1968 Dallas Cowboys

Description

[@mikethomas5231]

Appreciate these Team Video Yearbooks because I didn't get to see any NFL during the'60s.Thanks again.👍👍👍👍🍺😉😉.

[@michaelfabian3036]

Same here, MIke!...From another Mike! :-D))

[@felipeibarra6700]

1968 is the year i was born. I started to watch the Cowboys in 1976.

[@jstube36]

How bout them Cowboys

[@frankdenardo8684]

"Dandy" Don Meredith's final season.

[@t4texastomjohnnycat978]

I attended the Washington at Dallas game, which was played Thanksgiving afternoon into the evening. I remember being very disappointed that Jurgensen was injured and Jim Ninowski would play instead. Ninowski actually did a pretty decent job. This was rookie Larry Cole's first of 4 career TDs he scored in Redskin games. Dallas 29 - 20.🏈

[@jstube36]

Cool memories. I've been going to the Cowboys home opener semi-annually since 1997. So many thrilling moments. And I look very forward to the next opener at AT&T Stadium. As we welcome the Mike McCarthy Era. The best is yet to come from Dak and Zeke and the rest of America's Team. How Bout Them Cowboys

[@t4texastomjohnnycat978]

@@jstube36 Thanks for the reply, jstube36. 👋😊👍

[@brianherrington7226]

Didn’t Bullet Bob have a punt return at the Thanksgiving game?

[@ericschminke8233]

The four touchdowns that Larry Cole scored were all against the Redskins. I will always treasure the last one he scored in 1980, his final season when he intercepted a pass and ran 35-40 yards to score what proved to be the game-winner in a 14-10 victory. I will never forget the huge celebration that took place in the end zone. Way to go Larry!

[@richardgerlach5156]

LOL!!! That #17 @7:00 is Charlton Heston at QB for the New Orleans Saints from the movie "Pro"!!! He trained with the Saints in 1966 or 1967 and I think he actually played in some pre-season games to get some authentic footage for the movie. This was some of that footage. Can't believe that got into this production!!!

[@jonprude2557]

The movie is "Number One," and it's pretty cool/strange, with awesome NFL Films stuff combined with the drama of Cat Catalan, the Saints QB, played by Charleton Heston. He drinks, beats up his old-lady and cheats- timeless, and funny, too!

[@elwin38]

Just a football fact: Charlton probably trained with the Saints in 1967 because that was their expansion yr.

[@michaelleroy9281]

At the end of that movie they showed the entire roster of the 1968 Saints

[@adambaum9732]

14:29 Great camera angle of Bob Hayes' 63 yard punt return for a TD.

[@michaelleroy9281]

The playoff game at Cleveland is why Don Meredith had enough

[@jstube36]

The man took a lot of punishing hits. And was very unappreciated by many of the Cowboys' own fans. I often compare Dandy Don with Tony Romo. Both put up great numbers. Both were very tough. Dandy of course made some good fame as a analyst on MNF(Turn Out The Lights). Just as Tony is making a name for himself in he booth. But both also dealt with so much drama because of coming up short in Playoffs.

[@michaelfabian3036]

@@jstube36 Dandy Don was a legendary MAESTRO in the booth, and he took "color" to an art form on MNF & NBC; Tony Romo cannot even compare to him, in the booth.

[@jstube36]

@@michaelfabian3036 True Tony couldn't carry a tune the way Dandy did. Interesting thing. Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Tony Romo. All Cowboys QB's. All tried the booth. Roger didn't quite make an name for himself there. He was in and out of the booth during the early-mid 80's. But I think Tony has something going. Unless he gets tabbed for a coaching job somewhere.

[@michaelleroy9281]

I've heard he was even booed at the Cotton Bowl as SMUs Quarterback ( that was their home field at the time)

[@HiNRGboy]

@@jstube36 Meredith did WAY better than Tony ever did in the playoffs. He almost won two back to back championships against Green Bay.. came down to 1 play in both games.. basically they were a toss up imo and (again my opinion) Dallas was just as good as GB in those two years. These 60s Cowboys always came so close and had amazing seasons overall.

