My Life As A Dallas Cowboys Fan Part Two
The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most historic teams in sports history, and behind every team is a group of die-hard fans.
By this time, rooting for the Cowboys had become a family event. If the Cowboys were on TV, time stood still–the do not disturb sign was out on the door, and whatever had to be done, was done before the game started.
We went to Mass on Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, so we could spend our Sunday afternoons with the Cowboys. Visits to our Grandparents and other family were all planned out according to the Dallas Cowboys schedule. Everyone knew not to call us or visit us when the Cowboys were on TV.
My mother planned our dinner either before the game or after the game. When the Cowboys scored a touchdown, no one cheered louder than Mom, and in her eyes, Roger Staubach and Tom Landry could do no wrong.
My father, who had been a NY Giants fan his whole life, was now rooting for the Cowboys. I guess he just couldn’t stand to root against the team that had become so important in the lives of his two sons.
1975 season
We didn’t really know what to expect from the 1975 season. Veterans Bob Lilly, Cornell Green, Dave Manders, and Walt Garrison had all retired during the off-season. Bob Hayes was traded to the 49ers., John Niland was traded to the Eagles, Craig Morton was traded to the Giants, and Calvin Hill joined the WFL. That’s a lot of big shoes to fill.
But we knew as long as Coach Tom Landry and quarterback Roger Staubach was there, the team was not in all that bad of shape. Regardless, most of the so-called experts had predicted a long season for the Dallas Cowboys. Most said they would be fortunate to finish with a 500 winning percentage, and the playoffs were highly unlikely. It would be a rebuilding year for Dallas. But what the experts failed to understand is that the Cowboys don’t rebuild, they reload!
Led by the Cowboys VP Gil Brandt, the scouting team for the Cowboys pulled off one of the best drafts in NFL history. In all, twelve rookies made the team. Among them were offensive tackle Pat Donovan, who went on to a great career–earning pro bowl honors four times.
Middle linebacker Bob Breunig went on to play in three pro bowls, and guard Herb Scott was also a three-time pro bowl selection. Thomas Henderson, perhaps the best all-around athlete on the team, became one of the best outside linebackers in the league until a drug addiction led to his downfall.
One of them, a young man by the name of Randy White, went on to have a hall of fame career. They nicknamed him “the Manster” and they tagged the 12 rookies as the “dirty dozen”
Another valuable addition to the team was Preston Pearson, who came over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with Pearson and the dirty dozen, the Cowboys still had some seasoned veterans on the team. Players like Rayfield Wright, Jethro Pugh, Lee Roy Jordan, and Mel Renfro provided valuable leadership.
To everyone’s surprise, the Cowboys started the season off with 4 wins in a row and finished the season at 10–4. They were to meet the defending NFC champion Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs. The Vikings were heavily favored in this game, but going into the 4th quarter the Cowboys held the lead at 10–7 in a hard-hitting defensive battle. The Vikings had only one good offensive drive the whole game, but it came at the right time.
In the 4th quarter, the Vikings scored the go-ahead touchdown to take a 14–10 lead. Dallas winded up with the ball with just under two minutes left in the game, but they couldn’t get anything going and were faced with a 4th and 16. It looked like their Cinderella season was over.
But Roger Staubach thought otherwise and hit Drew Pearson for a 25 yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, from the 50-yard line, Staubach launched a pass to Drew Pearson that was slightly underthrown. Pearson reached back for the ball, caught it against his hip, and ran it in for the winning touchdown. After the game, a reporter asked Staubach about the play. Staubach said he just threw the ball up and said a Hail Mary prayer. The play would forever be known as the Hail Mary pass.
Dallas traveled to LA to face a powerful Rams team that had just destroyed a very good St. Louis Cardinals team in the playoff game. The Rams entered the NFC title game with a 13–2 record. There were still some who refused to give the Cowboys their due, saying they won on a fluke play and ignoring the fact that Dallas had outplayed Minnesota. The Cowboys had outgained the Vikings 356 yards to 215.
The Cowboys played perhaps their best game of the entire season against the Rams. It was never even close. Dallas beat LA in every phase of the game and walked away with a 37–7 victory. Now it's on to Miami for their 3rd Superbowl appearance.
