Cowboys receivers to wear 88: History behind CeeDee Lamb's jersey number, legendary '88 Club'

Bill Bender

Cowboys receivers to wear 88: History behind CeeDee Lamb's jersey number, legendary '88 Club' image

Remember in "Little Giants" when Hot Hands couldn't wait to get his hands on the "88" Dallas jersey? 

"I'm getting Michael Irvin's number, the big 8-8." 

Thirty years later, 88 remains a generational number for Dallas Cowboys receivers. CeeDee Lamb has continued the tradition heading into the NFC wild-card matchup with Green Bay on Sunday. 

Lamb and Irvin are part of "Club 88," which also includes former Dallas receivers Drew Pearson and Dez Bryant. It's an exclusive fraternity that has carried the Cowboys from the 1970s to the present day. 

The four receivers appeared in a Chipotle commercial together and still maintain a text thread. A look at the members of Dallas "Club 88." 

Which Cowboys receivers are in 'Club 88'? 

Pearson, Irvin, Bryant, and Lamb are the four receivers in Dallas' prestigious Club 88. Here is a look at their career accomplishments with the Cowboys: 

RECEIVER YEARS REC YDS TDS PRO BOWL SB
Drew Pearson 1973-83 489 7,822 48 3 1
Michael Irvin 1988-99 750 11,904 65 5 3
Dez Bryant 2010-17 531 7,459 73 3 0
CeeDee Lamb 2020-23 395 5,145 32 3 0

Drew Pearson (1973-83)

Pearson was an undrafted free agent in 1973, but he emerged as a favorite target for Roger Staubach. He averaged 16.0 yards per catch over an 11-year career, and he led the NFL with 877 receiving yards in 1977. Pearson and Tony Hill were a dynamic tandem, and both receivers had more than 1,000 yards in 1979. Pearson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Michael Irvin (1988-99) 

"The Playmaker" was one of the faces of the Cowboys' dynasty in the 1990s. He led the NFL with 1,523 receiving yards in 1991, which started a run of five straight seasons with 1,000 yards or more. He had his best season in 1995 with 111 catches for 1,603 yards and 10 TDs. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Irvin formed one of the best QB-RB-WR trios of all time. 

Dez Bryant (2010-17) 

The Cowboys took Bryant, a Lufkin, Texas native, with the No. 23 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was a favorite target for Tony Romo, and he enjoyed a stretch of three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2012-14. Bryant led the league with 16 TDs in '14. He had 73 TD catches for Dallas, which is the franchise record by one TD ahead of tight end Jason Witten. Bryant played six games for the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, making him the only member of “Club 88” to play for another team. 

CeeDee Lamb (2020-23) 

The Cowboys took Lamb with the No. 17 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he's already a three-time Pro Bowl receiver at 24. Lamb has topped 1,000 yards each of the past three seasons, and he had his best year in 2023. Lamb broke Irvin's single-season franchise records with 135 catches for 1,749 yards. That included a 227-yard effort against Detroit in Week 17. 

'Club 88' receivers in the NFL playoffs  

Pearson played in 22 playoff games. He had 67 catches for 1,105 yards and eight TDs. He also played in three Super Bowls and won one, and he had a TD reception in the Super Bowl X loss to Pittsburgh. Of course, Pearson is best known for his Hail Mary reception from Staubach in the 17-14 victory against Minnesota in the NFC playoffs on Dec. 28, 1975. It’s arguably the most famous play in Dallas Cowboys’ history. 

Irvin was a clutch postseason performer. In 16 playoff games, he totaled 87 catches for 1,315 yards and eight TDs. He had six games with 100 yards or more, including three against the Green Bay Packers. He had six catches for 114 yards and two TDs in Super Bowl XXVII, a 52-17 route against Buffalo. Irvin won three Super Bowls with Dallas. 

Bryant played in three playoff games for the Cowboys, who were 1-2 in those games. He totaled 15 catches for 218 yards and two TDs. He’s best known for the controversial overturned TD against the Packers in a 26-21 loss on Jan. 11, 2015. 

Lamb is 1-2 in his three playoff games. He has 15 catches for 206 yards and a TD, and that includes a 10-catch, 117-yard performance in last season’s 19-12 loss to San Francisco. 

What other receivers wore '88' for the Cowboys? 

Ron Sellers played one season with Dallas in 1972. He caught 31 passes for 653 yards and five TDs. Antonio Bryant was a receiver for the Cowboys from 2002-04. He totaled 99 catches for 1,549 yards and eight TDs before being traded to Cleveland during the 2004 season. 

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.