my sister [Saturday]. He taught me nothing is that serious. The things that really matter are family and your faith and just being kind to other people. I think that’s really exemplified.”
After Niland retired, he encountered several health issues, including bouts with dementia, knee and shoulder replacements and mouth cancer.
Haven Niland said the family plans to donate her father’s brain to Boston University’s CTE Center, which conducts research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy on men and women who have encountered repetitive brain trauma. Haven Niland said her mother, Shaughn Niland, deserves “a lot of credit for supporting him” during his later years.
“I can’t remember a time when it didn’t impact our life,” Haven said. “It was a continuous discussion of dad’s got doctor’s appointments. He had a double knee replacement, and then later a double shoulder replacement, which led to staph in his spine. So his body was beat up and bruised and he broke his nose six times. We were always talking about it. We experienced a lot of hardships as a family. He was often confused later in life or angry for reasons he didn’t understand. We knew it was the CTE. We know it. We don’t need a test to tell us, but we know that he was. He knew himself he was so heavily impacted by that.”
Despite the health issues, Haven said her dad continued to support the family and community.
“He was in a house full of girls, so he was outnumbered,” she said. “He was completely outnumbered, but we were up early Saturday mornings. He loved to clean out the garage. He loved to organize stuff. And so everybody had a job all the time and he provided everything we could ever want. It was the team mentality. We were the Nilands. I’m married now, but I’m still a Niland. So I’m very proud to represent and keep hearing the name.”
John Niland is survived by his wife, Shaughn, and two daughters, Haven and Jordan.
Funeral arrangements are pending.