The Cowboys began with training camp at Pacific University in Forrest Grove,
Oregon. Although the Cowboys were slow and not expected to do well, they managed
to win one preseason game. This would be the only win of the season. The
regular season began with a respectable showing against Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia, but things got ugly as Dallas began playing the league powers and
Dallas lost their first 10 games. Things got better as they stunned the New York
Giants on the road and dueled the Giants to a 31-31 tie.
The Cowboys finished with a 0-11-1 record and they didn't have to look far
to figure out why. The Cowboys were last in the league in points scored and
last in points allowed.
The Cowboy's second season began with a change: training camp held at St.
Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Additionally, Dallas was switched to the
Eastern Conference of the NFL as the Minnesota Vikings joined the league.
The second season began with a bang. The Cowboys won their first game ever
in the season opener against the Steelers. They backed up that win the next week
with a victory over the expansion Vikings. The Cowboys got off to a quick 3-1
mark, but it was downhill from then. The Cowboys finished with a 4-9-1 record,
and finished with a better record than three other teams in the NFL. Things
were looking up.
The 1962 season began the rise of the Cowboys. The rise was due to the offense.
The Cowboys scored 398 points: 162 points more than the previous season. Only
the 13-1 Green Bay Packers scored more points. Additionally, many of the players
were among the league leaders in several offensive categories. The Cowboys finished
with a 5-8-1 record and the poor record could be traced to one thing: defense.
Actually, it should be lack of defense. The Cowboys allowed 402 points: only
the Minnesota Vikings allowed more with 410.
The 1963 Dallas Cowboys became one of the first victims of the famed
Sports Illustrated hex. The magazine boldly predicted the Dallas Cowboys
to win the NFL Eastern division. This prediction was shot down quickly as Dallas
lost their first four games of the season. But just as Dallas was gaining respectability,
the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas left the city and the
Cowboys with a tarnished image. Dallas lost three of the last four games to
finish 4-10. The Cowboys offense scored only 305 points and the defense was
still not quite up to standard by allowing a third-worst 378 points.
The 1964 draft was a draft which set the stage for the future. In one draft,
the Cowboys drafted future Hall of Famers Mel Renfro in the second round and
Roger Staubach in the tenth. Despite Staubach winning the 1963 Heismann Trophy
while at Navy, his selection was a true gamble: he had four years to serve in
the Navy before he could report to the Dallas Cowboys. In the seventh round of
the draft, Dallas selected Bob Hayes. The draft wasn't without its disappointments
as first round draft pick Scott Appleton signed with the rival AFL and thus was
a wasted pick.
The Cowboys finished the season with a 5-8-1 record, the first under new starting
quarterback "Dandy" Don Meredith. Don Meredith limped through the season with a
leg injury and the once-powerful offense struggled to score 250 points. The
improvement, though, was on defense. The defense allowed only 289 points.
This improvement can be traced to Landry's invention of "The Flex" Defense.
The 1965 season marked the first .500 season for the Cowboys. This record
was not without its share of problems. The season began with two home wins against
conference rivals, but then the Cowboys lost five straight games. The Cowboys
finally turned the corner by winning five of the last seven games to finish 7-7.
This second place finish allowed the Cowboys to play the Baltimore Colts in the
Playoff Bowl. Though the Cowboys were soundly beaten in the contest of second-place
teams, they got a taste of the postseason. It was taste they seemed to like.
This year marked the first time the offense scored more points, 325, than the
defense allowed, 280.
Tom Landry
The 1966 season also marked the appearance of the Dallas Cowboys as a NFL Power.
The Cowboys had continued success in the draft by landing the likes of guard John
Niland and running back Walt Garrison. But the foundation had been laid in the
previous years and now the Cowboys started reaping the reward. The Cowboys roared
to a 10-3-1 record, winning their first conference championship. The old weakness
of the Cowboys, the defense, is now their strength allowing only 239 points.
The great regular season gave Dallas its chance to participate in their first
real playoff game. Their first opponent was the Vince Lombardi coached Green Bay
Packers with the winner playing in the first Super Bowl. Though the Cowboys lost to
the eventual Super Bowl Champs, the message was clear -- the Dallas Cowboys have arrived.
