1972: Cowboys Overcome 15-Point Deficit to Beat 49ers in Playoff Game

The two teams that met in a NFC Divisional playoff on December 23, 1972 were familiar to each other from recent postseason action. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers had met the previous two years for the NFC Championship, with Dallas coming away the victor on both occasions.

The Cowboys, winners of the last Super Bowl and coached by Tom Landry, were not coming into the game as NFC East champions in this instance - they had placed second to the Redskins with a 10-4 record and were in the playoffs as a wild card entry. QB Roger Staubach missed most of the season due to a shoulder injury, although he was available for the playoffs – Craig Morton performed capably in his absence. RB Duane Thomas was dumped off to San Diego during the season due to behavioral issues, but RB Calvin Hill had gained 1036 yards. The offensive line was exceptional, the defensive line in transition due to age and injuries. Indeed, if the defense was a cause of concern, it was because of advancing age.

The 49ers, under Head Coach Dick Nolan, won the NFC West for the third straight year, finishing at 8-5-1. They, too, lost their starting quarterback along the way as 37-year-old John Brodie suffered an ankle injury in the fifth game and didn’t return until the finale. Steve Spurrier, ex-Heisman trophy winner and first round draft pick in 1967, came off the bench and went 6-2-1 in relief (although he needed help from Brodie in the season’s last game). WR Gene Washington and TE Ted Kwalick provided outstanding targets for the passing game, while the running attack was adequate (at best). The offensive line was solid. Defensively, the line, despite injuries, led the NFL with 46 sacks while LB Dave Wilcox and CB Jimmy Johnson were key performers.

It was a sunny day at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park and the 59,746 fans in attendance received an immediate thrill when HB Vic Washington returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys responded with a 37-yard Toni Fritsch field goal, and the first quarter ended with the 49ers ahead by 7-3.

San Francisco drove from its six yard line into Dallas territory, highlighted by a long pass play from Brodie to Gene Washington, but another long pass by Brodie was intercepted by safety Charlie Waters at the Cowboys’ one yard line.


Craig Morton had started the game at quarterback for Dallas, and on the possession following the interception he fumbled the ball away when hit by DE Tommy Hart and CB Windlan Hall at his own 15 yard line. RB Larry Schreiber (pictured at right) scored a one-yard touchdown shortly thereafter to put the Niners up by 14-3.

Schreiber scored another short TD, set up by LB Skip Vanderbundt’s interception of a Morton pass at the Dallas 32, before the Cowboys scored again on a 45-yard field goal by Fritsch. Before the second quarter was over they also got a touchdown on a 28-yard pass from Morton to WR Lance Alworth. San Francisco led by 21-13 at the half.

Early in the third quarter, the Niners failed to extend their lead when Bruce Gossett missed a 40-yard field goal attempt. While the 49ers got the ball back on another Vanderbundt interception, they had to punt. Jim McCann managed to angle the kick out at the five yard line and it led to another big break created by the opportunistic San Francisco defense. Hill fumbled on his own one yard line after being hit by DT Charlie Krueger and the result was Schreiber’s third one-yard TD of the game that put the 49ers ahead by 28-13.

Dallas wasn’t moving the ball and was being done in by turnovers. Just before the end of the third quarter, Coach Landry chose to make a change at quarterback and inserted Staubach.

In a classy gesture, Morton went to Staubach as he warmed up and told him “I have confidence in you. You can win.” But it didn’t seem that the move would change the Cowboys’ fortunes when he threw an incompletion and was sacked. Staubach fumbled when hit by DT Bob Hoskins and the 49ers recovered. It appeared once again that they would pad their lead, but Gossett missed another field goal attempt, this time from 32 yards.



The next possession went better for Dallas as Hill ran 48 yards on a draw play. After Staubach completed a pass to WR Billy Parks (pictured at left), Fritsch kicked a 27-yard field goal to narrow San Francisco’s margin to 28-16 – less than two touchdowns.

