John Hugh Niland (born February 29, 1944) is a former American football offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Iowa. In 2021, the

Professional Football Researchers Association The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by writer/hist ...

named Niland to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2021

Early years

Niland was raised by his adopted family and attended

Amityville Memorial High School Amityville Memorial High School is a public high school located in Amityville, New York, United States, on the south shore of Long Island. It is part of the Amityville Union Free School District, which includes the village of Amityville and porti ...

, where he was an All-State

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Iowa, where he started out as a

, before being converted into an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

and becoming a starter at

right tackle Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...

as a sophomore. He was moved to offensive guard as a junior. Niland was an All-American selection his senior year in (

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

) and also a second-team All-America selection in 1964 by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. In 1989, he was named to the Iowa All-time Football Team. In 2006, he was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame. Niland was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

in the Football Category with the Class of 1997.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Niland was selected in the first round (fifth overall) of the

1966 NFL Draft The 1966 National Football League draft was held at the Summit Hotel in New York City on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The expansion Atlanta Falcons were awarded the first pick in each round as well as the final pick in each of the first five rou ...

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 The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

in the thirteenth round (116th overall) of the

1966 AFL Draft The 1966 American Football League draft was held on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The AFL added the Miami Dolphins as an expansion team in 1966 to bring its total to nine franchises for its seventh season. The Dolphins were awarded the first overa ...

. As a rookie, Niland started four games at

in place of an injured

Jim Boeke James Frederick Boeke (September 11, 1938 – September 26, 2014) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Heidelbe ...

. In

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, his emergence as the starting

left guard In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right g ...

, allowed the team to move

Tony Liscio Anthony Liscio (July 2, 1940 – June 18, 2017) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tulsa. Early life Liscio attended Westingho ...

to left tackle. Niland was the starter at

from

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

. One of the top offensive linemen of his era, he excelled as a pulling

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. Practicing against Bob Lilly, beginning in his rookie year, helped Niland become a Pro Bowler and solidified an offensive line that won two

NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...

s and one

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

. He was nicknamed Johnny Nightlife by his teammates, because of his thirst for the nightlife. As a rookie, Niland started in the

1966 NFL Championship Game The 1966 NFL Championship Game was the 34th NFL championship, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. It was the final game of the 1966 NFL season. It determined the champion of the National Football League (NFL), which met the champion ...

and later in the

1967 NFL Championship Game The 1967 NFL Championship Game was the 35th NFL championship, played on December 31 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It determined the NFL's champion, which met the AFL's champion in Super Bowl II, then formally referred to as the se ...

, famously known as the "Ice Bowl", both Cowboy losses, playing next to left tackle

Tony Liscio Anthony Liscio (July 2, 1940 – June 18, 2017) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tulsa. Early years Liscio attended Westinghouse Hig ...

and opposite right defensive tackle

Lionel Aldridge Lionel Aldridge (February 14, 1941 – February 12, 1998) was an American professional football player,''Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League.'' New York: HarperCollins, 1999. 553. a defensive end in the Nat ...

of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. The Cowboys eventually won the

during the 1970-71 NFL playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers, due in large part to

Duane Thomas Duane Julius Thomas (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at West Texas State University. Early years ...

's 143 yards on the ground, but lost in Super Bowl V to the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

. However, in the following year, they defeated again the San Francisco 49ers in the

of the 1971-72 NFL playoffs and then the Miami Dolphins in

Super Bowl VI Super Bowl VI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

. In the latter game, Niland and Liscio overwhelmed Bob Heinz and Bill Stanfill, respectively, leading

and others to a whopping 252 yards on the ground. Along with Rayfield Wright, Nate Newton, Larry Allen, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, Niland is one of only six

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

in team history with at least six Pro Bowl selections. He was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls from

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

and was a three-time All-Pro selection, while only missing two games in his nine seasons with the Cowboys. On September 14,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third round draft choice (#62- Tony Hill).

Philadelphia Eagles

, he started 13 games at

after missing the season opener with a hamstring injury. The next year, he tore ligaments in his left knee during a training camp practice and was placed on the injured reserve list.

Personal life

Niland served military duty at Fort Hood.

References

External links

John Niland's Official Website (archive)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niland, John 1944 births Living people Sportspeople from Quincy, Massachusetts Players of American football from Massachusetts American football offensive guards Iowa Hawkeyes football players Dallas Cowboys players Philadelphia Eagles players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players National Conference Pro Bowl players