The Cowboys were almost a given for the playoffs--re-alignment had placed them
in a weak division as no other team had a winning record. Despite the weak schedule,
the Cowboys struggled to a 9-5 record. The offense and the defense recorded declines,
but still was enough for Dallas to get into the new playoff format. The Cowboys
won played the Cleveland Browns in the first divisional game and whipped the Browns
52-14 for their first playoff win. This win allowed the Cowboys a re-match with
the Green Bay Packers.
The 1967 NFC Championship game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay
Packers was one of the best known games in the history of the NFL At game time,
the temperature was -15 oF. The field was coated with ice. The game became known
as the "Ice Bowl." The Cowboys overcame an early 14-0 deficit to lead the game
17-14 in the fourth quarter. This tough fought game came to an end as the Packers
scored with 16 seconds left in the game on Bart Starr's quarterback sneak after
Dallas made a great goal-line stand. This propelled the Packers to win Super Bowl
II and the Cowboys to go home to question their ability to win the big one.
The Cowboys began the season on a roll with six straight wins. Reality struck
home though as the Packers came to town and promptly handed Dallas a 28-17 defeat.
Dallas only lost one other game that year and finished 12-2, rolling to their second
Capital Division Championship. The Cowboys scored a league high 431 points while
the "Doomsday Defense" allowed only 186.
This season was not going to a success without a trip to the Super Bowl, and
Cowboys felt the sting of defeat against the Cleveland Browns, a team they easily
defeated in the regular season. The Browns won 31-20. The loss put Dallas in the
Playoff Bowl instead of the Super Bowl. They won their first, and only, Playoff
Bowl, defeating Minnesota 17-13. The season, while good, left them disappointed.
Dallas again stormed through their first six games of the season. But just
like in 1968, they were crushed in the seventh game by the team that ended their
previous season. This year, Cleveland beat Dallas 42-10. Though Dallas finished
the season with an 11-2-1 record and their third straight Capital Division Championship,
the seeds of disappointment were placed. Dallas still hadn't won the game that mattered.
Well, Dallas got their chance to avenge the earlier loss to Cleveland when
they played the Browns in the NFL Eastern Conference Championship. This time it
was in Dallas, but the result remained the same -- Dallas lost. The Cowboys was
trounced by Cleveland 38-14, who were in turn beaten by the Minnesota Vikings.
The loss send the Cowboys to the Playoff Bowl for the second year where they never
had a chance. The Cowboys never got up for the game after the bitter disappointment
in the loss to Cleveland. The game ended in an embarrassing 31-0 defeat to the
Los Angeles Rams.
Despite these playoff losses, the 1960's were successful for the Dallas Cowboys.
They were established as one of the premier teams in the NFL. Their regular season
record in the 1960's was a respectable 67-65-6. They won one Eastern Conference
Championship in 1967 and three Capital Division Championships. Their detractors,
though, pointed to the Cowboys 1-4 playoff record and their failure to win the
big game. Insult was added to injury when they pointed out the appearance of
the other expansion team, the Minnesota Vikings, in Super Bowl IV despite entering
the league a year later than the Cowboys.
Despite these changes, one thing did carry over from the 1960s -- the success
of the Cowboys in the draft and finding those great players. In one year, the
Cowboys added cornerback Charlie Waters, center John Fitzgerald, and defensive end
Pat Toomey. The defensive secondary was completed for years to come with the signing
of undrafted Cliff Harris, another star found at a little known college -- this time
Ouachita State.
Though a preseason favorite to easily win the Eastern Division, Dallas stumbled
to a 5-4 record including two embarrassing losses. The first was a 54-13 loss to
Minnesota, the most points ever scored against the Cowboys (a record that stands
today). The second was a 38-0 loss to the Cardinals on the Cowboy's first appearance
on Monday Night Football. After this loss, many thought the Cowboys were finished.
This was far from the case. The Cowboys finished strong by winning their last
five games. The Cowboys finished the season with a 10-4 record and the Eastern
Division Title.
The Cowboys met the Detroit Lions in the first round of the playoffs. The Cowboys
won the surprisingly low-scoring game 5-0 and faced the upstart San Francisco
49ers for the NFC Championship. The Cowboys got one monkey off their back and
beat the 49ers 17-10. They were going to Super
Bowl V to play the AFC Champions Baltimore Colts. Though Dallas burst out
to a 13-6 half-time lead, the Colt's fourth quarter rally gave them a 16-13 win
and the Super Bowl Championship. The Cowboy's tag of not being able to win the
big one was once again at the minds of all. Little did they know that the Cowboys
would shed that final monkey in the very next season.