This team that wasn’t even predicted to finish with a winning record had proven everyone wrong. They would be facing the defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Once again, no one gave the Cowboys a chance to win, but here they were, leading by a 10–7 score in the 4th quarter.
The Steelers went on to win, 21–17, in one of the best Superbowl’s ever played. Naturally, our family was disappointed that they lost, but it had been an amazing season that none of us could have expected. We all looked forward to the 1976 season.
1976
After ten weeks the Cowboys stood at 9–1, and we were all feeling very confident about a return trip to the Superbowl. But in their next five games, the Cowboys lost three times, including a 14–12 loss to the Rams in the playoffs. Just like that, the season was over.
1977
Four of the dirty dozen were no longer with the team, but the other eight players were now in their 3rd season, and they were all contributing to the team's success–especially Randy White.
White was not a starter in his first two seasons, simply because they couldn’t quite decide which position was right for him. They tried him at middle linebacker, outside linebacker, and defensive end. During the offseason, White trained extra hard with heavy weightlifting and gained about 15 pounds of muscle. They decided to try him at defensive tackle, where he developed into a hall of fame player.
But the biggest boost to the team was getting Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett in the draft. Dorsett finished the season with over 1,000 yards and gave the Cowboys their first game-breaking runner since Calvin Hill left the team prior to the ’75 season.
After eight weeks, the Cowboys were undefeated. They then lost two straight but bounced back with four wins in a row. They faced the Walter Payton led Chicago Bears in the NFC playoffs, and it was no contest– the Cowboys breezed to an easy 37–7 win, holding Walter Payton to just 60 yards rushing.
The following week they faced the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC title game. Once again it was no contest, as the Cowboys coasted to a 23–6 victory. Now it's on to their 4th Superbowl appearance, where they faced the Denver Broncos.
The Cowboys doomsday defense made life miserable for former Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton. Randy White and Harvey Martin were named Co — MVP’s as Dallas defeated the Broncos 27–10 to win their second Vince Lombardi trophy.
1978
After opening the season with a 38–0 win over the Colts on Monday night football, the Cowboys lost 4 of their next 9 games–but then proceeded to win eight in a row, which included a hard-fought win against the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs and a 28–0 win over the Rams in the NFC title game.
In the playoff game against the Falcons, Roger Staubach suffered a concussion and was forced to leave the game. With the Cowboys trailing 20–13 at half time, backup QB Danny White came off the bench and rallied the team to a 27–20 victory.
After their win over the Rams in the NFC title game, the Cowboys were headed to Miami for their record 5th Superbowl appearance. Their opponent would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. The winner of this game would become the first team to win three Superbowl’s.
Unlike the defensive battle between these two teams just three years earlier, this Superbowl turned into a high scoring offensive attack. The lead went back and forth until the Steelers broke it open in the 4th quarter with a 35–17 lead. Led by “captain comeback” Roger Staubach, the Cowboys came roaring back but fell short 35–31.
It was a tough loss to take for our family because it was now the 3rd Superbowl they lost, with all three going down to the final minute. But we felt confident that this would not be their last Superbowl appearance. Little did we know they wouldn’t see a Superbowl again for the next 13 years.
1979
Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, and Tony Dorsett all gained over 1,000 yds. Although it was a good season, it was not one of their best. They finished the regular season with an 11–5 record, and at one point in the season, they lost 4 out of 5 games. The highlight of the season was a thrilling come from behind victory over the Redskins in the final game. The Cowboys actually had to come back twice in this game–In the 3rd quarter they took a 21–17 lead after trailing 17–0, and in the 4th quarter they had to come back again from a 34–21 deficit.
They won the game 35–34 in one of Roger Staubach’s finest games. The win not only put them in the playoffs but knocked the rival Redskins out of contention.
They faced the LA Rams in the playoffs and led 19–14 with just over two minutes to play, but a 50-yard touchdown pass gave the Rams a 21–19 victory–and just like that, the Cowboys season was over. Little did anyone know, it would be Roger Staubach’s final game.
