John Niland (American football)

John Niland

No. 76, 74

Position:

Personal information

Date of birth:

February 29, 1944 (age 73)

Place of birth:

Height:

6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Weight:

245 lb (111 kg)

Career information

High school:

College:

NFL Draft:

1966 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5

AFL draft:

1966 / Round: 13 / Pick: 166

Career history

Career highlights and awards

Career NFL statistics

Player stats at PFR

John Hugh Niland (born February 29, 1944) is a former American Football offensive guard who played for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles in an eleven-year career from 1966 to 1976. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He played college football for the University of Iowa.

Niland was raised by his adopted family and attended Amityville Memorial High School, where he was an All-State fullback.

He played college football at the University of Iowa, where he started out as a fullback, before switching to guard during his junior campaign.

Niland was an All-American selection his senior year in (1965) and also a Second-team All-America selection in 1964 by the Newspaper Enterprise Association.

In 1989, he was selected to the Iowa All-time Football Team. In 2006, he was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame.

Niland was selected in the first round (fifth overall) of the 1966 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first offensive lineman in franchise history to be drafted in the first round. He was also selected by the Oakland Raiders in the thirteenth round (116th overall) of the 1966 AFL Draft.