The 1971 season began with Tom Landry alternating quarterbacks Craig Morton
and Roger Staubach. First it was between games and then between plays. This
ended when Dallas lost to Chicago and had a 4-3 record. Staubach was named the
starting quarterback and the rest is history. The Cowboys won their last seven
games and finished with an 11-3 record and the NFC Eastern Division Championship,
their fifth division championship in a row. Staubach led the league in passing
as the offense led the league with 406 points. The defense also played well allowing
only 222 points.
The Cowboys beat Minnesota 20-12 in the first round forcing a rematch against
the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC Championship. Dallas once again defeated the
49ers for their second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl VI was to be played against the Miami Dolphins. This was the year
Dallas finally won it all. Dallas dominated the game and won 24-3. The final monkey
was gone and Dallas was World Champions.
Injuries plagued the Cowboys throughout the season. Roger Staubach was lost
for the regular season with a shoulder injury. Additionally, George Andrie was
lost due to a bad back and Bob Lilly was not at full strength also to a bad back.
The one thing that was hurt the most was the competitive edge which Dallas didn't have.
For the first time in years, Dallas was being challenged within their division.
Washington defeated the Cowboys in week six serving notice that the 4-2 Cowboys were
to be challenged. The Cowboys responded by winning 6 of the next 7 including
Washington in the season's next to last week. However, in the final week with the
Division Championship on the line, the New York Giants soundly defeated the Cowboys
at Texas Stadium handing the NFC East to the Washington Redskins. Dallas finished
the regular season with a record of 10-4 and second place.
Dallas began the defense of their championship in unfamiliar territory -- on
the road as the wild-card team. Dallas played San Francisco for the third straight
year. Despite Staubach being back from injury, Craig Morton remained as starting
quarterback. Midway through the third quarter and Dallas losing 28-16, Staubach
replaced Morton and scored 14 points late in the fourth quarter winning 30-28.
This placed Dallas to play Washington in the NFC Championship Game. Washington
beat Dallas 26-2 to head to Super Bowl VII. There would not be a repeat.
The 1973 season followed the typical pattern for the Dallas Cowboys. They slumped
to a 4-3 record before winning 6 of the next 7 to finish 10-4 and regaining the
NFC Eastern Division Championship. Roger Staubach claimed his second NFC passing
crown and both the offense and defense performed well in the attempt to get back
to the Super Bowl.
The playoffs began at home against the Los Angeles Rams. They defeated the
Rams 27-16 to once again play in the NFC Championship Game. This time, though,
it was not a rematch against the Washington Redskins, the opponent was the Minnesota
Vikings. Minnesota easily won 27-10 and advanced to Super Bowl VIII where Miami
defended its championship to win its second consecutive Super Bowl.
Dallas has acquired the overall #1 pick in the draft from the trade with Houston
Oilers. This pick brought in little known Ed "Too Tall" Jones. In the same draft,
Dallas selected Danny White only to have him sign with the WFL.
The 1974 season was a season of change for the Cowboys. The Cowboys started
well with a shutout of the Atlanta Falcons, but promptly lost their next four games.
This 1-4 record quickly dashed any playoff hopes for the Cowboys. They did win 7
of the next 8 before losing the season finale. The Cowboys finished with an 8-6
record. This resulted in third place in the NFC East and no playoffs for the first
time in nine years.