With the clock down to nearly two minutes left to play, and following a bad punt by the 49ers’ McCann that gave the Cowboys good field position at the San Francisco 45, Staubach began completing passes, two to FB Walt Garrison for 16 yards and two to Parks that included a 20-yard touchdown. The drive had run off just 32 seconds and Dallas was now down by only 28-23.

Fritsch came through with a well-executed onside kick that San Francisco WR Preston Riley briefly handled but was recovered by CB Mel Renfro for the Cowboys. On the first play, Staubach looked to pass, couldn’t find an open receiver, and scrambled 21 yards. He then completed a pass to Parks, who ran out of bounds at the 10 with 56 seconds to go, for a gain of 19 yards.

On the next play, with the 49ers blitzing, Staubach threw to his secondary receiver, WR Ron Sellers, who was open in the middle of the field in front of the goal post. Sellers scored (pictured at top), and the Cowboys took the lead.

The 49ers had one last chance with 52 seconds to work with. It seemed as though Brodie might yet salvage the game as he completed three passes, but an apparent 23-yard toss to Riley that would have put San Francisco in field goal range was called back due to a holding penalty. Brodie was intercepted by safety Charlie Waters on the next play, thus sealing the 30-28 comeback win for Dallas.

The Cowboys rolled up 402 yards, to 255 for the Niners, and also led in first downs with 22 to San Francisco’s 13. But they had turned the ball over five times, nearly burying themselves, although none came during the spectacular fourth quarter comeback. Dallas also gave up five sacks (Morton once, Staubach four times) while not getting to Brodie at all.


Roger Staubach (pictured at right) completed 12 of 20 passes for 174 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in just over a quarter of action. Previously, Craig Morton was successful on 8 of 21 throws for 96 yards with a TD and two picked off. Billy Parks led the receivers with 7 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Calvin Hill gained 125 yards rushing on 18 carries.

For the 49ers, John Brodie threw 22 passes and completed 12 of them for 150 yards with no TDs and two interceptions (both by Charlie Waters). Preston Riley caught 4 passes for 41 yards while Gene Washington had 76 yards on three receptions. Vic Washington, in addition to running the opening kickoff all the way for a score, also ran for 56 yards on 10 carries, although Larry Schreiber was the workhorse for the Niners with 26 attempts for 52 yards and the three short TDs.

“It's the best comeback we've had since I've been in Dallas,” said Tom Landry, who showed uncharacteristic emotion afterward.

The stunning win didn’t spur the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl, however. They lost the NFC Championship game to Washington. San Francisco, having fallen short in the playoffs for three consecutive years, went into decline and didn’t return to the postseason until 1981.

1979: Cowboys Come From Behind, Deny Redskins a Playoff Berth

The December 16, 1979 season finale between the arch-rival Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins at Texas Stadium had postseason ramifications for both teams. Both had 10-5 records, but due to the convoluted nature of the NFL’s tiebreaker system, the Cowboys were assured a playoff spot whatever the result, while Washington would clinch the NFC East title with a win but could conceivably be denied a playoff spot with a defeat.

The Cowboys, under Head Coach Tom Landry, had lost three defensive stalwarts before the season began when DT Jethro Pugh retired, DE Ed “Too Tall” Jones quit to pursue a boxing career (he returned in 1980), and SS Charlie Waters went down for the year with a knee injury in the preseason. That still left DT Randy White, DE Harvey Martin, MLB Bob Breunig, and FS Cliff Harris as a nucleus, and the offense, with QB Roger Staubach (pictured above), RB Tony Dorsett, wide receivers Tony Hill and Drew Pearson, was proficient. Dallas roared out to a 7-1 start, but then lost four of five games in a tumultuous period during which Landry cut LB Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson from the team for lack of effort. They had won their two most recent contests.