1980
On March 31, 1980, Roger Staubach announced his retirement. Back up Danny White would now be the starting quarterback.
The season started with a convincing 17–3 win over the Redskins and the Cowboys finished the regular season with a 12–4 record.
They would play the Rams in the wild card playoff game. They had just played the Rams two weeks earlier on Monday night football and suffered an embarrassing 38–14 defeat. However, they turned the tables on the Rams in the playoff game, winning easily 34–13. Tony Dorsett ran wild, gaining 160 yards on the ground and scoring two touchdowns.
The following week they played the Falcons. Although they fell behind 24–10, Danny White, who must have paid close attention to all those Roger Staubach comebacks, performed a great comeback of his own, and the Cowboys prevailed 30–27.
In the NFC title game against the Eagles, the half time score was 7–7. But the Cowboys offense could not move the ball in the second half, and Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery ran for 196 yards. The Cowboys lost 20–7.
1981
Safety Cliff Harris retired after the 1979 season, so the Cowboys were looking to strengthen their secondary. They drafted cornerback Everson Walls, and he did not disappoint. Walls led the league in interceptions with 11 and was selected to the pro bowl. Tony Dorsett had the best season of his career, rushing for 1,646 yds.
After 10 weeks the Cowboys were 8–2 and finished the season with a 12–4 record. In the playoffs, they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38–0. They then traveled to San Francisco for the NFC title game.
The 49ers had beaten Dallas by a 45–14 score in week 6, but this game would be different. It was a close game all the way through, and Dallas held a 27–21 lead with less than a minute left in the game. But with 58 seconds remaining, Joe Montana hit Dwight Clark in the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point made the score 28–27.
Dallas got the ball back on the kickoff, and Danny White hit Drew Pearson at the 50. Pearson was off to the races for what seemed to be a touchdown–until Eric Wright reached out to grab Pearson from behind with a game-saving tackle. The Cowboys fumbled on the next play, and our hopes of a 6th Superbowl appearance were dashed.
1982
In a strike-shortened season, the Cowboys finished 6–3. They made short work of the Buccaneers and the Packers in the playoffs and were off to Washington DC to play the Redskins in the NFC title game.
Including their two playoff wins, the Redskins came into this game with a 10–1 record, their one loss coming against the Cowboys. This time, the Redskins got their revenge.
John Riggins ran for 140 yards on 36 carries, and the Redskins won 31–17. This was the 3rd year in a row the Cowboys lost the NFC title game. We were beginning to lose hope that they would ever get to the Superbowl again.
1983
The Cowboys started the season with a rematch against the Superbowl Champion Washington Redskins on a hot and humid night in DC. The Redskins jumped out to a 23–3 halftime lead, but the Cowboys came back to win 31–30.
After seven weeks, the Cowboys were undefeated–and it looked like that 6th Superbowl appearance was still possible after all. But they lost 5 of their next 10, including a loss to the Rams in the playoffs.
1984
The Cowboys finished a disappointing 9–7 record and missed the playoffs for only the second time in nineteen years.
1985
After eight weeks the Cowboys were 6–2, but they lost 5 of their next 9. Three of these losses were humiliating defeats, losing 44–0 to the Bears, 50–24 to the Bengals, and 20–0 to the Rams in the playoffs. It was clear the Cowboys dynasty was coming to an end.
1986
The Cowboys suffered their first losing season since 1964, finishing the season with a 7–9 record. It only got worse from that point. In 1987 they finished 7–8, and in 1988 they finished an embarrassing 3–13.
Some pointed the blame at Coach Tom Landry, saying the game had passed him by. But what actually caused the demise of the Cowboys was that they no longer dominated the draft as they had in the 1960s and 1970s. The other teams had caught up to them in regards to the draft, and they were no longer getting the best players or the players that no one else knew about.
In 1989 Jerry Jones took over as the new owner. Tom Landry was fired and Jimmy Johnson was hired as the new coach. Three years later the Cowboys won their third Superbowl. They won their fourth the following year, and a fifth two years later.
1992–1995 were very enjoyable years to be a Cowboys fan, but nothing would ever compare to the Dallas Cowboys of my youth, 1969–1982.
