Some little known fun facts in Cowboys history

[DallasEast]

I kind of get why Eagle fans come to our board but what is a Pats fan doing here? Not attacking, just wondering.

Good question.

 

[morat1959]

I kind of get why Eagle fans come to our board but what is a Pats fan doing here? Not attacking, just wondering.

I can guarantee it’s not envy.

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

I can guarantee it’s not envy.

Ouch, I wish I could disagree. Just weird to me because it's not like the Cowboys and Patriots are rivals. I guess the Cowboys are interesting, even with the lack of ultimate success in the last 20+ years. Always something happening with this team.

 

[morat1959]

Ouch, I wish I could disagree. Just weird to me because it's not like the Cowboys and Patriots are rivals. I guess the Cowboys are interesting, even with the lack of ultimate success in the last 20+ years. Always something happening with this team.

A lot of teams and fans envy us but there are a handful with a great history who’ve earned the right to talk smack.

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

A lot of teams and fans envy us but there are a handful with a great history who’ve earned the right to talk smack.

No doubt and there is no denying other team's success. I miss the days of this franchise actually being the front runner.

 

[irishline]

As mentioned above Dallas being a true expansion team in 1960 in the NFL. How many know how that came about?

The Commanders owner did not vote for Dallas to get a team. He did not want a team in Dallas.
So in order to get that vote, Clint Murchinson, obtained the rights to the Commanders bands theme song. And said they were not allowed to play it.
So they made a trade, he gave the song rights to the Commanders, and he voted as the final vote to give Dallas the franchise.

Murchinson tried to buy the Commanders in 1958. Yes then the team would have been the Dallas Commanders. The Commanders owner George Marshall changed the terms of the deal at the last second. This angered Murchinson and the deal fell through. One of the reasons Marshall didn't want the Cowboys in the NFL two years later was because of this. Muchinson bought the rights to Hail to the Commanders for $2,500 to (as you said) secure the vote for the expansion team.

Also, on top of the Dallas Cowboys almost being called the Commanders instead (if the purchase went through in 1958) they were almost called the Dallas Steers and the Dallas Rangers.

Dallas Commanders? Yes, that almost happened

https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/9/...lmost-happened-cowboys-washington-nfl-history

 

[Crazed Liotta Eyes]

Murchinson tried to buy the Commanders in 1958. Yes then the team would have been the Dallas Commanders. The Commanders owner George Marshall changed the terms of the deal at the last second. This angered Murchinson and the deal fell through. One of the reasons Marshall didn't want the Cowboys in the NFL two years later was because of this. Muchinson bought the rights to Hail to the Commanders for $2,500 to (as you said) secure the vote for the expansion team.

Also, on top of the Dallas Cowboys almost being called the Commanders instead (if the purchase went through in 1958) they were almost called the Dallas Steers and the Dallas Rangers.

Dallas Commanders? Yes, that almost happened

https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/9/...lmost-happened-cowboys-washington-nfl-history

Wow! I'm learning a lot in this thread!

 

[jazzcat22]

Wow! I'm learning a lot in this thread!

I can't remember it off the top of my head. But I think it was Bob Lilly one time put a funeral wreath in the Washington locker room after the knock them out of playoff contention or something like that.

Also someone, I believe it was Murchinson had plan to release chickens onto the Washington field before a game or at halftime, but it never came about. But another time, they released a white chicken onto the field. I forget the reasoning behind it though. The story below tells it.
Can you imagine if Jerry did this.

this is a pretty long article, but it gives some info on the fight song thing, but the white chickens story is over halfway down.
https://www.thefootballeducator.com/dallas-cowboys-vs-washington-Commanders-just-brings-hate/

I will look for the Wreath story.

Edit...it was Harvey Martin that did the death, still looking for a good article on it.

 

[jazzcat22]

An article with a few stories about the Dallas - Washington rivalry. Including the chickens and the wreath.


http://www.espn.com/blog/washington...ys-rivalry-fueled-by-more-than-just-the-games

 

[Bobhaze]

I can't remember it off the top of my head. But I think it was Bob Lilly one time put a funeral wreath in the Washington locker room after the knock them out of playoff contention or something like that.