Washington, coached by Jack Pardee, had a ground-oriented offense led by RB John Riggins, but could pass effectively, too, with QB Joe Theismann ranking as the NFL’s second best passer (behind Staubach). Neal Olkewicz and Brad Dusek were the main components of an outstanding group of linebackers, and the defensive backfield that featured free safety Mark Murphy, strong safety Ken Houston, and cornerbacks Lamar Parrish and Joe Lavender was among the best.

The Redskins had beaten Dallas in Washington four weeks earlier, and had angered the Cowboys when they kicked a field goal with an 11-point lead and nine seconds remaining to play. Coach Pardee insisted that it was because of the possibility that point differential might play a part in determining a playoff berth (he proved to be on target), but many Dallas players saw it as the Redskins rubbing the loss in their faces.

However, it seemed as though Washington was well on its way to a division title when the Redskins opened up a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, helped along by Dallas turnovers. In the opening period, following a fumble by Cowboys RB Ron Springs (who was subbing for the injured Dorsett), Mark Moseley kicked a 24-yard field goal. After Dusek recovered a fumble by Dallas RB Robert Newhouse, Theismann hit WR Danny Buggs on a pass play that covered 39 yards and three plays later ran around end for a one-yard touchdown. Early in the second quarter, Theismann capped a seven play drive by tossing a pass to RB Benny Malone that covered 55 yards for a TD.

But the Cowboys fought back as, first, Springs scored from a yard out. Then Staubach, facing a third-and-20 situation, capped an 85-yard drive with less than ten seconds remaining in the half by throwing a touchdown pass to RB Preston Pearson that covered 26 yards. Washington’s lead was cut to 17-14 at the intermission.


Dallas took the lead in its first possession of the third quarter as Newhouse scored a two-yard touchdown. But Washington seemed to take decisive command in the fourth quarter. Moseley kicked another 24-yard field goal, and then Riggins (pictured at left) scored two touchdowns, one from a yard out and the other on a 66-yard jaunt. With just under seven minutes left to play, the Redskins held a formidable 34-21 lead.

The clock was ticking down to four minutes when Randy White recovered a fumble by Washington RB Clarence Harmon. The Dallas offense came alive as Staubach connected on three straight passes that covered 14 yards to WR Butch Johnson, 19 to Tony Hill, and 26 yards and a touchdown to Springs.

The Redskins sought to run out the clock on their next possession, but on a crucial third-and-two play at their own 32, Riggins was dropped for a two-yard loss by DE Larry Cole. Washington was forced to punt and the Cowboys took over at their own 25 with 1:46 left to play and two timeouts.

Staubach was an established master at pulling off comebacks, and he threw a 20-yard pass to Hill and then connected twice with Preston Pearson for 22 and 25 yards down to the Washington eight yard line. With the clock now down to 45 seconds, Staubach intended to throw to TE Billy Joe Dupree, but facing an all-out blitz by the Redskins, instead lofted a high, arching pass that Hill caught in the corner of the end zone. With the successful extra point, Dallas now held a one-point lead.

Washington still had one last shot, but in the final 39 seconds they got only as far as the Dallas 42 before time expired. The Cowboys came away with a stunning 35-34 win.

The Cowboys outgained the Redskins (434 yards to 373) although they turned the ball over three times to once by Washington. Roger Staubach completed 24 of 42 passes for 336 yards with three touchdowns against one interception. Tony Hill (pictured below) caught 8 passes for 113 yards and a TD, and Preston Pearson was right behind at 5 receptions out of the backfield for 108 yards and a score. Ron Springs ran for 79 yards on 20 carries in place of Tony Dorsett.


John Riggins was the top rusher with 22 attempts for 151 yards and two TDs. Joe Theismann went to the air 23 times and completed 12 for 200 yards and a touchdown with none picked off. Benny Malone was the pass receiving yardage leader with 55 on his lone catch that resulted in a score while Danny Buggs was right behind with 46 yards on his two receptions.

The win gave Dallas the division title with an 11-5 record (the Cowboys went on to lose to the Rams in the Divisional playoff round). Philadelphia, also 11-5, placed second and grabbed the first wild card spot due to having a lesser record in conference games than Dallas. Washington was third at 10-6, but lost out on being the second wild card team because the Chicago Bears, also 10-6, had beaten the Cardinals 42-6, thus beating out the Redskins on the point differential tiebreaker.

“It's a shame someone had to lose, because the Redskins played their guts out, but so did we,” said Staubach. “The Redskins played well enough to be in the playoffs. They deserved a better fate.” Staubach also called the game “the most exciting I’ve ever played in” which, in his case, was certainly high praise.

“There we were, divisional champions with 40 seconds to play, then nothing. I'm just heartbroken. Not just for myself but for the players,” said Jack Pardee afterward.

While no one knew at the time, it was the last regular season game for Roger Staubach, who retired during the offseason. In his final year, he led the NFL in passing (92.3 rating) while throwing for 3586 yards and 27 touchdowns (one behind the league co-leaders). His next stop would be the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Both Tony Hill and Drew Pearson gained over a thousand yards receiving, and Hill was selected to the Pro Bowl. In his third year, and second as a starting wide receiver, Hill caught 60 passes for 1062 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns. Pearson, in his seventh season, pulled in 55 receptions for 1026 yards and 8 scores. 34-year-old Preston Pearson, who performed so well against the Redskins and was valued for his pass receiving ability out of the backfield, had 26 catches for 333 yards and a TD; the 108 yards against Washington were the second most of his 14-year career.

John Riggins rushed for a ninth-ranked 1153 yards on 260 carries with 9 touchdowns. The 66-yard scoring run against Dallas was the longest of his career.

1973: Harold Jackson Keys LA Win Over Dallas With 238 Yards & 4 TDs

Following a 6-7-1 season in 1972 (their first sub-.500 record since 1965), the Los Angeles Rams had a new look for 1973. Gone was Head Coach Tommy Prothro, successor to George Allen, and in his place was Chuck Knox, a long-time assistant with the Jets and Lions. Gone also was QB Roman Gabriel after 11 years with the Rams, traded to Philadelphia and replaced by another 11-year veteran, John Hadl, who was obtained from the San Diego Chargers.

The Eagles, desperate for a franchise quarterback, had given up much to obtain Gabriel. The Rams received two number one draft picks, a number two selection, RB Tony Baker, and most significantly, WR Harold Jackson (pictured above). The swift 5’10” (at most), 175-pound Jackson had led the NFL in both pass receptions (62) and receiving yards (1048) with the offensively-challenged Eagles. He had originally been drafted by the Rams in the 12th round out of Jackson State in 1968, was only active for two games, caught no passes, and was dealt to Philadelphia, where he quickly blossomed. His homecoming would prove to be a productive one.

The revamped Rams got off to a 4-0 start and on October 14 faced their biggest test to date as they hosted the Dallas Cowboys at the Memorial Coliseum. The Cowboys, perennial contenders under Head Coach Tom Landry, were 3-1 and coming off of a tough loss at Washington the previous Monday night.

There was a big and enthusiastic crowd of 81,428 present in the cavernous stadium. The Rams came out throwing as Hadl passed to FB Jim Bertelsen for a 12-yard gain on their first offensive play. Two plays later, Jackson caught his first touchdown pass of the game, speeding past FS Charlie Waters to go 63 yards.

Jackson caught a second scoring pass, of 16 yards, before Dallas got on the board thanks to a 30-yard interception return by CB Mel Renfro to make the score 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Turnovers put the Cowboys in a deep hole as they lost two fumbles by kick returner Les Strayhorn and had two passes intercepted in the first half, by CB Eddie McMillan and LB Isiah Robertson, that set up a touchdown and field goal, respectively.

