FILE--Dat Nguyen, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, puts on his helmet during the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars September 1999. Nguyen, who at 5-foot-11, 231 pounds isn't the prototype for a linebacker, became the first Vietnamese-American to play in the NFL last season. Dallas drafted him in the third round following an All-American career at Texas A&amp;amp;M. Photo: HUY NGUYEN, AP / THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS