Dallas Cowboys 101...1960 - Dallas Cowboys Forum

Hostile · 06-08-2007

Row 1

Clint Houy, Trainer
81 Bill Howton, WR
22 Bill Butler, S
32 Tom Franckhause, CB
34 Fred Doelling, S
14 Eddie LeBaron, QB
24 Jim Mooty, CB
45 L. G. Dupre, HB
Jack Eskridge, Equipment Manager

Row 2

61 Duane Putnam, G
86 Dave Sherer, P
67 John Houser, C/G
44 Don Bishop, CB
42 Don McIlheney, RB
83 Jim Doran, WR, Pro Bowl
50 Jerry Tubbs, LB
88 Fred Dugan, WR
63 Mike Falls, G
20 Bob Bercich, S
30 Mike Dowdle, RB/LB
11 Don Heinrich, QB
85 Gene Cronin, LB

Row 3

87 Nate Borden, DE
17 Don Meredith, QB
75 Bob Fry, T
56 Jack Patera, LB
82 Frank Clarke, TE/WR
36 Dick Bielski, TE
72 Bill Herchman, DT
41 Fred Cone, K
45 Ray Mathews, WR
79 Dick Klein, T
23 Woodley Lewis, WR
51 Tom Braatz, LB

Row 4

52 Wayne Hansen, LB
73 Ray Fisher, T
62 Don Healey, DT
71 Paul Dickson, T
77 Bryon Bradfute, T
35 Walt Kowalczyk, RB
84 Gary Wisener, WR
33 Gene Babb, LB/RB
54 Mike Connelly, C
60 Buzz Guy, G
65 Ed Husmann, DT
76 John Gonzaga, DE

On December 27, 1959 Clint Murchison and Bedford Wynne hired Tom Landry to be the Head Coach of an NFL franchise that didn't even exist yet. Just over one month later on January 28, 1960 the Dallas Cowboys joined the NFL. Joining Tom Landry in the task of building an NFL team were Gil Brandt as scouting director and Tex Schramm as General Manager.

On March 13, 1960 the existing 12 NFL Teams were allowed to freeze 25 players on their roster. The Cowboys would select 3 players from each team to make up 36 of their original squad. The Cowboys were given 24 hours to choose their squad and in 1960 they were not permitted to draft players as the other 12 teams could. The Chicago Bears drafted Don Meredith in the 3rd round in 1960 and traded his rights to the Cowboys for future draft picks. The remainder of the team was up to Landry, Schramm, and Brandt to create however they could. The squad above is the original Dallas Cowboys.

Head Coach...Tom Landry
Hall of Fame...8/4/90
Ring of Honor...11/7/93

General Manager...Tex Schramm
Hall of Fame...7/27/91
Ring of Honor...10/12/03

Don Meredith
Ring of Honor...11/7/76
3 time Pro Bowl...1966-68

Dick Bielski
1 time Pro Bowl...1961

Don Bishop
1 time Pro Bowl...1962

Jim Doran
1 time Pro Bowl...1960

Eddie LeBaron
1 time Pro Bowl...1962

Jerry Tubbs
1 time Pro Bowl...1962
1 time All Pro...1962

Frank Clarke
1 time All Pro...1964

1960 Cowboys Schedule

0-11-1

9/24/60...Lost vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-35
9/30/60...Lost vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 25-27
10/9/60...Lost @ Washington Redskins, 14-26
10/16/60...Lost vs. Cleveland Browns, 7-48
10/23/60...Lost @ St. Louis Cardinals, 10-12
10/30/60...Lost vs. Baltimore Colts, 7-45
11/6/60...Lost vs. Los Angles Rams, 13-38
11/13/60...Lost @ Green Bay Packers, 7-41
11/20/60...Lost vs. San Francisco 49ers, 14-26
11/27/60...Lost @ Chicago Bears, 7-17
12/4/60...Tie @ New York Giants, 31-31
12/11/60...Lost @ Detroit Lions, 14-23

0-6 @ Dallas
0-5-1 on the road

Points scored...177, 14.8 ppg
Points allowed...369, 30.8 ppg

1960 Cowboys Stats

Hostile · 06-08-2007

My favorite story about the birth of the Cowboys involves the Washington Redskins. At the time the Cowboys were seeking a franchise there were 12 teams in the NFL and the Redskins held a monopoly of sorts on the South. George Preston Marshall was opposed to any team being added who might take some of that fan base away. He was also going through a messy divorce.

