The last year of the 1960s marked the 10th season of NFL football in Dallas. For followers of the Cowboys it must have seemed like a full year of instant replay.
As they had in 1968, the Cowboys came into the season with high expectations. They jumped out to a 6-0 start and finished with a multiple-game winning streak.
But once again they fell short in the playoffs. And instead of the Packers, they suddenly couldn’t beat the Cleveland Browns.
Still, there were two new arrivals in Dallas that would be key to their success in the 1970s. The Cowboys drafted running Back Calvin Hill out of Yale in the first round that spring.
Roger Staubach, a 1964 draft pick, had finished his Naval service and arrived in camp in August. Both players would show signs of future success in 1969.
The Rookies Get To Work
Craig Morton was scratched as a starter for the season-opener at home against the Cardinals. That put rookie quarterback Staubach in.
He wasted little time making his mark. Staubach connected with Lance Rentzel on a 75-yard pass for a quick 7-0 lead.
Hill made it an all-rookie parade, hitting Rentzel on a 53-yard halfback option pass in the third quarter. Staubach rushed for a final score to give Dallas a 24-3 victory.
While Staubach was relegated back to the bench the following week, Hill had 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-17 win at New Orleans.
Dallas would get two more road wins – 38-7 at Philadelphia and 24-17 at Atlanta – before returning home to trounce the Eagles 49-14.
Hill would throw his second touchdown pass of the year – a 40-yard bomb to Bob Hayes – in a 25-3 win over the Giants.
For the second straight year, the Cowboys were 6-0 and on track for an NFL championship. Or so it seemed.
Mid-Season Woes Continue
A rematch in Cleveland against the Browns loomed in Week 7. Cleveland jumped out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back in a 42-10 victory.
Dallas rebounded with a 33-17 home win against the Saints and a 41-28 win at the Redskins. But Roman Gabriel and the Rams edged Dallas 24-23 in Los Angeles to drop Dallas to 8-2.
The Cowboys would host the 49ers and head coach Dick Nolan – a former player and assistant coach under Tom Landry – in the 11th game of the year.
Morton would throw three interceptions but his 19-yard pass to Rentzel would allow Dallas to escape with a 24-24 tie. The Cowboys haven’t ended a game in a tie since.
Of the 26 teams that existed before the NFL-AFL merger, the Patriots are the only other team that have never had a tie game since the merger.
Another Strong Finish
The Cowboys played down to the lowly Steelers in Pittsburgh but still escaped with a 10-7 win. They closed out the year with two home wins against the Colts (27-10) and Redskins (20-10).
At 11-2-1, Dallas again headed into the playoffs favored to play for the NFL title and a berth into the final Super Bowl before the leagues merged.
Waiting for them was their new nemesis, the Browns. Only this time, the rotation system put the game in Dallas.
Not Again!
This time was going to be different. The game was at the Cotton Bowl. Dallas was the better team.
Only problem was, Morton decided to reenact Don Meredith’s last game and threw three interceptions. The last an 88-yard pick six in the fourth quarter.
The Browns scored the first 24 points and buried the Cowboys 38-14. For the second straight year, Dallas was bounced out short of the championship game.
The team didn’t even bother to show up in what turned out to be the final Playoff Bowl game, getting blown out 31-0 by the Rams.
The 1960s had ended with the Cowboys having a combined regular-season record of 67-65-6. Despite four-straight divisional titles, their playoff record was a dismal 1-4.
