Updated Jun 10, 2011 9:41 PM ET

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Godfrey Myles died Thursday aged 42.

Myles, who won three Super Bowls with Dallas in the 1990s, passed away Thursday night in Miami after reportedly suffering a massive heart attack Wednesday, the NFL team announced Friday.

The death initially was announced on the University of Florida football program’s official Twitter account, which listed the cause of death as a massive stroke.

He was on a life support machine before he passed away.

Myles was born and raised in Miami and played at the University of Florida from 1987-90, serving as a team captain and making the All-SEC team his senior year.

“RIP former #Gators LB Godfrey Myles. He passed away after a massive stroke. Lettered for #Gators 1988-90. Thoughts are with his family,” the university’s football program tweeted Friday.

Myles was picked by the Cowboys in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft and played six years with the team.

He started 11 games in the Super Bowl XXX-winning 1995 season, and retired after the 1996 campaign.

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Just one day after suffering a massive heart attack, former Florida and Dallas Cowboys likebacker Godfrey Myles has passed away. Myles was reportedly in a hospital on Wednesday night after the heart attack and was placed on life support as a result. Myles passed away in the hospital on Thursday night, the NFL and Dallas Cowboys confirmed in a statement on Friday evening.

Godfrey Myles, the former Cowboys linebacker who won three Super Bowls with the team in the ’90s, died late Thursday night at the age of 42.

Myles spent his college days at Florida, where he played for Galen Hall and Steve Spurrier. At Florida, he was an All-American honorable mention in 1989 and earned All-SEC honors in 1990. He was drafted in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, and spend six seasons there, earning three Super Bowl Rings in the process.

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Godfrey Myles has died at 42 after suffering a massive heart attack, the team announced on its website.

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Myles suffered the heart attack Wednesday and was on life support before his death late Thursday night, the Cowboys reported, citing reports.

The death initially was announced on the University of Florida football program’s official Twitter account, which listed the cause of death as a massive stroke.

Myles, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection as a Gators senior, was drafted in 1990 by the Cowboys and played six seasons with the team. He was part of three Super Bowl championship teams and made 11 career starts, all during the 1995 season.

Myles was one of three men indicted in March on federal mortgage-fraud charges, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Godfrey Myles died Thursday from complications of a heart attack, according to the University of Florida. He was 42.

Myles’ cousin, Donald Holley, said he suffered a heart attack Wednesday in Miami.

Myles, a third-round pick from Florida, played six seasons with the Cowboys, winning three Super Bowl titles. Myles, a backup linebacker, started 11 games during the 1995 season. He suffered a torn ACL in the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XXX victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His NFL career ended the next season.

At Florida, Myles was a team captain and first-team All-SEC pick as a senior in 1990.

Calvin Watkins covers the Cowboys for ESPNDallas.com.

Follow Calvin Watkins on Twitter: @calvinwatkins

» NFC Underrated Players: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A team-by-team look at the most underrated players in the division.

Dallas Cowboys

Jay Ratliff, NT: He’s been to the Pro Bowl the past three years, so clearly, people are catching on. But it’s tough to find “underrated” players on a roster that gets as much attention as the Cowboys’ roster does. And because of the position he plays, Ratliff doesn’t get a lot of attention for the number of different ways he impacts the game. Opponents and opposing coaches fear and respect him, and the Cowboys consider him a versatile team leader who’d likely move to DE if they felt they needed him to help their pass rush next year.

New York Giants

Kevin Boss, TE: Boss gained attention during the Giants’ Super Bowl run as a dependable replacement for the flaky Jeremy Shockey after Shockey went down with an injury. Because of the emergence of the Giants’ wide receivers over the past few years, he hasn’t factored into the offense as a pass-catcher as much as some may have liked. But he’s there when Eli Manning needs him, and his more important role is as a blocker. The Giants have some of the best pass-protection numbers in the league, and Boss is a key to that.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jamaal Jackson, C: The Eagles’ offense has suffered through Jackson’s injuries late in the past two seasons, but neither the injuries nor the suffering are any coincidence. The Eagles don’t give Jackson much help, trusting him to block opposing defensive tackles one-on-one almost all the time. As a result, he wears down. But when healthy, he’s strong and athletic enough to handle the assignment. The offense simply runs better when he’s in there. Jackson plays a position in which it’s almost impossible to get noticed unless you mess something up, and when he’s on the field, he doesn’t.

Washington Redskins

London Fletcher, LB: Fletcher has fought an uphill battle for respect and attention since he entered the league, but in recent years people have begun to take notice of his role as a team leader and one of the most committed and productive defensive players on his teams. He’s a relentless, reliable tackler whose determination and work ethic are likely the result of his having been underrated early on and throughout his career. The Pro Bowl recognition he has received in recent years may disqualify him from this list, but of all the players on the Redskins’ roster, he may be the one whose reputation least lives up to his production.