The Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League are a fan-favorite franchise. They have been successful on the field, playing at a consistently high level, since joining the league as an expansion team in 1960. In addition to their great success on the field, “America’s Team” has had the same success off the field and is considered one of the most valuable sports teams in North America. At the heart of the Cowboys’ great success on the field are the people who have contributed to the game. Countless players have given up the single star and blue and white jerseys of the Dallas Cowboys and taken to the field at Texas Stadium. Throughout the franchise’s history, the Dallas Cowboys have had several stars whose skills and accomplishments have contributed to the history of the Dallas Cowboys. In the process, some of them, like Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith, have become legends of the game. One of the most successful teams in National Football League history, the Dallas Cowboys hold numerous league records, thanks to these players and many others over the years. The Cowboys hold the league record for most consecutive winning seasons, 20 total, from 1966 to 1985, as well as the record for most seasons with at least 10 wins (24). In addition, they have been Superbowl champions five times, a record they share with the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The list of team records, plus Dallas Cowboys history, goes on and on. A formidable team with an exceptional past, Cowboys football was particularly successful during the 30-year span from 1966 to 1996 during which the team made the playoffs 24 times, played in 14 NFC Championship games, won 19 division titles and came to the field for 8 Super Bowls, becoming five-time Super Bowl champions. Quarterback Don Meredith was a man who contributed greatly to the early years of the Cowboys’ football success. A student at Southern Methodist University, University Park, Texas, Meredith played college baseball starting at quarterback for three years. He was selected as an All-American in 1958 and 1959 and led the Southwest Conference in completion percentage during his initial three years.
Selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 1960 NFL Draft, Meredith was traded to the new franchise Dallas Cowboys by future draft picks where he spent the first five years as the backup to Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Eddie LeBaron. In 1965, legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry named Meredith the team’s starting quarterback. That same year “Dandy Don” Meredith led the Cowboys to the NFL Playoffs. For the next four years, Meredith would continue to lead his team to the playoffs with his toughness and determination. He was named to the Pro Bowl twice during his career and in 1966 he was named NFL Player of the Year. Unexpectedly, Don Meredith retired from professional football in 1969. Meredith is fondly remembered by Cowboys fans and in 1976 was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium along with fellow Cowboy running back Don Perkins.
After his football career, Meredith turned to television, where he worked as a color commentator for ABC’s Monday Night Football. After a three-year departure to work at NBC, he returned to ABC Monday Night Football, where he worked as a color commentator, along with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford, until 1984. Meredith was known for his light-hearted, laid-back comments about the game. game.
In his five years as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Don Meredith left a mark on the team and the game. Thanks to many outstanding stars, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys have been an exceptional team through the years. Don Meredith, who played at the beginning of those years, is fondly remembered by Cowboys fans and is an integral part of Dallas Cowboys history.
