Newsome attended Ahoskie High School, where he played safety and cornerback. He also played basketball and baseball. As a senior, he was named the team's most valuable player in football and basketball, as well as co-captain. He played in the North-South High School All-Star in 1976.
College career
Newsome accepted a football scholarship from Winston-Salem State University. As a freshman, he was converted into a running back. As a sophomore in 1977, he rushed for 998 yards and 14 touchdowns. The next season, he posted 1,377 rushing yards, a 7.5-yard average and 14 touchdowns. As a senior, he tallied 987 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. The 1977 and 1978 football teams, which were coached by Bill Hayes, were two of the best teams in school history. They went undefeated each season and were led by Newsome and fellow running backs Arrington Jones and Randy Bolton, employing the Veer offense. Those Rams teams dominated their competition. In 1977, they went 11-0 but bypassed the Division II playoffs to play in the Gold Bowl in Richmond, Va. where they lost to South Carolina State University 10-7. In 1978, they went 11-0 again, won their first playoff game and then lost to Delaware State University 41-0 in the second round. In his last 3 seasons, he was the ClAA's leading rusher and scorer. He finished his college career as the leading rusher in school history with 3,843 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also was one of the leading All-time rushers in the history of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 1978 and 1979 he was named to the Sheridan All America Black College Football Team and was the Black College Football Offensive Player of the Year. In 1993, he was inducted into the CIAAHall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Winston-Salem State University Athletic Hall Of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Newsome was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 1980 NFL Draft. He made the roster by beating out Scott Laidlaw. Because the team already had Tony Dorsett as the starter at running back, as a rookie he was moved to fullback. He had 2 touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers. In 1981, he suffered a severe hamstring pull on the first day of training camp, which limited his chances competing for the starting fullback job against Ron Springs. After two seasons of struggles, he was moved back to running back in 1982. In a 24–10 win against the Washington Redskins he had an 18-yard touchdown run. In the 37–7 win against the Houston Oilers, he had a 43-yard reception and a 46-yard touchdown reception. In the 37–26 playoff win against the Green Bay Packers, he had 7 receptions for 70 yards and a two-yard touchdown run, while sharing fullback duties with Robert Newhouse in place of an injured Springs. In 1983, he registered 185 rushing yards, 250 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. In the 27–24 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he turned a short pass into a 52-yard touchdown to send the game into overtime with 47 seconds left. In 1984, he started at fullback in the last 4 games of the season. In 1985, he started 14 games at fullback after Springs was released. He had 88 carries for 252 yards, 46 receptions for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 1986, he started 12 games at fullback, until making way for Herschel Walker to start alongside Dorsett late in the year. He teamed with Dorsett and Walker to form Tom Landry's latest offensive innovation - the full-house backfield. He also served as the third tight end. He finished with 48 receptions for 421 yards, 34 carries for 110 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 1987, he started 8 games at fullback, after Walker was given the team's main running back role. In a 17–27 loss against the Detroit Lions, he rushed for 2 touchdowns. In the 14–20 loss against the Miami Dolphins, he had 2 receptions for touchdowns. In 1988, he had a promising start, but suffered a season-ending calf injury in a practice following the ninth game of the season. Through the first half, he led the team in rushing touchdowns with 3 and was on a pace for a career-high 53 receptions. He also moved into ninth place on the Cowboys All-time receiving list with 212 receptions. In 1989, with the arrival of new head coach Jimmy Johnson, he was released as part of a youth movement on August 30. He spent most of his 9 seasons as a blocker and receiver out of the backfield, behind Cowboys legends Dorsett and Walker. He rushed for 1,226 yards with 19 rushing touchdowns and had 1,966 receiving yards with 11 receiving touchdowns. During his career he became an all-purpose utility back, playing also snaps at tight end. In 1990, he was selected to the Dallas Cowboys all-decade team by the Dallas Cowboys Weekly Newspaper.