[@ericschminke8233]

Watching the Cowboys win a 31-30 thriller over the Redskins at D. C. Stadium in 1966 led me to become an avid fan in 1967. When they started the 1968 season by blowing out their first 5 opponents I thought they had a good chance of winning their first championship. I just couldn't believe they would lose to the Browns in NFL Eastern Conference Championship. Everyone in our family was an avid Browns fan which obviously made it worse. Meredith, to me, was the toughest quarterback the Cowboys ever had. In the 44-24 win over the Redskins Meredith suffered a punctured lung when he was hit by Joe Rutgens. After the Cowboys returned to Dallas he had to be taken to Parkland Hospital where I think he almost died. I was stunned when Meredith and Perkins suddenly retired in July, 1969, but Calvin Hill arrived and became the Cowboys first Rookie Of The Year winner. The Cowboys 17-13 win over the Vikings was the only time they won the Playoff Bowl. I never thought that I would stop being a Cowboys fan, but Jerry Jerkoff sure brought that to an end.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Speaking of Cowboys vs Vikings they played during the regular season Cowboys won 20-7 at Met Stadium

[@calvinbealer7264]

I happy to get a chance to the NFL in the 60s. Alot of Hard Hitting, Ass Kicking as well.

[@wi54725]

Chuck Howley delivered the hardest hit I have ever seen up close. It was a few years after the 1968 season. It came against the St. Louis Cardinals and Macarthur Lane at Busch Stadium. Lane came through on a trap play and Howley scraped inside and hit him so hard, the concussion of the blow was felt on the sideline. Dr. Garfinkel, the Cards team doctor, called it a severe concussion, but his offensive coach Lew Carpenter announced Lane was okay to play.

[@jstube36]

What's shocking is neither Chuck Howley or Lee Roy Jordan are in the Hall Of Fame. These two were key players in The Doomsday Defense of the mid-late 60's and early 70's.

[@michaelleroy9281]

They lost Dan Reeves in that game for the season with a knee injury

[@nivagnoswal]

I became a Dallas and NFL fan after watching the 1967 ice bowl loss to Green Bay...I remember that 1968 team very well...It was a crushing loss to lose to the browns in 68 and 69...I've always hated the Browns ever since...I remember late in the 69 playoff loss the Dallas kicker missed the ball late in the game on a kickoff and the Browns were laughing at them...I've never forgotten that.

[@jstube36]

DC4L

[@michaelleroy9281]

The Browns in the late 60s were damn good in the playoffs anything can happen

[@johnnoone4323]

A wonderful regular season and at a minimum I expected the Dallas Cowboys to play in the NFC Championship game. But the Baltimore Colts were 13-1. After stomping the Cleveland Browns the previous year in the playoffs 52-14 I was so disappointed when the Cowboys were flat in the playoff games. But something to remember is the playoff games alternated for the home teams every year. Nowadays the Cowboys would have played the 1968 game against Cleveland in Dallas and that would not be an away game. In retrospect, I don't know if the Cowboys would have won against the Colts that year. (Don Meredith: to me nothing special. But may be RIP.)

[@jstube36]

Slight correction. It was not yet the NFC in 1968. It was still NFL. The two Leagues were still separate. The Cowboys had some outstanding players. But they needed to learn how to put things together. And what was needed to be a champion. Everyone had to give everything they got. Total commitment. These were growing pains of success. Dandy Don was not as appreciated as he should have been. He took those tough years just like a few of the others who stuck around. One thing that hurt the Cowboys was not having a running game that can be relied upon in a big game. Tom Landry knew this. That's why he drafted Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas in back to back seasons. Landry had to change to a more emphasized run game. And the rest is NFL history. How Bout Them Cowboys

[@johnnoone4323]

@jstube36 good point NFL not NFC. Plus other good points.

[@gilbertgiles]

That's Charlton Heston breaking the huddle for New Orleans, at 7:02 lol

[@michaelleroy9281]

The movie Number 1, film from the Cowboys Saints game was in the movie

[@malbuff]

Pete Gent! And a brief shot of John Wilbur.

[@massvt3821]

I knew John Wilbur more from his stint as a staring OG with the George Allen Redskins from 1971-73. Hard to believe that Dallas would have so much trouble with Cleveland two years in a row..