Hadl connected with Jackson for two more long touchdowns, of 67 and 36 yards, in the second quarter. In addition, David Ray kicked field goals of 27 and 37 yards. Meanwhile, the Cowboys scored once, on an eight-yard run by RB Calvin Hill. The Rams had a 34-14 lead at halftime and Hadl had already completed 9 of 14 passes for 217 yards with the four TDs to Jackson.

However, Dallas made a strong comeback in the second half. QB Roger Staubach threw two touchdown passes, of six and 10 yards, to WR Otto Stowe. The Rams scored just once more, on a 35-yard field goal by Ray in the third quarter.

After the second Stowe touchdown, the Cowboys were at the LA one yard line and down by 9 points at 37-28 with five minutes left in the game; they elected to go for the short eight-yard Toni Fritsch field goal. Now behind by six points, Dallas got the ball back but DB Al Clark intercepted a Staubach pass at the LA 32 with 2:31 left on the clock. With the time running down to under two minutes remaining and the crowd cheering wildly, the Rams needed to maintain possession to run the clock out and seal the win; RB Larry Smith did the job as he gained five yards and a first down. Los Angeles held on for a 37-31 win.

The ground-oriented Rams had difficulty running against the number one-ranked “Doomsday Defense” of the Cowboys. Adding to LA’s running woes, RB Lawrence McCutcheon, second-leading rusher in the NFC coming into the game, suffered a pulled hamstring and didn’t play in the second half (he gained just 15 yards on three carries). McCutcheon was another new face who had contributed mightily to LA’s early success, having appeared in just three games – all on special teams – in his 1972 rookie season. Short-yardage specialist Tony Baker (12 rushes for 24 yards) also went down with a shoulder separation. Jim Bertelsen led the team with 52 yards on 17 carries.

However, the line protected Hadl well and allowed the passing game to compensate to devastating effect. While the Rams gained 104 rushing yards on 40 attempts (2.6 average gain), Hadl (pictured below) completed 12 of 22 passes for 279 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Of that, Harold Jackson caught 7 passes for 238 yards and the four TDs.


For Dallas, Roger Staubach was successful on 15 of 25 throws for 173 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. Otto Stowe led the receivers with 6 catches for 86 yards and both touchdowns. Calvin Hill paced the team in rushing with 51 yards on 15 attempts and a TD.

“This is my finest hour in the NFL”, Harold Jackson said. “I feel I can run the deep post and just about get open every time. The key is I have to outrun the free safety. Charlie Waters told me after the game he made me look like I was All-World. He's a good player and I appreciate his saying that.”

Added John Hadl, “The two long touchdown passes were both off play action. Harold runs a post pattern and I just look for the last move he makes and try to throw it where I think he'll be."

“The Rams are a fine, great team with momentum,” said Dallas Coach Landry. “But the Rams beat a good football team. It's tough to come back from a Monday night game like we had to play. We wanted to win more than anything but we left everything on the field in Washington, particularly emotionally.”

Los Angeles went on to win the NFC West with a 12-2 record and the Cowboys recovered to win the NFC East at 10-4. The two teams met again in the postseason, in a Divisional playoff game, and Dallas came away the winner by a 27-16 score. The Cowboys went on to lose the NFC Championship game to the Minnesota Vikings.

Harold Jackson’s performance against the Cowboys came in the midst of a string of four games in which he caught a total of 13 passes for 422 yards for an impressive 32.5-yard average with 8 TDs. For the year, he had 40 receptions for 874 yards (21.9 average) and 13 touchdowns. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection (AP, NEA, Pro Football Writers of America, Pro Football Weekly) and went to the Pro Bowl for the third (of an eventual five) times. Upon his retirement, following the 1983 season, Jackson ranked second in career pass receiving yards (10,372) on his 579 catches, even though during his prime he played for a running team and in an era when zone defenses had largely curtailed the long passing game.

