Correction: Jimmy Johnson was the third coach of the Dallas Cowboys

[Cbz40]

The Dallas Morning News

Editor's note: This article originally ran in Sports Day on March 12, 1989, in a special section honoring Tom Landry.

1976-1988: DANNY WHITE

Tom Landry gave it to him during a nationally televised Monday night game with the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim in December 1987 after Cowboys security director Larry Wansley gave Landry an urgent message.
Tom Landry's composure impressed Cowboys quarterback Danny White (11).
"He handed me the game plan and said, 'Take over,'" White said. "Then he went in the locker room with Larry."

White had been standing beside Landry on the sideline relaying plays after yielding the starting quarterback's job to Steve Pelluer, caused partially by White's slow recovery from a broken right wrist suffered the previous season. Suddenly, he was in charge but didn't know why.

"When he came back, I handed him the game plan and said, 'Coach, what's going on?' He pulled me aside and said, 'The police have received a threat on my life. There's supposed to be a sniper in the stands. They wanted me to stay in the locker room, but I persuaded them to let me wear a bullet-proof vest and come back out.'"

White gulped. He saw that Landry was dead serious.

"'Don't stand too close to me,' he said. Then he turned back to the field and started watching the game. When he turned to give me the next play, I was about five yards down the sideline," White said. "I kind of waved to him and said, 'Coach, you're going to have to speak up.' Nobody else was near him either because the word travelled fast.

"He grinned, and I did, too. Then I walked back over to him. 'Coach,' I said, 'you don't have to tell me not to stand close to you. The way this season has gone for me, that sucker's drunk and he's gonna shoot and miss you and hit me.' He chuckled, and we got back to the game."

It worked out fine. No one fired at Landry, the Cowboys won, 29-21, and everyone flew home happy and relieved.

White said he will always marvel at Landry's calm that night.

"If it had been my life that was threatened and I was standing out there in front of 60,000 fruitcakes, knowing someone might have the crosshairs on me, I don't know what I would have done. But it didn't seem to faze him. He went right on calling plays and running the game like there was nothing to it."

Correction: Jimmy Johnson is the third coach the Dallas Cowboys have had. Danny White once had the job for 10 minutes.

[MissionCoach]

Great story, thanks for the post.

[Q_the_man]

So did White recieve an extra check for coaching that game....

[big dog cowboy]

Great story. Just another reason for me not to like White.

Not to start a huge debate but IMHO Danny White = glorified punter.

[Rocky]

I'm much, much too young to remember this event, but for some reason, it sorta rings a bell.

I guess it was at this moment in time when Danny knew he was destined for coaching stardom.

[Rayman]

Great story. Just another reason for me not to like White.

Not to start a huge debate but IMHO Danny White = glorified punter.

I couldn't disagree more. I believe that he was one of the most underated QB's ever.

It isn't easy to replace a guy like Staubach. Danny was the one who got all the blame but the team aged and the drafts went to crap. He easily played well enough to get them to the Super Bowl at least once. He wasn't the one that let Montana run around for 5 minutes and throw up that prayer.

[Irvinite]

I couldn't disagree more. I believe that he was one of the most underated QB's ever.

It isn't easy to replace a guy like Staubach. Danny was the one who got all the blame but the team aged and the drafts went to crap. He easily played well enough to get them to the Super Bowl at least once. He wasn't the one that let Montana run around for 5 minutes and throw up that prayer.

I agree...He's my number 3 alltime... :D

[calico]

i would not mind Danny White at all right now.

[CoCo]

I couldn't disagree more. I believe that he was one of the most underated QB's ever.

It isn't easy to replace a guy like Staubach. Danny was the one who got all the blame but the team aged and the drafts went to crap. He easily played well enough to get them to the Super Bowl at least once. He wasn't the one that let Montana run around for 5 minutes and throw up that prayer.

Totally agree.