[@theredbaronlives9889]

1968 12-2 reg season and yet,another even more baffling quick exit in playoffs to Cleveland 30-20 a team they clobbered the yr b4 in the playoffs 52-14.1968 was Meredith's last yr and he was benched for Morton when tossing 3ints vs Browns.MNF made Meredith a cult hero and Cowboy fans forget that #17 though incredibly talented, was mostly a bum in the playoffs. It took #12 Roger Staubach to get Dallas over the post-season choking and had HC Landry went to him sooner in SB5, instead of sticking to an injured immobile Craig Morton Dallas would of won back to back SB'S. Losing to Lombardi's GB team on the road in icebowl conditions in the final seconds no disgrace,but it was losing to a boring average Browns team in the playoffs in 68,69 that the label "can't win the big ones" began to stick to them SB5 really compound ed this and it also started the blue Jersey jinx nonesense,which Dallas ended in 1978 when winning the NFC Championship Game vs Rams 28-0. 1968 though 12-2 had to be the most frustrating.

[@jaylucien669]

Doomsday only gave up 2 rushing TD's during season. This in the 1960's, the Golden Age of power running offenses. That is an incredible feat. It still baffles me that the late 60's Cowboys couldn't find a way to win it all. But that's life I guess.

[@jstube36]

The Cowboys were going through growing pains. They were contenders. But they just couldn't put it all together. Tough lessons to learn. Coach Landry knew he had to change things. He would change the offense to a more run-oriented unit. Drafting Calvin Hill in 69. And Duane Thomas in 70. He also needed a QB to fit that scheme. Enter Roger Staubach. And the rest is history. How Bout Them Cowboys.

[@richardhamblen5526]

Losing Dan Reeves was the issue..he WAS irreplaceable at that time psychologically, as much as physically..they depended on him too much, he got injurd and it was like emotional 'separation anxiety'..their crutch was gone and it took awhile for them to regroup..

[@raynardabraham7831]

I think the 1968 Cowboys might have been their best team of that decade not to make The Super Bowl. In the 70s I think it was the 1976 team, in the 80s I think it was the 1981 team, in the 90s the 1994 team, in the 2000s the 2007 team, what do you think fans?

[@jstube36]

The Dallas Cowboys 1966(4 games over 40 points), 1973(12-4 had to play NFC Championship without Calvin Hill), 2014(DEZ MADE THAT DAMN CATCH), 2016(the year of Zeke and Dak). new coach coming. The America's Team will rise again. How Bout Them Cowboys

[@elwin38]

Not a Cowboys fan, but i think Dan Reeves got hurt early in the season. Losing him early caught up with the Cowboys later on. He was in his prime and might have beaten Cleveland had he been 100%. He was never the same.

[@BrandonCWilliams]

This is one of the best teams to never reach the Super Bowl.

[@hiawathasmalls3397]

they included the 'playoff bowl'---really?

[@michaelleroy9281]

A big Monday Night Football game before there was Monday Night Football Packers vs Cowboys rematch from 2 championship games

[@jstube36]

The Cowboys were going through growing pains. They had excellent talent all over. But as a team they struggled against the better teams. Tom Landry knew he had to change things. Eventually he did. Thanks to changing the offense in 1970. And of course Roger changed everything. How bout them Cowboys

[@rcthomas6925]

Bob Hayes

[@davanmani556]

Probably their best team in the 60’s.

[@jstube36]

Certainly their best record. 12-2. Which says something for a team that formed just 8 years earlier. The talent began to develop from 63-66. Things came together. They had a wide open scoring machine and an outstanding defense. How Bout Them Cowboys.

[@gregford2103]

Physically, this was Dallas' best squad. Unfortunately, the Browns team they faced in the first round was not the same one they beat in Week 2; the Cowboys prepared like they were facing the same squad. By the time Dallas and Cleveland met again, the latter had dumped many of their veterans and were a younger and more physical squad.

[@michaelleroy9281]

@@gregford2103 Frank Ryan started the season at QB, a QB that won the championship for the Browns in 1964, he was benched in week 5 for Bill Nelsen

[@victorkreitner754]

Didn't realize Otto Graham was the Redskins coach back in 1968. Could be why QB Jim Ninowski ( #11) ws playing QB. He was on Cleveland where he won an NFL Championship. I was wondering why Sonny wasn't in the highlights against Dallas.

[@classichost]

That is actually Dick Shiner, yes that is the guys actual name

[@t4texastomjohnnycat978]

@@classichost #11 for the Redskins is Jim Ninowski. Dick Shiner played for the Steelers.🏈

[@t4texastomjohnnycat978]

Victor K. Jurgensen definitely was injured in the Washington at Dallas game. Ninowski actually played pretty decent in back-up role.🏈

[@michaelleroy9281]

12-2 was their best season at the time

[@rkid727]

Guess Tex got a great deal on yellow paint for the end zones. Never understood why they used yellow.

