Former Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey named to Dallas Cowboys’ “Ultimate 53″ Team

Former Oklahoma State kicker Dan Bailey was named to the Dallas Cowboys’ “Ultimate 53″ team, a comprehensive roster using all positions and a player from each season to help celebrate the 53rd year of the franchise’s existence.

The depth chart was selected by the staff of the Cowboys’ official website on NFL.com.

Bailey had quite the rookie season with the Cowboys in 2011. He made 32 of his 37 field goal attempts, including 27 of his first 28 tries. He accounted for all 18 points on six field goals in Dallas’ 18-16 victory over Washington in Week 3. He was iced by his own coach and missed a potential game-winner against Arizona, and then the following week had a kick blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants in the final seconds after drilling the kick just after timeout was called.

Here’s what staff writer Nick Eatman had to say about Bailey:

“Why Him? The Cowboys have had some good kickers over the years, but an argument can be made if this franchise has truly ever had a great kicker. Of course, there are names to throw out there, but for the most part, kickers have come and gone around here. So even though Dan Bailey has just one year under his belt, it was good enough for this team. Is he the most accomplished place-kicker in franchise history? Of course not. He’s not even in the top five. But that’s not always the point. Bailey had a superb rookie season, especially considering the circumstances of beating out four other kickers during training camp. Think about that part as well. The Cowboys went with Bailey for his upside, knowing that more experienced kickers were available. It worked out for them last year as Bailey made four game-winning field goals, along with another clutch kick in San Francisco that forced overtime. He also made 26 consecutive field goals, the most by any Cowboys rookie, which tied him for the second-longest streak in Cowboys history.