In the divorce his wife got the rights to the Redskins fight song, "Hail to the Redskins." Marshall loved that song. Clint Murchison Jr. went to Marshall's ex-wife and secured the rights to that song. Think of it, at one time the Dallas Cowboys owned the Redskins fight song. Now we just own them.

So Murchison bought G. P. Marshall's yes vote for adding the Cowboys to the NFL by holding his beloved fight song hostage. Classic.

That first year in the NFL the Cowboys lost a million dollars in revenue. Clint Murchison Jr., the heir of the largest oil fortune in Texas at that time was worth $140 million. His father, Clint Sr., had been opposed to his football interests but had a deadpan response about the lost revenue when a reporter asked him about it. "At this rate he'll be broke in 140 years."

Probably the best line about the ineptness of the 1960 Cowboys came from Walt Garrison. He said that the 1960 NFL Bloopers video and the Cowboys season video were one and the same, that NFL Films just switched the labels.

When I look at the list of honored players above it just reminds me of how brilliant Tom Landry really was about football. He took the scraps of the other 12 NFL teams and still molded players from that initial team into Pro Bowlers and All Pros.

bbgun · 06-08-2007

Quote:

Points allowed...369, 30.8 ppg

I think we equaled that last December.

Yeagermeister · 06-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hostile

My favorite story about the birth of the Cowboys involves the Washington Redskins. At the time the Cowboys were seeking a franchise there were 12 teams in the NFL and the Redskins held a monopoly of sorts on the South. George Preston Marshall was opposed to any team being added who might take some of that fan base away. He was also going through a messy divorce.

In the divorce his wife got the rights to the Redskins fight song, "Hail to the Redskins." Marshall loved that song. Clint Murchison Jr. went to Marshall's ex-wife and secured the rights to that song. Think of it, at one time the Dallas Cowboys owned the Redskins fight song. Now we just own them.

So Murchison bought G. P. Marshall's yes vote for adding the Cowboys to the NFL by holding his beloved fight song hostage. Classic.

[View Full Quote]

I love that Hail to the Redskins story.

superpunk · 06-08-2007

I always wonder why we never see the 1960 Cowboys on any "Worst Team Ever" Lists.

They always focus on the Tigers, the Bucs, etc. I dont remember ever seeing the Cowboys.

Cbz40 · 06-08-2007

A Little Side Note: [FONT=&quot]The team was first known as the Dallas Steers, The Rangers, before we became the Dallas Cowboys.
[/FONT]

Hostile · 06-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cbz40

A Little Side Note: [FONT=&quot]The team was first known as the Dallas Steers, The Rangers, before we became the Dallas Cowboys.[/FONT]

I knew about Rangers, I did not know about steers. When did it change and why?

Thank goodness it did.

Cbz40 · 06-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hostile

I knew about Rangers, I did not know about steers. When did it change and why?

Thank goodness it did.

Exactly why they changed it..I have no idea. I agree Thank God they did.

There was a discussion not to long ago on this topic.....I'll try to find it.

Yeagermeister · 06-08-2007

Probably because the old there are only two things that come from Texas joke

Buenos Tardes Pops

Cbz40 · 06-08-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yeagermeister

Probably because the old there are only two things that come from Texas joke

Buenos Tardes Pops

Afternoon Yeag.

SA_Gunslinger · 06-10-2007

cool way to pass the time until san antonio!!!

fgoodwin · 03-26-2008

Much is made of the fact that the Cowboys were awarded a franchise after the college draft, and that the 1960 Cowboys were the only expansion team ever fielded without the benefit of a college draft.

Its worth noting that, even though the Cowboys missed the ‘59 college draft (for the ‘60 season), Dallas actually had five players in the ‘60 College All-Star Game. Only two teams had more (Rams & Cards with six each); and the Browns also had five.

Cowboys in the ‘60 College All-Star game: QB Don Meredith from SMU; FB Don Perkins from NM (injured during practice and did not play); RB Jim Mooty from Arkansas (injured during practice and did not play; T Paul Rochester from Michigan State; and RB Fred Doelling from Penn.

The Bears, Eagles, Giants & Lions sent four; the Niners, Colts and Redskins sent two; the Packers sent one.

For a team w/o a college draft, I’d say the Cowboys did pretty well signing free agents (Meredith and Perkins were originally signed to personal services agreements, then later drafted on behalf of the Cowboys in exchange for future draft picks).

For the record: the NFL champion Colts pounded the collegians, 32-7.

bbgun · 09-12-2008

Some artifacts from the early years.

fgoodwin · 09-13-2008

Wow -- those are cool -- thanx for posting.

bbgun · 12-03-2008