[@davidmoorecatdaddy6994]

I have never noticed that b4 !

[@richardhamblen5526]

Easier to see, yellow holds color better than white, etc..

[@fairmounthotelhotel2711]

why did the Cowboys play Green Bay on a monday night in 1968? How did this come about?

[@michaelleroy9281]

Rematch from 1966 and 1967 championship games before 1970 the NFL played one or 2 games Monday nights beginning in 1964

[@rossnochimson6904]

Can anyone answer why lions wore practice uniforms in the opener

[@michaelleroy9281]

Lions wore these for 3 games this season my guess because of warm weather

[@1959markie1]

Lions wore a darker navy blue jersey when not wearing white for road games that year. Honolulu Blue for Tiger Stadium battles.

[@michaelleroy9281]

@@1959markie1 The Lions wore them at home in week 2 42-0 rout over the Bears and later in the year at the Rams

[@massvt3821]

THe big difference for Cleveland was replacing Frank Ryan with Bill Nelson, who was much more effective. I also think that new DE Jack Gregory made a difference, too.. Of course, the Browns lost badly in both the 68 and 69 titles ganmes to Baltimore and Minnesota, suggsting that gthey really didn't belong there, Maybe Dallas would have been more competitive, but no guarantee..

[@michaelleroy9281]

Frank Ryan won a championship with the 1964 team

[@tommythomason6187]

You can tell that second game, in New York, was a bruiser.

[@olofpalme63]

...for a great "powerhouse" team, they weren't much of a draw at the gate.

[@jstube36]

The team was an expansion franchise starting just 8 years prior. They had struggled for the first 5-6 seasons. So naturally interest was slow. Especially since the Dallas Texans(AFL-Now the KC Chief) were the more exciting attraction. The Cowboys as contenders came suddenly. The crowds were there. But the fans were mostly local. Tex Schramm began his marketing genius once the team was a Super Bowl contender in 70-71. Of course creating the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the uniqueness of Texas Stadium as well as the team being an annual contender grew the fan base. As a fan of America's Team myself, I myself am amazed at how big the fan base is at this point. Of course thanks to Jerry Jones advancing the torch that Schramm started. How Bout Them Cowboys

[@olofpalme63]

@@jstube36 ...thanks for that Cowboys' history lesson.

[@jstube36]

@@olofpalme63 Cowboys Nation Forever.

[@classichost]

Lol,ending with winning the old "playoff " bowl or as Lombardi used to call it the loser bowl, a rinky dink game in a rinky dink town.

[@jstube36]

For the teams that played it, was a reality check. That just being a contender was good but not good enough.

[@elwin38]

The playoff bowl was also infamously called, the"toilet bowl". This was Don Meredith's final game.

[@mikevanriel7573]

sour airhead The film you are talking about is “Big Game America”.

[@ronswoboda8310]

Cowboys were a good team but had their flaws especially at right cornerback .1966 warren Livingston, 1967 and 1968 mike Johnson,1969 Otto brown all mediocre at best. The cowboys relied too much on trickery and not on power football. Another flaw they were not mentally tough or played with any emotion .In my opinion those were the reasons the Cowboys lost in playoffs in 66, 67, 68, 69.

[@jstube36]

Tom Landry was a Master of complexity. He brought many changes to the game on all sides of the ball. Tom was an engineer. Always tinkering. Those playoff losses made Landry realize things had to be changed. In 1970 he simplified his offense to be more run-oriented. So Tom drafted Duane Thomas. To emphasize his intentions. That running game(and an outstanding Doomsday Defense) Changed the Franchise. The missing link was a QB that can that run-oriented Offense. One who could take advantage of PA-bootlegs. I think that played into Coach Landry's decision to go with Roger over Craig. And then The Dallas Cowboys ran over Miami in the Super Bowl. And of course they finish that great decade as the one and only and forever America's Team. how Bout them Cowboys

[@jstube36]

I deleted your comment by accident. Sorry about that. And I agree, Coach Landry was a genius in many ways. But he pulled a few head-scratchers. Why did he stay with a battered Morton in '70? In his mind he wasn't sure Roger was ready. And Tom didn't want to give up on Craig. Perhaps this explains why he alternated Roger and Craig in the first half of '71. Then Roger got the green light and history was made. Morton was still reliable. When Roger got hurt in '72, it was Craig who kept the team from faltering. And many believe, Morton should've started against Washington in the NFC Title game.