John Hadl ranked first in the NFL in percentage of TD passes (8.5) and yards per completion (14.9, tied with Atlanta’s Bob Lee), second in yards-per-attempt (7.8, again tied with Lee), and third in passing (88.8 rating) and touchdown passes (22). He, too, received All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition, although in his case it was something of a last hurrah. Showing signs of decline the following year (and with the younger James Harris ready to take over), he was traded to Green Bay at midseason, and by his last two seasons (1976-77) was strictly a backup.

1976: Steelers Top Cowboys in Super Bowl X

The Pittsburgh Steelers had won the first championship in franchise history in 1974 and put together an even better season in ’75. Under Head Coach Chuck Noll, who had carefully constructed the team since taking over in 1969, the Steelers went 12-2 in winning the AFC Central. The defense, built around DT “Mean Joe” Greene, DE L.C. Greenwood, linebackers Jack Lambert and Jack Ham, and CB Mel Blount, who led the league with 11 interceptions, was superb. The offense was outstanding as well, as QB Terry Bradshaw matured into an outstanding performer, second-year WR Lynn Swann became a starter and caught 49 passes with 11 TDs, and durable FB Franco Harris gained 1246 yards on the ground.

Pittsburgh defeated the Baltimore Colts in the Divisional round and Oakland Raiders for the conference title, which put them in the Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas, under Head Coach Tom Landry, had missed the postseason in 1974 for the first time after eight straight appearances, but bounced back in ’75 with a 10-4 record. It wasn’t enough to beat out Washington for the NFC East title, but did provide the Cowboys with a wild card berth. There had been key retirements in the previous offseason, most notably DT Bob Lilly, FB Walt Garrison, and defensive back Cornell Green, plus the loss of RB Calvin Hill to the World Football League. But newcomers like FB Robert Newhouse and defensive ends Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Harvey Martin joined the veteran core of QB Roger Staubach, WR Drew Pearson, DT Jethro Pugh, LB Lee Roy Jordan, and CB Mel Renfro allowing the team to perform better than anticipated.

The Cowboys won a thrilling Divisional playoff game at Minnesota and then dominated the Rams in the NFC Championship game to advance to the Super Bowl – the first wild card team to do so.

Super Bowl X was played on January 18, 1976 on a cool, clear day with 80,187 fans present at the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Steelers were heavily favored, but it was Dallas getting the first break of the game that in turn led to the initial score. Pittsburgh was forced to punt after its initial series, but punter Bobby Walden bobbled the snap, recovered at the Steelers 29 yard line, and was tackled by Dallas TE Billy Joe DuPree. On the next play, Staubach threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson.

Pittsburgh came right back on the next possession, driving 67 yards on eight plays, including a 32-yard pass from Bradshaw to Swann, and concluding with Bradshaw hitting TE Randy Grossman with a seven-yard TD toss to even the score. The Cowboys countered with a 46-yard, 11-play drive that resulted in a 36-yard field goal by Toni Fritsch that put them back in the lead, 10-7.


The score remained the same until early in the fourth quarter, with Steelers placekicker Roy Gerela missing two field goal attempts along the way. After the second, Dallas FS Cliff Harris patted Gerela on the helmet and mockingly congratulated him, which enraged Pittsburgh LB Jack Lambert, who flung Harris to the ground (and came close to being ejected). What was already an intense contest moved to a higher level, especially the Steelers defense and in particular Lambert (pictured at right), who played like a man on fire the rest of the way (he totaled 14 tackles for the day).

With just over thirteen minutes remaining in the game, Walden boomed a 59-yard punt (making up for his earlier miscue) that backed the Cowboys to their own 19 yard line. Dallas tried a flea-flicker play, with Staubach handing off to RB Preston Pearson who faked a run and then lateraled back to the quarterback. However, CB J.T. Thomas didn’t bite on the fake run and Drew Pearson, the primary target, remained covered; Staubach tried to run and lost a yard. The next two plays also resulted in lost yardage, and Dallas had to punt. Steelers RB Reggie Harrison blocked the kick by Mitch Hoopes, which bounced back through the end zone for a safety.