Year-by-Year Final Scores
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 6 San Francisco
at Seattle, WAL 10-16 2 Aug 13 St. Louis
at San Antonio, TXL 13-20 3 Aug 19 Baltimore L 10-14 4 Aug 27 NY Giants
at Louisville, KYW 14-03 5 Sep 4 Los Angeles
at Pendleton, CAL 14-49 6 Sep 11 Green Bay
at Minneapolis, MNL 23-28 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 24 Sat Pittsburgh L 28-35 2 Sep 30 Fri Philadelphia L 25-27 3 Oct 9 at Washington L 14-26 4 Oct 16 Cleveland L 07-48 5 Oct 23 at St. Louis L 10-12 6 Oct 30 Baltimore L 07-45 7 Nov 6 Los Angeles L 13-38 8 Nov 13 at Green Bay L 07-41 9 Nov 20 San Francisco L 14-26 10 Nov 27 at Chicago L 07-17 11 Dec 4 at NY Giants T 31-31 12 Dec 11 at Detroit L 14-23 Season Summary
In their inaugural season, the Dallas Cowboys were placed in the Western
Conference of the NFL. But things were stacked against the Cowboys being an
immediate success. Because of the rival AFL, the annual college draft was held
well before the Cowboys even existed. That left the Cowboys to select three
unprotected players from each of the other 12 NFL teams. Because of a rush to
get the Cowboys on the field for the 1960 season, Tom Landry and his coaches
only had ONE DAY to look over the names of the unprotected players for the
expansion draft. Only 23 of these 36 players actually made to the Cowboys
first season roster.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 5 Minnesota
at Sioux Falls, SDW 38-13 2 Aug 11 Green Bay L 07-30 3 Aug 26 NY Giants
at Albuquerque, NML 10-28 4 Sep 1 Balitmore
at Norman, OKW 35-24 5 Sep 9 San Francisco
at Sacramento, CAL 10-24 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 17 Pittsburgh W 27-24 2 Sep 24 Minnesota W 21-07 3 Oct 1 at Cleveland L 07-25 4 Oct 8 at Minnesota W 28-00 5 Oct 15 NY Giants L 10-31 6 Oct 22 Philadelphia L 07-43 7 Oct 29 at NY Giants W 17-16 8 Nov 5 St. Louis L 17-31 9 Nov 12 at Pittsburgh L 07-37 10 Nov 19 Washington T 28-28 11 Nov 26 at Philadelphia L 13-35 12 Dec 3 Cleveland L 17-38 13 Dec 10 at St. Louis L 13-31 14 Dec 17 at Washington L 24-34 Season Summary
Preparation for their second season began early. The Cowboys did not have a
first-round draft pick--it was given to Washington Redskins in 1960 in return for
last season's starting quarterback QB Eddie LeBaron. Additionally, the Cowboys
wanted to draft Bob Lilly, who insisted on staying in Texas. To help solve this
problem, the Cowboys hired Gil Brandt who immediately made the trades necessary
to draft Bob Lilly.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 10 Green Bay L 07-31 2 Aug 18 Detroit
at Cleveland, OHL 24-35 3 Aug 25 Baltimore
at Roanoke, VAL 10-24 4 Sep 1 San Francisco
at Sacramento, CAL 07-26 5 Sep 8 Minnesota
at Atlanta, GAL 26-45 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 16 Washington T 35-35 2 Sep 23 Pittsburgh L 28-30 3 Sep 30 at Los Angeles W 27-17 4 Oct 7 at Cleveland L 10-19 5 Oct 14 Philadelphia W 41-19 6 Oct 21 at PIttsburgh W 42-27 7 Oct 28 St. Louis L 24-28 8 Nov 4 at Washington W 38-10 9 Nov 11 NY Giants L 10-41 10 Nov 18 Chicago L 33-34 11 Nov 25 at Philadelphia L 14-28 12 Dec 2 Cleveland W 45-21 13 Dec 9 at St. Louis L 20-52 14 Dec 16 at NY Giants L 31-41 Season Summary
The 1962 began as the 1961 season did -- with no first round draft pick.
Gil Brandt this time did not produce any trades to get one, but began a tradition
of late round draft picks (many from very small schools) that led to successful
NFL careers. One such draft pick was that of defensive end George Andrie from
Marquette, picked up in the sixth round. This is a tradition that would lead to
the success of the Cowboys for the next two decades.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 8 at Los Angeles W 17-14 2 Aug 17 Green Bay L 10-31 3 Aug 24 Los Angeles
at Portland, ORL 17-20 4 Aug 30 San Francisco
at Bakersfield, CAW 37-24 5 Spet 7 Detroit
at New Orleans, LAW 27-17 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 14 Sat St. Louis L 07-34 2 Sep 22 Cleveland L 24-41 3 Sep 29 at Washington L 17-21 4 Oct 6 at Philadelphia L 21-24 5 Oct 13 Detroit W 17-14 6 Oct 20 at NY Giants L 21-37 7 Oct 27 at Pittsubrgh L 21-27 8 Nov 3 Washington W 35-20 9 Nov 10 at San Francisco L 24-31 10 Nov 17 Philadelphia W 27-20 11 Nov 24 at Cleveland L 17-27 12 Dec 1 NY Giants L 27-34 13 Dec 8 Pittsburgh L 19-24 14 Dec 15 at St. Louis W 28-24 Season Summary
Training Camp was held in a new place for the third time in the Cowboys four
years. This year began a long tradition of holding training camp at California
Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, California.
Notables
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 8 at Los Angeles L 06-17 2 Aug 15 San Francisco
at Portland, ORW 34-23 3 Aug 22 Los Angeles
at Portland, ORL 16-25 4 Aug 29 Green Bay L 03-35 5 Sep 5 Chicago
at New Orleans, LAL 06-21 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 12 Sat St. Louis L 06-16 2 Sep 20 Washington W 24-18 3 Sep 27 at Pittsburgh L 17-23 4 Oct 4 at Cleveland L 06-27 5 Oct 11 NY Giants T 13-13 6 Oct 18 Clevland L 16-20 7 Oct 25 at St. Louis W 31-13 8 Nov 1 at Chicago W 24-10 9 Nov 8 at NY Giants W 31-21 10 Nov 15 Philadelphia L 14-17 11 Nov 22 at Washington L 16-28 12 Nov 29 Green Bay L 21-45 13 Dec 6 at Philadelphia L 14-24 14 Dec 13 Pittsburgh W 17-14 Season Summary
After the initial optimism in last season, the Cowboys poor performance resulted
in many calling for Tom Landry to resign or to be fired. To everyone's surprise,
Clint Murchinson granted Tom Landry a 10-year contract extension. This was the
longest such contract in pro sports history and gave the stability the team needed
to go to the next level.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 17 at Los Angeles L 00-09 2 Aug 21 San Francisco
at Portland, ORL 07-27 3 Aug 28 Green Bay W 21-12 4 Sep 3 Minnesota
at Birmingham, ALL 17-57 5 Sep 11 Chicago
at Tulsa, OKW 34-21 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 19 NY Giants W 31-02 2 Sep 26 Washington W 27-07 3 Oct 4 Mon at St. Louis L 13-20 4 Oct 10 Philadelphia L 24-35 5 Oct 17 at Cleveland L 17-23 6 Oct 24 Green Bay
at Milwaukee, WIL 03-13 7 Oct 31 at Pittsburgh L 13-22 8 Nov 7 San Francisco W 39-31 9 Nov 14 Pittsburgh W 24-17 10 Nov 21 Cleveland L 17-24 11 Nov 28 at Washington L 31-34 12 Dec 5 at Philadelphia W 21-19 13 Dec 11 Sat St. Louis W 27-13 14 Dec 19 at NY Giants W 38-20 Post Season 15 Jan 9 Playoff Bowl
at Miami, FL
Baltimore ColtsL 03-35 Season Summary
The 1965 off-season work added many players that served as the foundation of
the team for years to come. Quarterback Craig Morton was selected in the first
round. The team also selected future stars such as Malcolm Walker and
defensive lineman Jethro Pugh. In addition, the Cowboys finally won the dispute
with the Houston Oilers over tackle Ralph Neely.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 7 at San Francisco W 24-13 2 Aug 13 at Los Angeles W 20-10 3 Aug 20 Green Bay W 21-03 4 Aug 27 Detroit
at Tulsa, OKW 20-10 5 Sep 2 Minnesota W 28-24 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 18 NY Giants W 52-07 2 Sep 25 Minnesota W 28-17 3 Oct 2 at Atlanta W 47-14 4 Oct 9 Philadelphia W 56-07 5 Oct 16 at St. Louis T 10-10 6 Oct 23 at Cleveland L 21-30 7 Oct 30 Pittsburgh W 52-21 8 Nov 6 at Philadelphia L 23-24 9 Nov 13 at Washington W 31-30 10 Nov 20 at Pittsburgh W 20-07 11 Nov 24 Thu Cleveland W 26-14 12 Dec 4 St. Louis W 31-17 13 Dec 11 Washington L 31-34 14 Dec 18 at NY Giants W 17-07 Post Season 15 Jan 1 NFL Championship
Green BayL 27-34 Season Summary
The 1966 season was the year that everything changed. It was announced that
the NFL and AFL would merge under the NFL banner. This would produce interconference
play after 1969 and there would be a joint collegiate draft. More importantly,
the champions from the National Football Conference and the American Football
Conference would meet in a game eventually known as the Super Bowl.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 12 at Los Angeles L 06-20 2 Aug 20 at San Francisco W 30-24 3 Aug 28 Green Bay L 03-20 4 Sep 2 at Houston W 30-17 5 Sep 9 Baltimore L 07-33 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 17 at Cleveland W 21-14 2 Sep 24 NY Giants W 38-24 3 Oct 1 Los Angeles L 13-35 4 Oct 8 at Washington W 17-14 5 Oct 15 New Orleans W 14-10 6 Oct 22 at Pittsburgh W 24-21 7 Oct 29 at Philadelphia L 14-21 8 Nov 5 Atlanta W 37-07 9 Nov 12 at New Orleans W 27-10 10 Nov 19 Washington L 20-27 11 Nov 23 Thu St. Louis W 46-21 12 Dec 3 at Baltimore L 17-23 13 Dec 10 Philadelphia W 38-17 14 Dec 16 Sat at San Francisco L 16-24 Post Season 15 Dec 24 Conference
ClevelandW 52-14 16 Dec 31 NFL Championship
at Green BayL 17-21 Season Summary
The NFL re-aligned to a divisional format. The winners of each division would
play each other with the winner playing the other conference champion. The Cowboys
were placed into the Capital Division of the NFL's Eastern Division. The offseason
brought a few new players to the team as the Cowboys continued their late-round
success. The Cowboys newest success was Rayfield Wright, drafted in the seventh round.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 3 Chicago
at Canton, OHL 24-30 2 Aug 11 at San Francisco W 16-14 3 Aug 17 at Los Angeles W 42-10 4 Aug 24 Green Bay L 27-31 5 Aug 31 at Houston W 33-19 6 Sep 7 Baltimore L 10-16 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 15 Detroit W 59-13 2 Sep 22 Cleveland W 28-07 3 Sep 29 at Philadelphia W 45-13 4 Oct 6 at St. Louis W 27-10 5 Oct 13 Philadelphia W 34-14 6 Oct 20 at Minnesota W 20-07 7 Oct 28 Mon Green Bay L 17-28 8 Nov 3 at New Orleans W 17-03 9 Nov 10 NY Giants L 21-27 10 Nov 17 at Washington W 44-24 11 Nov 24 at Chicago W 34-03 12 Nov 28 Thu Washington W 29-20 13 Dec 8 Pittsburgh W 28-07 14 Dec 15 at NY Giants W 28-10 Post Season 15 Dec 21 Sat Conference
at ClevelandL 20-31 16 Jan 5 Playoff Bowl
at Miami, FL
Minnesota VikingsW 17-13 Season Summary
The 1968 Cowboys were on a mission. They ended the 1967 seasons 16 seconds
short of the Super Bowl -- this season wouldn't be a success without a trip to
Super Bowl III. The Cowboys draft success continued with players such as linebacker
D.D. Lewis, guard Blaine Nye, and an amazing 16th round draft pick, Larry Cole.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 8 at Los Angeles L 17-24 2 Aug 17 at San Francisco W 20-17 3 Aug 23 Green Bay W 31-13 4 Aug 28 at Houston W 14-11 5 Sep 6 NY Jets W 25-09 6 Sep 14 Baltimore L 07-23 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 21 St. Louis W 24-03 2 Sep 28 at New Orleans W 21-17 3 Oct 5 at Philadelphia W 38-07 4 Oct 12 at Atlanta W 24-17 5 Oct 19 Philadelphia W 49-14 6 Oct 27 Mon NY Giants W 25-03 7 Nov 2 at Cleveland L 10-42 8 Nov 9 New Orleans W 33-17 9 Nov 16 at Washington W 41-28 10 Nov 23 at Los Angeles L 23-24 11 Nov 27 Thu San Francisco T 24-24 12 Dec 7 at Pittsburgh W 10-07 13 Dec 13 Sat Baltimore W 27-10 14 Dec 21 Washington W 20-10 Post Season 15 Dec 28 Conference
ClevelandL 14-38 16 Jan 3 Playoff Bowl
at Miami, FL
Los Angeles RamsL 00-31 Season Summary
The 1969 season began with the end of an era for Dallas. The last of the
original Cowboys, Don Meredith and Don Perkins, retired. Though Dallas had many
runners to replace the aging Perkins, replacing Meredith was something different.
