Richard Paolinelli 
“No, Danny, no!” If you were watching the Cowboys play on television on Dec. 11, 1983, as I was, you already know what happened. For those of you that weren’t, here’s the 411. After three straight years of losing in the NFC Championship game, the Cowboys stormed out … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
With the sting of a second-straight NFC Championship game loss still fresh, the Cowboys got even more bad news prior to the start of the 1982 season. Defensive stars Charlie Waters and D.D. Lewis both retired in the off-season. The draft class turned out to be mostly a … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
The Cowboys – coming off the disappointing ending of the previous campaign — reloaded for the 1981 season. They added offensive lineman Howard Richards (1st) and Glenn Titensor (3rd) in the draft and defensive backs Michael Downs and Everson Walls as undrafted free agents. By the time camp … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
With Roger Staubach’s retirement in April, the Danny White Era officially began in Dallas. The biggest question that loomed over the Cowboys: Could he get it done, could he replace the legendary Staubach? Dallas added running backs James Jones (3rd) and Timmy Newsome (6th) along with quarterback Gary … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
As my colleague Shane Taylor reported this week, several NFL players gathered on Zoom. The subject was the declining market for running backs. This meeting was followed in short order by Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley signing a one-year contract for $11 million. A far cry below what … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Despite the disappointing outcome of Super Bowl XIII months before, the Cowboys entered the 1979 season with high hopes. Despite his age (38) Roger Staubach appeared to be at the top of his game. But as the team prepared to play its 20th season there were some issues. … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Dallas began its title defense in the draft with three solid picks – but only managed to keep two of them in the fold. The Cowboys selected defensive end Larry Bethea in the first round, and defensive back Dennis Thurman in the 11th. But the player they let … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Still stinging from the upset loss to the Rams a few weeks earlier, the Cowboys committed grand theft draft pick in May of 1977. The Cowboys sent their first round pick of that draft and three second rounders to Seattle for its second pick in the first round. … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Coming off the tough loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl X in January, the Cowboys went right to work on getting back to the title game. The way Lynn Swann had carved up the secondary put Wyoming defensive back Aaron Kyle on the Cowboys’ radar. He was … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
The Dallas Cowboys wasted little time shaking off the disappointment of the 1974 season. They literally had a monster draft in the spring of 1975. Or, should we say “Manster” draft? With the second pick of the first round via the trade that sent Craig Morton to the … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
The Dallas Cowboys extended their consecutive winning season streak to nine straight in 1974. And that’s about all that was good about the year. Well, that and two of their draft picks that spring. Ed “Too Tall” Jones (1st) and Danny White (3rd) were selected by the Cowboys … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Aside from a lack of drama (Duane Thomas) and injuries (Roger Staubach and Bob Lilly, who played the entire 1972 season injured), 1973 was pretty much a repeat of 1972. The Cowboys did have a monster haul in the draft in 1973 though. Dallas drafted Billy Joe Dupree … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
If the 1971 season could best be described as chaos that led to a championship, then the 1972 season was turmoil that led to disappointment. The Duane Thomas saga continued to spiral downward in the offseason. Thomas had refused to speak to players, coaches, or the media the … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Coming off the stinging loss in Super Bowl V in January, the Dallas Cowboys were hearing one common refrain. The Cowboys can’t win the big game. The loss hung over the team for the entire offseason. Even the fact that a new stadium in Irving was nearing completion … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
Chaos might be the best word to describe the Dallas Cowboys as they began their second decade in the NFL. Starting with their first draft pick in 1970. With the merger of the NFL and AFL to start the 1970 season, the league was split into two conferences. … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
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 … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
As we wait for camp to finally open at the end of this month, we are left to scroll through Cowboys’ Twitter. And the Blue Star Twitteratti never fail to amuse. The two sub factions – the Dak Pack and the Romo-sexuals (that was actually a thing 10 … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
The 1968 season was supposed to be the coronation of the Dallas Cowboys as the new kings of the NFL. The Packers were old and Vince Lombardi had retired. There was no one standing in the way of the Cowboys and that elusive first NFL Championship. A date … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
The 1967 season brought a new team to the NFL – the New Orleans Saints. With 16 teams now in the NFL, two divisions became four. Gone was the West and East divisions. They were replaced the four C’s. The Central, Coastal, Century, and Capitol divisions. The Saints … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
The Cowboys added three more pieces to their long-term success in the 1966 NFL Draft. Offensive guard John Niland was taken in the first round and started four games as a rookie. Defensive tackle Willie Townes was taken in the second round, and moved to defensive end as … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on:
After a half-decade of frustration, the Dallas Cowboys were looking to finally turn the corner in 1965. Armed with a 10-year contract extension, Tom Landry was looking for better days. The 1965 NFL Draft would only yield two players who would make an impact on the team. Dallas … Read more
Written by: Richard Paolinelli
Published on: