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

Cbz40 · 05-15-2005

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 · 05-15-2005

Great story, thanks for the post.

Q_the_man · 05-15-2005

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

**big dog cowboy** · 05-15-2005

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

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

Rocky · 05-15-2005

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 · 05-15-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 05-15-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rayman

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...

calico · 05-15-2005

i would not mind Danny White at all right now.

CoCo · 05-15-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rayman

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 · 05-15-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Makes me wonder how young you are.

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.

Mr Cowboy · 05-15-2005

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 · 05-15-2005

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** · 05-15-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fletch

Makes me wonder how young you are.

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.

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 · 05-15-2005

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 · 05-15-2005

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.