This Day in Cowboys History

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by fgoodwin

Trivia: During his early career with the Cowboys, Manders battled Mike Connelly for the starting center job; Connelly had an interesting way of making weight during training camp -- what was it?

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/colum...owboy-9552.ece


Interesting character. Never really heard of him, this Connelly fellow. Manders? sure.

So...I had to look this one up.

Back when he played for the Cowboys, of course, the linebacker-turned-center was infamous for showing up at the spring training weigh-ins with 5-pound dumbbells stuffed in his shorts.

"Tom wanted me to weigh 250 pounds," Connelly said, chuckling as he recalled his stunt. "I usually weighed about 240 to 245 - that's where I felt most comfortable. So what I would do is, I would put my jock on and I'd put that cold weight in there, and I'd walk up like I was scratching."
It worked, too. "They never caught me," he said. "I always got away with it."






...and interesting that his final official game as a Cowboy was the Ice Bowl...because that is the first game I remember ever seeing and became a Cowboys fan!

[fgoodwin]

Correct!

[fgoodwin]

Feb 21 - Re-signed: Randy White to 4-year contract; Hired: Mike Woicik as strength coach (1990); Media: although not pictured on the cover, today's issue of SI featured a tribute to Tom Landry (2000); Franchised: Ken Hamlin (2008);

Birthdays: Chad Hutchinson (QB: 2002-03, b. 1977), Chuck McSwain (RB: 1983-84, b. 1961), Donald Smith (DB: 1991, b. 1968), Glen Titensor (G: 1981-88, b. 1958); Deaths: Ben Fricke (2011)

Trivia: (1) Chad Hutchinson set a Cowboy record by opening his NFL career tossing how many consecutive pass attempts before he threw an interception?

(2) What did Ben Fricke do for relaxation when he was a player at UH? (3) How did he relate his avocation to a possible future vocation?

[honyock]

Originally Posted by fgoodwin

Feb 21 - Re-signed: Randy White to 4-year contract; Hired: Mike Woicik as strength coach (1990); Media: although not pictured on the cover, today's issue of SI featured a tribute to Tom Landry (2000); Franchised: Ken Hamlin (2008);

Birthdays: Chad Hutchinson (QB: 2002-03, b. 1977), Chuck McSwain (RB: 1983-84, b. 1961), Donald Smith (DB: 1991, b. 1968), Glen Titensor (G: 1981-88, b. 1958); Deaths: Ben Fricke (2011)

Trivia: (1) Chad Hutchinson set a Cowboy record by opening his NFL career tossing how many consecutive pass attempts before he threw an interception?

(2) What did Ben Fricke do for relaxation when he was a player at UH? (3) How did he relate his avocation to a possible future vocation?

(2) and (3) Fricke flew airplanes in his free time. He wanted to coach, and wanted to own his own plane so he could fly it out to see recruits.

[fgoodwin]

Originally Posted by honyock

(2) and (3) Fricke flew airplanes in his free time. He wanted to coach, and wanted to own his own plane so he could fly it out to see recruits.

Correct. So sad to lose him so young.

[fgoodwin]

Feb 22 - Announced retirement: Neill Armstrong (1990); Hired: Joe Avezzano as special teams coach (1990); Lost in free agency: Kavika Pittman to Broncos (2000); Released: Marcellus Wiley & Gennaro DiNapoli (2005);

DCC: 2010 swimsuit calendar shoot begins (2009); Birthdays: Tommy Agee (RB: 1990-94, b. 1964), Cornell Burbage (WR: 1987-89, b. 1965), Jeff Ogden (WR: 1998-99, b. 1975), Carlos Polk (LB: 2008, b. 1977)

Trivia: (1) Armstrong preceded another Landry assistant as head coach of this team; what was the team and who was the other assistant?

(2) Where did the DCC shoot their 2010 swimsuit calendar?

[fgoodwin]

Feb 23 - Signed: Everett McIver (1998), Drew Bledsoe (2005), Zach Thomas (2008); Birthdays: Ed "Too Tall" Jones (DE: 1974-78, 1980-89; b. 1951), Paul McDonald (QB: 1986, b. 1958), Jackie Smith (TE: 1978, HOF 1994, b. 1940)

Trivia: (1) Jones was obtained with a draft pick from the Oilers -- who did the Cowboys give up in exchange for the draft pick?

(2) McIver is best remembered for what training camp incident involving a future HOFer?

