Former Cowboys offensive lineman Tom Rafferty dies at age 70
June 11, 2025
Tom Rafferty (Google Images)
According to the Penn State University website on Sunday, former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Tom Rafferty of Syracuse, New York, recently passed away at the age of 70. Rafferty died of a stroke on Thursday according to Field Level Media. The death was confirmed by Tom’s daughter Rachel. Rafferty had been in a Colorado hospital since May.
Rafferty played 14 seasons with the Cowboys from 1976 to 1989. His initial offensive line position was right guard from 1976 to 1980. Rafferty was then moved to the center position from 1981 to 1989. In 203 regular season games, Rafferty had 11 fumble recoveries for -24 yards.
In the playoffs. Rafferty was part of the Cowboys team that won the 1978 Super Bowl. The Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 27-10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rafferty’s Super Bowl winning teammate Golden Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah died a year ago at age 73.
Rafferty was selected in the fourth round, 119th overall, by the Cowboys in the 1976 National Football League Draft from Penn State. He was a first team All-American while with the Nittany Lions in 1976.
It was during high school that Rafferty was a defensive lineman and moved to the offensive line when he played college football. It was of Joe Paterno’s opinion that Rafferty change positions. In addition to playing football, Rafferty was also a high performance lacrosse player during high school.
In 1998, Rafferty was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. He was honoured alongside former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Collins, former Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants pitcher Johnny Gee, and former baseball pitcher and outfielder Harry McCormick, who played for the Syracuse Stars, Worcester Ruby Legs, and Cincinnati Statistics.
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