It also wouldn't be easy watching some of your teammates turn on you in their attempt (and they finally succeeded) to get your backup elevated. Then you get to come back in to pick up the pieces when the grand scheme fails. I know that jobs are won & lost in the NFL all the time but that episode, because of some of the non-discreet player campaigning was different. Its the reason Ron Springs & Tony Hill are NOT among my favorite players - but White definitely is. I'd love to see him with the organization in some capacity.

[Fletch]

Great story. Just another reason for me not to like White.

Not to start a huge debate but IMHO Danny White = glorified punter.

Makes me wonder how young you are. :rolleyes: Danny White was a pretty damn good QB for the Cowboys who knew how to win and who happened to punt part time as well.

:clubbed:

[Mr Cowboy]

I was at that game.......what a crazy place that was that night. The NFL should go back and revisit their urge to bring a team back to Los Angeles. The crowds at games consists of rival gangs. I've nere seen more fighting than I saw at that game.

[notherbob]

Danny White was an excellent QB and was such a good athlete he could punt and had a real knack for finding the coffin corner. By the time he became starting QB, the Boys had been drafting bottom of the round for years and had lost their scouting edge and the team was slowly leveling out and losing ground to the competition. He did the best he could with what he had to work with and has little or nothing to apologize for.

[big dog cowboy]

Makes me wonder how young you are. :rolleyes: Danny White was a pretty damn good QB for the Cowboys who knew how to win and who happened to punt part time as well.

:clubbed:
I'm much older than you. I am actually 46. Look, the bottom line is that he helped put Staubach in retirement. And he also lost 3 NFC championship games in a row. Beyond that, he could have won "the catch" game if he wouldn't have choked and we now have that in our face for all these years. He was overrated as a QB. At least McNabb took his team to the super bowl. White never did that. Damn good QB? Not really. Knew how to win? Not the big one. He was a punter FIRST and a QB second.

[Chief]

Danny was the type of quarterback who usually had a pretty good passer rating, but rarely made the game-changing plays. He had the big playoff game vs. Atlanta, but came up short in so many other big games. He also had a knack for completing a 9-yard pass on third-and-10.

I realize following Staubach must have been very difficult. While Roger inspired confidence, I don't think White's teammates had that much in him.

He certainly wasn't bad, especially when you consider the group Dallas has had under center in the past 5 years.

But the standards are a little different in Dallas. He wasn't quite good enough. Simple as that.

[Tobal]

White was one of my favorite players if you remember he was tearing the league apart before he got hurt. The boys were avg over 30 points a game.

[Hostile]

White was one of my favorite players if you remember he was tearing the league apart before he got hurt. The boys were avg over 30 points a game.He really was a phenomenal athlete. I always felt like he was sorta jinxed.

He was really loved as the Head Coach of the Arizona Rattlers Arena Legue team. He got fired and that team went from contender to door mat.

He and his father are both in the Arizona State College Hall of Fame. His father was a brilliant Judge.

Truly a very underrated man.

[xpistofer]

Hello all, I am so busy, I hardly get to post anymore (I read here everyday though ;) ), but I had to respond to the stunning claim that Danny was a 'glorified punter'.

Danny was efficient, heady, cool, and protected the ball.

He helped carry the Cowboys to 3 straight NFC games, and if not for (1)shoddy defense and (2)injury, we very well could have been the team of the 80's. Danny was a great leader who unfortunately lost the team when he played with the scabs during the strike season (I thought it was awesome that he did...), and that cost the Cowboys about 5 productive years in the mid 80's - I actually place that at Landry's feet though - he kept playing musical QB's (one of the few mistakes Landry ever made).

Danny was the third best Cowboy QB ever, and a top 30 in NFL history.

[big dog cowboy]

Danny was the third best Cowboy QB ever, and a top 30 in NFL history.
:lmao2:

[Crown Royal]

Danny was the type of quarterback who usually had a pretty good passer rating, but rarely made the game-changing plays. He had the big playoff game vs. Atlanta, but came up short in so many other big games. He also had a knack for completing a 9-yard pass on third-and-10.