The surprising retirement of Meredith left the job up to Craig Morton despite the
arrival of Roger Staubach. The Cowboys further surprised the NFL, by the drafting
Yale's Calvin Hill in the first round. Dallas also traded for tight end Mike Ditka.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 8 at San Diego W 20-10 2 Aug 15 at Los Angeles L 10-17 3 Aug 22 Green Bay L 34-35 4 Aug 29 at Houston L 21-37 5 Sep 5 Kansas City L 00-13 6 Sep 13 NY Jets L 21-29 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 20 at Philadelphia W 17-07 2 Sep 27 NY Giants W 28-10 3 Oct 4 at St. Louis L 07-20 4 Oct 11 Atlanta W 13-00 5 Oct 18 at Minnesota L 13-54 6 Oct 25 at Kansas City W 27-16 7 Nov 1 Philadelphia W 21-17 8 Nov 8 at NY Giants L 20-23 9 Nov 16 Mon St. Louis L 00-38 10 Nov 22 at Washington W 45-21 11 Nov 26 Thu Green Bay W 16-03 12 Dec 6 Washington W 34-00 13 Dec 12 Sat at Cleveland W 06-02 14 Dec 20 Houston W 52-10 Post Season 15 Dec 26 Sat Divisional
DetroitW 05-00 16 Jan 3 NFC Championship
at San FranciscoW 17-10 17 Jan 17 Super Bowl V
at Miami, FL
BaltimoreL 13-16 Season Summary
The 1970 season marked the beginning of the new era of the NFL. The two rival
leagues were now one. Dallas was placed into the Eastern Division of the National
Football Conference. Interconference games were beginning and the league would
never be the same. The 1970 season also marked the beginning of what would become
an American favorite -- MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 6 at Los Angeles W 45-21 2 Aug 14 New Orleans W 36-21 3 Aug 20 Cleveland W 16-15 4 Aug 26 at Houston W 28-20 5 Sep 3 at Baltimore W 27-14 6 Sep 11 Kansas City W 24-17 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 19 at Buffalo W 49-37 2 Sep 26 at Philadelphia W 42-07 3 Oct 3 Washington L 16-20 4 Oct 11 NY Giants W 20-13 5 Oct 17 at New Orleans L 14-24 6 Oct 24 New England W 21-44 7 Oct 31 at Chicago L 19-23 8 Nov 7 at St. Louis W 16-13 9 Nov 14 Philadelphia W 20-07 10 Nov 21 at Washington W 13-00 11 Nov 25 Thu Los Angeles W 28-21 12 Dec 4 NY Jets W 52-10 13 Dec 12 at NY Giants W 42-14 14 Dec 18 St. Louis W 31-12 Post Season 15 Dec 25 Divisional
at MinnesotaW 20-12 16 Jan 2 NFC Championship
San FranciscoW 14-03 17 Jan 16 Super Bowl VI
at New Orleans, LA
MiamiW 24-03 Season Summary
The 1971 season brought change again to the Cowboys. Off-season trouble by
Duane Thomas and his hold-out in training camp prompted Dallas to trade him to
New England. Thomas, however, was back at Dallas when he was thrown out of training
camp at New England voiding the trade. The other change was the rare failure in
the draft. Future Hall-of-Famer Lance Alworth was acquired to replace Lance Rentzel.
On top of everything, the Dallas Cowboys would begin playing in a newly built stadium
midway through the season.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 July 28 College All-Stars
at Chicago, ILW 20-07 2 Aug 5 Houston W 26-24 3 Aug 12 at LA Rams W 27-13 4 Aug 19 at New Orleans W 30-07 5 Aug 26 NY Jets W 34-27 6 Sep 2 at Kansas City L 10-20 7 Sep 9 Oakland W 16-10 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 17 Philadelphia W 28-06 2 Sep 24 at NY Giants W 23-14 3 Oct 1 Green Bay
at Milwaukee, WIL 13-16 4 Oct 8 Pittsburgh W 17-13 5 Oct 15 at Baltimore W 21-00 6 Oct 22 at Washington L 20-24 7 Oct 30 Mon Detroit W 28-24 8 Nov 5 at San Diego W 34-38 9 Nov 12 St. Louis W 33-24 10 Nov 19 at Philadelphia W 28-07 11 Nov 23 Thu San Francisco L 10-31 12 Dec 3 at St. Louis W 27-06 13 Dec 9 Sat Washington W 34-24 14 Dec 17 NY Giants L 03-23 Post Season 15 Dec 23 Sat Divisional
at San FranciscoW 30-28 16 Dec 31 NFC Championship
at WashingtonL 03-26 Season Summary
The Cowboys new season began much the same as the last one began -- with Duane
Thomas causing problems at training camp. Duane Thomas was traded to San Diego.
This time for good - there was a no return clause. However, this season was not to
be a repeat of the 1971 season. Unlike the failure of the 1971 draft, the Cowboys
gained the likes of running back Robert Newhouse and tight end Jean Fugett.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 3 at Los Angeles W 24-07 2 Aug 11 at Oakland L 26-27 3 Aug 18 New Orleans W 24-14 4 Aug 23 at Houston L 24-27 5 Sep 1 Kansas City W 27-16 6 Sep 6 Miami W 26-23 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 16 at Chicago W 20-17 2 Sep 24 Mon New Orleans W 40-03 3 Sep 30 St. Louis W 45-10 4 Oct 8 Mon at Washington L 07-14 5 Oct 14 at Los Angeles L 31-37 6 Oct 21 NY Giants W 45-28 7 Oct 28 at Philadelphia L 16-30 8 Nov 4 Cincinnati W 38-10 9 Nov 11 NY Giants
at New Haven, CTW 23-10 10 Nov 18 Philadelphia W 31-10 11 Nov 22 Thu Miami L 07-14 12 Dec 2 at Denver W 22-10 13 Dec 9 Washington W 27-07 14 Dec 16 at St. Louis W 30-03 Post Season 15 Dec 23 Divisional
Los AngelesW 27-16 16 Dec 30 NFC Championship
MinnesotaL 10-27 Season Summary
The off-season saw many new faces in the Cowboys camp. The draft yielded
future stars tight end Billy Joe DuPree, wide receiver Golden Richards, and
defensive tackle Harvey Martin. Additionally, Drew Pearson was signed as a free
agent. However, this season much like the last was dominated by key injuries.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 3 at Oakland L 07-27 2 Aug 10 at Los Angeles W 13-06 3 Aug 17 Houston W 19-13 OT 4 Aug 24 at New Orleans L 07-16 5 Aug 31 Kansas City W 25-16 6 Sep 5 Pittsburgh L 15-41 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 15 at Atlanta W 24-00 2 Sep 23 Mon at Philadephia L 10-13 3 Sep 29 NY Giants L 06-14 4 Oct 6 Minnesota L 21-23 5 Oct 13 at St. Louis L 28-31 6 Oct 20 Philadelphia W 31-24 7 Oct 27 NY Giants
at New Haven, CTW 21-07 8 Nov 3 St. Louis W 17-14 9 Nov 10 San Francisco W 20-14 10 Nov 17 at Washington L 21-28 11 Nov 24 at Houston W 10-0 12 Nov 28 Thu Washington W 24-23 13 Dec 7 Sat Cleveland W 41-17 14 Dec 14 Sat at Oakland L 23-27 Season Summary
The season began a little late as the Players Association called a strike for
veteran players. Training camp began with only rookies and various free agents
until the strike was finally ended on August 14. The struggle between the team
owners and players wasn't the only problem facing the NFL. The World Football
League was formed and began playing. The Cowboys did not go untouched when Calvin
Hill signed with the WFL to start playing with them after the 1975 season.
Notables:
Pre-Season Result 1 Aug 9 at Los Angeles L 07-35 2 Aug 18 at Kansas City L 20-26 3 Aug 23 Minnesota L 13-16 4 Aug 30 at Houston W 17-14 5 Sep 5 Oakland L 20-31 6 Sep 13 Pittsburgh W 17-16 Regular Season Result 1 Sep 21 Los Angeles W 18-07 2 Sep 28 St. Louis W 37-31 OT 3 Oct 6 Mon at Detroit W 36-10 4 Oct 12 at NY Giants W 13-07 5 Oct 19 Green Bay L 17-19 6 Oct 26 at Philadelphia W 20-17 7 Nov 2 at Washington L 24-30 OT 8 Nov 10 Mon Kansas City L 31-34 9 Nov 16 at New England W 27-17 10 Nov 23 Philadelphia W 27-17 11 Nov 30 NY Giants W 14-03 12 Dec 7 at St. Louis L 17-31 13 Dec 13 Sat Washington W 31
