St. Augustine Prep Grad Making Name for Himself with Cowboys

In these parts the Dallas Cowboys have always been thought of as the enemy, but there is one Cowboy who local football fans might have to root for on Sunday - St. Augustine Prep alum Jack Crawford.

The former Hermit and Penn State grad was the 158th player taken in the 2012 draft by the Oakland Raiders, he's now in Dallas where he is listed as the backup defensive tackle to Nick Hayden.

"Jack's a good player," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said during a conference call today. "We liked him a lot coming out of school."

In seven games this season he has made an impact, with three sacks, bringing down Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Eli Manning. Last season, the Cowboys placed Crawford on injured reserve with a broken thumb, ending his season.  But Garrett saw something that he liked in Crawford a year ago in a scrimmage with the Raiders, Crawford's former team.

"We practiced with Oakland last year in training camp, and we got a chance to get him, we pounced on it," Garret explained.  "He plays the right way.  He's tough, he's physical, he has a relentless spirit about him - he's always scratching and clawing and fighting."

Crawford is an amazing athlete, catching 12 touchdown his senior season at the Prep, while playing basketball and soccer at the Richland school. That athleticism has helped him become a solid contributor at the NFL level - even though he has very limited football experience.

"He's able to play both inside and outside for us as a defensive end and a defensive tackle. Our experience is if you give him a chance he is a productive player and he's done a nice job up to this point with us."

So if you have a reason to cheer for a Cowboy on Sunday, Jack Crawford is that reason.