Hmmmm....where have I heard this before.......? Hmmmm...












http://sportsmed.starwave.com/media/pg2/2002/0813/photo/bledsoe.jpg

[Scotman]

I couldn't disagree more. I believe that he was one of the most underated QB's ever.

It isn't easy to replace a guy like Staubach. Danny was the one who got all the blame but the team aged and the drafts went to crap. He easily played well enough to get them to the Super Bowl at least once. He wasn't the one that let Montana run around for 5 minutes and throw up that prayer.

I watched neaerly every game White played. The only way he hurt us was to keep the Boys from losing more games and getting higher picks in the draft. He's a WHOLE lot better than anything on our team today.

[xpistofer]

:lmao2:

You make amazing arguments supporting your viewpoint.

How can I question this expert reasoning...

I repent in dust and ashes. You're right Danny sucked.
:rolleyes:

[MissionCoach]

Danny White was a very good NFL QB, and a 1 time Pro Bowler that really never got the credit he deserved. He had to deal with some unfortunate events, like following Roger Staubach, that D A M N Catch, poor blocking in the 83 Conference Game (White was knocked out with a concussion) also he had to deal with 2 strikes in 82 and 87. If I recall, White was looking very good in the 86 season, but broke his wrist.

While backing up Staubach, White was a great weapon as a punter, a dual threat, the opposition had to be ready for everything.

White was a team player, a good character guy....wore the Star proud. I wouldn't mind having a QB of White's caliber playing behind Center now.

[ABQCOWBOY]

White was a good QB that could never be succesful in Dallas. He followed Roger and it wouldn't have really mattered what he did. It would not be enough. White was Young before Young, although, probably not as good. Tough to really say with the wrist injury. Having said that, White did come up short when it counted. Very consistant on a regular basis but he would definatly flat line when all the pressure was on. Looking back, it's difficult to know if it was a matter of perception or not. After all, I was used to watching Staubach. Compared to that guy, Almost anybody would pale. Danny had opportunities to be great but he never seemed to get it done. As I think back, it occurs to me that White was actually better then many QBs I see in the same circumstances today. He played better and handled pressure better but he wasn't Roger. He wasn't elite. I think he was a great deal better then many give him credit for but he was not a great QB. I will say that I personally will never forgive the "No Danny - No" play. I watched that and hated it but what can you do?

[WV Cowboy]

Great story. Just another reason for me not to like White.

Not to start a huge debate but IMHO Danny White = glorified punter.

When we go on vacation to the beach, it usually takes around 6 1/2 to 7 hrs to get there.

When my boys were little, they would ask after about an hour of driving, "are we there yet?"

Their comment would always remind me of what they knew about the entire situation.

That question/comment revealed to me that they knew nothing about the situation.

Your comment that DW was a glorified punter reminds of the same thing.

[CalMor]

You make amazing arguments supporting your viewpoint.

How can I question this expert reasoning...

I repent in dust and ashes. You're right Danny sucked.
:rolleyes:

See, Big Dog thinks he was #3. He's been hang'in with QC.

[Cbz40]

Danny was a fine QB that fell short of gettin us to where we wanted to be....SB Champions.

Whether it was his misfortune of following Staubach, which affected his psyche, or just a run of bad luck, or maybe a shortage of talented players around him, or a simple lack of talent himself will be questions debated everytime Danny Whites' name is mentioned.

Danny White and Don Meredith will always be remembered as very fine QBs that could not get us to the big dance. Yet both of them won alot of games for us.


I would take either one of them as our QB right now.

[Everlastingxxx]

"Oh, he's just another Danny White."

Growing up that's what my dad would say when referring to a QB that choked in the final minutes. I actually remember the other two QBs more than Danny White, (Hugaboom and Pueller). When those guys came in throwing bombs, i would get excited.

I sure hope Bledsoe and Henson arn't "just another Danny White."

[poke]

man i can only hope that bledsoe, henson or romo is "just another Danny White " . i promise you Danny wasnt the reason we didnt win super bowls in the 80's. if any of the guys we have play like he did we are in for a fine season.