[@ronswoboda8310]

jstube36 Did you know after drafting Hill in1969, and Thomas in 70 , in 1972 they drafted Bill Thomas rb in the first round and in 1974 drafted Charles Young in the first round. As far as the 1972 NFC championship in my opinion it didn't matter who started at QB for Dallas . Morton was a pocket passer and would have been a sitting duck because Washington had a great pass rush that day.

[@jstube36]

@@ronswoboda8310 The Dallas Cowboys were ahead of their time when it came to the Daft. In the 60's they started using computers. They also had a knack for drafting players from little known, or smaller schools. Cliff Harris(Ouachita Baptist), Harvey Martin( East Texas State), Thomas Hollywood Henderson(Langston) Ed Too Tall Jones(Tennessee Sate). All key players for Doomsday II.

[@ronswoboda8310]

jstube36 In the 1970s the team that had superior drafts were the Steelers Joe Greene LC Greenwood drafted in 1969. Bradshaw,Kolb,Webster,Swann ,Stallworth,Lampert,Arrowhead Holmes,Diwight White Mel Blount Franco Harris , too many to list.Many of these players were from small black schools in the south .Just great scouting.

[@theredbaronlives9889]

Losing to inferior Browns teams in both this seasons playoffs(1968) and the following yr 1969 in blowout fashion when favored in both games really cemented the label "can't win the big one" The 1969 loss in the rain in the cotton bowl was demoralizing. Don Meredith was a very talented QB but came up horribly short when it mattered in the playoffs.His last game that mattered, 1968 loss to Cleveland He completed just 3 passes 3of8 and 3 interceptions got him benched at halftime and craig morton replaced him. As popular as Dandy Don became on ABC mnf in the 70's it somewhat obscures the fact he was an average QB who choked badly in the playoffs. It wasn't until Roger Staubach became the full time QB did Dallas finally win the championship in 1971 Craig morton stunk when he took over for Meredith.He choked away super bowl 5 to the Colts, threw 2 picks in the final 4 minutes that lead directly to the tying td and game winning fg as they got shutout in the 2nd half and lost 16-13. It really wasn't until Roger came along and brought a never give up attitude with him did Dallas shake the choker label. They then became America's team in the 70's early 80's but the 60's had to be frustrating af to be good and choke away seasons in the playoffs.

[@davidglazer1122]

So sad! I've rooted for them since 1968, when I was an 8 year old. For the next several seasons it was just brutal being a fan of that team. SB5 is still the most disgusting game I've ever seen.. Morton was absolutely horrid as usual, blowing the game with astonishing ineptitude. Incredibly, Landry refused to bench that bum until the Cowboys were about to waste the next season at 3 - 4. Finally Landry replaced that bum with Staubach, the back-up. Finally, the Cowboys won their first championship. Still, even with Roger, the team led by the "genius" Tom Landry, could manage to win just one more title, despite winning more regular season games, appearing in more playoffs, more conference championship games, and finally, more Super Bowls over the 20 seasons between 1966 and 1986. I really wonder about the God-like reverence accorded Tom Landry. He clearly was a revolutionary force for the NFL. He devised the 4=3 defense, the shotgun offense, the "flex" defense, the "zone" defense, the "I" formation, etc. Yet he couldn't see the difference between Roger Staubach, Heisman Trophy winner, and Craig freakin' Morton? Not to mention the overwhelming number of losses in big games!

[@mikethomas5231]

@sour airhead On ANY given Sunday,Mister!....

[@davanmani556]

Bret Yeilding I remember when DeBerg was playing for the Broncos andbeat SF the year after they won the Super Bowl.

[@hiawathasmalls3397]

@sour airhead --- the browns got crushed in the NFL championship games by both baltimore and minnesota in '68 and '69 after beating dallas...the games were not even competitive---they were an inferior team who for some reason had dallas' number in the late '60s

[@michaelleroy9281]

Craig Morton had to come back as starter when Roger Staubach was injured for most all of 1972 could be why they didn't repeat as Super Bowl Champions