John Niland, who helped the Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl championship, has died

DALLAS (AP) — John Niland, a three-time All-Pro guard who helped the Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl championship, has died. He was 82.

Niland's daughter, Haven, said he died Saturday morning in McKinney, a Dallas suburb.

Niland made 111 starts in 124 games over nine seasons with Dallas. He played for Philadelphia for one year before retiring after the 1975 season.

Niland made the Pro Bowl for six straight years from 1968 to 1973. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1969, 1971 and 1972.

He helped protect Roger Staubach when Dallas beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in the Super Bowl on Jan. 16, 1972.

Niland, a Massachusetts native, starred at Iowa before he was taken by the Cowboys with the fifth overall selection in the 1966 draft. He was inducted into the Hawkeyes' Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

He is survived by Shaughn, his wife of more than 30 years, and daughters, Jordan and Haven.

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