Now down by a point, the Steelers received the free kick following the safety and moved 25 yards in six plays for Gerela to kick a 36-yard field goal that put them ahead for the first time, 12-10. Dallas got the ball back and Staubach, again throwing for Drew Pearson, was intercepted by SS Mike Wagner, who returned the pickoff 19 yards (pictured below). The result of the turnover was an 18-yard field goal by Gerela to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 15-10.


After Dallas failed to move in its possession, the Steelers got the ball back with 4:25 remaining on the clock. Shortly thereafter, in the biggest play of the game, Bradshaw instructed Swann to run a deep pattern. The Cowboys were guessing pass and blitzed heavily, with the quarterback just getting rid of the ball before being knocked unconscious by Harris and DT Larry Cole. What he didn’t get to see was Swann streaking beyond CB Mark Washington to gather in the pass that traveled 59 yards in the air as the play ended up covering 64 yards for a touchdown.

Gerela missed the extra point, and so the score stood at 21-10 as the Cowboys got the ball back on their 20 yard line with just under three minutes remaining. Dallas, especially with Staubach at quarterback, had gained a reputation for exciting comebacks, and sought to do it again as they drove quickly downfield. WR Percy Howard caught a 34-yard TD pass to narrow Pittsburgh’s margin to four points.

The Cowboys attempted an onside kick that was recovered by Steelers guard Gerry Mullins at the Dallas 42. Pittsburgh’s offense ran down the clock, and on fourth-and-nine Coach Noll chose not to punt, avoiding a possible block or fumble, and having supreme confidence in his defense. RB Rocky Bleier was held to a two-yard gain and Dallas took over with no time outs remaining. They made it to the Pittsburgh 38, but any possibility of a miracle finish was snuffed out as FS Glen Edwards intercepted Staubach’s pass into the end zone. The final score was 21-17.


Lynn Swann was the game’s MVP, catching 4 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. Terry Bradshaw (pictured at left) completed 9 of 19 passes for 209 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Franco Harris led the running game with 82 yards on 27 carries. Overall, the Steelers outgained the Cowboys 339 yards to 270 and, most importantly, had no turnovers to Dallas’ three.

Roger Staubach completed 15 of his 24 passes for 204 yards, but had three interceptions in addition to two touchdown passes. Robert Newhouse was the team’s leading ground gainer with 16 carries for 56 yards. Preston Pearson caught the most passes, with 5 (for 53 yards), while Drew Pearson was held to just two receptions for a team-leading 59 yards with the one score.

At the time, the game was widely considered to have been the most exciting and intensely played of the Super Bowls to date. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a second consecutive championship; they would go on to win the AFC Central the next four seasons and achieve two more championships in that time span. Dallas also remained a contender, making it to the postseason in each of the next eight years; they would make it back to the Super Bowl twice.

1972: Cowboys Finally Win Title, Defeat Miami in Super Bowl VI

The Dallas Cowboys joined the NFL in 1960 and, under Head Coach Tom Landry, steadily developed into a contending team. By 1966, they were in the postseason and battled the Green Bay Packers fiercely in two losing NFL Championship games. They continued to reach the playoffs, falling farther short before making it to their first Super Bowl appearance after the 1970 season and losing a close contest to the Colts. The Cowboys had outstanding personnel and were well coached, but had yet to win it all.

In 1971, Dallas went 11-3 in winning the NFC East. They had started slowly and were 4-3 at midseason, when Landry finally stopped alternating his two quarterbacks, Craig Morton and Roger Staubach, and handed the job exclusively to Staubach (pictured above). The Cowboys responded by winning their remaining seven games and vaulting past Minnesota and San Francisco to win the conference title. The running game was strong, especially when RB Duane Thomas ended his holdout. The defense was solid and included DT Bob Lilly, linebackers Chuck Howley and Lee Roy Jordan, CB Mel Renfro, and SS Cornell Green.

The team the Cowboys faced in Super Bowl VI was the Miami Dolphins, under Head Coach Don Shula. The Dolphins were in the postseason for the second consecutive year, had won a thrilling Divisional playoff in overtime at Kansas City (see Dec. 25), and then shut out the Colts for the AFC Championship. Bob Griese was developing into an elite quarterback and had an outstanding target to stretch defenses in WR Paul Warfield. FB Larry Csonka and HB Jim Kiick were solid runners, with HB Mercury Morris providing outside speed.

It was a cool, sunny day, and there were 80,591 fans at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans for the game on January 16, 1972. The Dolphins made the first mistake in the opening quarter when Csonka muffed a handoff and fumbled for the first time all season. Howley recovered for the Cowboys near midfield. Dallas proceeded with an 11-play drive that ended with a Mike Clark field goal from 9 yards out and a 3-0 lead.

On the next series, the Cowboys defense made a huge play when Griese, on third-and-nine at his own 38 yard line, couldn’t find an open receiver and began to scramble ever further back, finally being sacked by Lilly for a 29-yard loss. The Cowboys scored their first touchdown after a long second quarter drive of 76 yards in 10 plays, with Staubach passing to WR Lance Alworth for a seven-yard TD.

Miami was able to drive quickly down the field on their next possession and score on a 31-yard Garo Yepremian field goal with four seconds left in the half. The Dallas lead at the intermission was 10-3, but they had clearly dominated play.

The Cowboys essentially put the game away in their first drive of the second half, going 71 yards capped by Thomas running in for a TD from three yards out. It was a clear demonstation of Dallas’ ability to run the football effectively – all but one of the eight plays in the possession were runs, with one of them a 16-yard reverse by WR Bob Hayes.


The Miami offense was stymied in the third quarter, running 10 plays and gaining 13 yards. Early in the fourth quarter, Griese threw a pass at midfield intended for Kiick that was picked off by Howley and returned 41 yards to the Dolphins 9 yard line. TE Mike Ditka (pictured at right) scored on a seven-yard pass from Staubach three plays later.

Miami was able to enter Dallas territory on the following drive, for the only time in the second half, making it to the 16 yard line before Cowboys DE Larry Cole recovered a fumble by Griese to end the threat. Dallas came close to scoring again, controlling the ball for the next 6:40 and driving to the Miami four before RB Calvin Hill fumbled and DT Manny Fernandez recovered for the Dolphins.

Miami went nowhere in the remaining time and the final score stood at a convincing 24-3 win for the Cowboys.

Reflecting the score, the statistics showed conclusively that Dallas had controlled the game. The Cowboys outgained the Dolphins, 352 total yards to 185, with 23 first downs to 10 for Miami. 252 of those yards came on the ground, with Duane Thomas (pictured at bottom) leading the team with 95 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown. FB Walt Garrison also had solid numbers, with 14 rushes for 74 yards. Roger Staubach, the game’s MVP, completed 12 of 19 passes for 119 yards with two TDs and none picked off. Thomas was the leading receiver for the Cowboys, with three catches (for 17 yards) while Mike Ditka and Lance Alworth tied for most receiving yards with 28, each on two catches including a score.

Miami’s strong running game was held to 80 yards; Jim Kiick and Larry Csonka ran for 40 yards apiece. Bob Griese passed 23 times with 12 completions for 134 yards and an interception. Paul Warfield was the leading receiver with 4 catches for 39 yards, but was kept from burning the Cowboys deep throughout the game.

Said Don Shula afterward, “My biggest disappointment was that we never challenged. They completely dominated.”

The Cowboys finally had a championship, but while remaining contenders, lost the next two NFC Championship games. Miami was still on the rise and won the following two Super Bowls, with a particularly memorable season in 1972 (see Jan. 14).