[fgoodwin]

Feb 24 - Re-signed: Ben Noll (2005); Birthdays: Ryan Hannam (TE: 2006, b. 1980), Tim Hendrix (TE: 1987, b. 1965), Bob Long (LB: 1962, b. 1934), Caleb McSurdy (LB: 2012, b. 1990), Charlie Peprah (DB: 2012, b. 1983), Randy Shannon (LB: 1989-90, b. 1966)

Trivia: In 1989 Randy Shannon was the first Cowboy rookie to do this since Dave Edwards in 1963 -- what was it?

[fgoodwin]

Feb 25 - Ownership change: Jerry Jones purchases the Cowboys and fires Tom Landry (1989); Birthdays: Joe Bowden (LB: 2000, b. 1970), Otto Stowe (WR: 1973, b. 1949)

Trivia: This date (2-25-89) in Cowboys history has come to be known as what? Why is it called that?

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by fgoodwin

Trivia: (1) Jones was obtained with a draft pick from the Oilers -- who did the Cowboys give up in exchange for the draft pick?

(2) McIver is best remembered for what training camp incident involving a future HOFer?

For (2), scissor-gate, the little incident with scissors and blood and one Michael Irvin...

[fgoodwin]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

For (2), scissor-gate, the little incident with scissors and blood and one Michael Irvin...

Correct on Scissor-gate. The Cowboys traded Tody Smith and Billy Parks to Houston in exchange for the draft pick that eventually netted Jones.

[fgoodwin]

Feb 27 - Re-signed: Darren Woodson (2002); Hired: Gary Gibbs as LB coach (2002); Released: Emmitt Smith (2003); College Football: CBAA votes to move Cotton Bowl Game to Cowboys Stadium (2007);

Birthdays: Raymond Berry (WR coach: 1968-69, b. 1933, HOF 1973), Bernard Ford (WR: 1989, b. 1966), Solomon Page (OL: 1999-02, b. 1976), Jim Ray Smith (G: 1963-64, b. 1950)

Trivia: (1) With Smith's departure who was the only Cowboy player remaining that played on the the '92, '93, and '95 championship teams?

(2) Who replaced Emmitt as the Cowboys starting RB?

(3) How many yards, carries and TDs did Emmitt's replacement have in 2003?

[Diogenes]

Originally Posted by fgoodwin

Feb 27 - Re-signed: Darren Woodson (2002); Hired: Gary Gibbs as LB coach (2002); Released: Emmitt Smith (2003); College Football: CBAA votes to move Cotton Bowl Game to Cowboys Stadium (2007);

Birthdays: Raymond Berry (WR coach: 1968-69, b. 1933, HOF 1973), Bernard Ford (WR: 1989, b. 1966), Solomon Page (OL: 1999-02, b. 1976), Jim Ray Smith (G: 1963-64, b. 1950)

Trivia: (1) With Smith's departure who was the only Cowboy player remaining that played on the the '92, '93, and '95 championship teams?

(2) Who replaced Emmitt as the Cowboys starting RB?

(3) How many yards, carries and TDs did Emmitt's replacement have in 2003?

1) Darren Woodson
2) Troy Hambrick

[fgoodwin]

Originally Posted by Diogenes

1) Darren Woodson
2) Troy Hambrick

Correct!

[fgoodwin]

Feb 28 - Free agency: Eric Bjornson lost to Patriots (2000), Bryan McCann designated as exclusive rights free agent (2011); Released: Mark Stepnoski, George Teague & Jackie Harris (2002), Oliver Hoyte (2008); Acquired: Terry Glenn from Packers (2003), Jon Kitna from Lions (2009), Keith Brooking (2009);

Re-signed: Mat McBriar to five-year contract (2007), Flozell Adams to six-year contract (2008); Medical: Everson Walls donates a kidney to Ron Springs (2007); Media: ESPN signs Bill Parcells to be a studio analyst (2007); Birthdays: Todd Haley (Receivers coach: 2004-05, b. 1967)

Trivia: Bryan McCann's short stay with the Cowboy was noteworthy for two plays -- what were they?

===============

Feb 29 - Traded: Jason Ferguson to Miami (2008); Birthdays: Darian Barnes (FB: 2004, b. 1980), John Niland (G: 1966-74, b. 1944); Deaths: Buddy Dial (2008)

Trivia: Niland had two nicknames; what were they and why was he called by those names?