Also someone, I believe it was Murchinson had plan to release chickens onto the Washington field before a game or at halftime, but it never came about. But another time, they released a white chicken onto the field. I forget the reasoning behind it though. The story below tells it.
Can you imagine if Jerry did this.

this is a pretty long article, but it gives some info on the fight song thing, but the white chickens story is over halfway down.
https://www.thefootballeducator.com/dallas-cowboys-vs-washington-Commanders-just-brings-hate/

I will look for the Wreath story.

Edit...it was Harvey Martin that did the death, still looking for a good article on it.

The GREAT Harvey Martin. One of the very few Cowboys players who actually grew up in Dallas, played his college career at East Texas State (now Texas A&M Commerce) which was only about 90 min east of Dallas, and his entire pro career at Dallas. One of the most underrated Cowboys ever. CO-MVP of SB XII. And IMO, should be in the ROH.

 

[Bobhaze]

One of my all time favorite Cowboys stories....anyone remember one of the first “soccer style” kickers in the NFL that came to Dallas in 1972? It was of course, Toni Fritsch, the squatty but talented soccer player from Austria who Gil Brandt found and signed as our K.

Here’s the funny story that went with TF-

He was signed just a few days before the beginning of Cowboys 1972 training camp in Thousand Oaks California. Fritsch was in Austria, so he packed enough clothes for about a month and caught a flight from Austria bound for Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in LA, Fritsch rented a fancy sports car to drive from LAX to camp in Thousand Oaks, which was about an hour drive on Hwy 101. Fritsch was apparently used to driving the German autobahns which allowed very high speeds. About halfway there, a California highway Patrolman clocked Fritsch going over a 100 mph and pulled him over.

When the cop approached the window of Fritch’s car, heavy cigarette smoke billows out. When asked for his drivers license and other paperwork, Fritsch just angrily replied in thickly accented, broken English that he had no drivers license but, “I play for Dallas Cowboy”. Now picture Fritsch, a fat, balding, strange looking guy, who clearly speaks little if any English, that he’s a Dallas Cowboy. Ha!

Well the cop wasn’t convinced and after a short argument, he arrested Fritsch and took him to jail. A few hours later, Tex Schram got wind of it and sent someone down to bail out Fritsch and bring him to camp.

Fritsch went on the be an effective kicker in Dallas, playing from 1972-75, even kicked a FG in SB X against the Steelers. Apparently, he also later got a Texas drivers license and learned to speak a little more English. Lol. The great Toni Fritsch.

 

[Manster68]

Here’s a fun TD list....Name all the Cowboys players who have thrown a TD pass in a SB. There’s one outlier on this list- the players are Craig Morton, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman.....AND.....Robert Newhouse, the bowling ball RB who threw a TD pass to Golden Richards in SB XII.

I'll go one further - I think Robert Newhouse's pass was the most perfectly thrown ball in Super Bowl history.

 

[armadillooutlaw]

One of my all time favorite Cowboys stories....anyone remember one of the first “soccer style” kickers in the NFL that came to Dallas in 1972? It was of course, Toni Fritsch, the squatty but talented soccer player from Austria who Gil Brandt found and signed as our K.

Here’s the funny story that went with TF-

He was signed just a few days before the beginning of Cowboys 1972 training camp in Thousand Oaks California. Fritsch was in Austria, so he packed enough clothes for about a month and caught a flight from Austria bound for Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in LA, Fritsch rented a fancy sports car to drive from LAX to camp in Thousand Oaks, which was about an hour drive on Hwy 101. Fritsch was apparently used to driving the German autobahns which allowed very high speeds. About halfway there, a California highway Patrolman clocked Fritsch going over a 100 mph and pulled him over.

When the cop approached the window of Fritch’s car, heavy cigarette smoke billows out. When asked for his drivers license and other paperwork, Fritsch just angrily replied in thickly accented, broken English that he had no drivers license but, “I play for Dallas Cowboy”. Now picture Fritsch, a fat, balding, strange looking guy, who clearly speaks little if any English, that he’s a Dallas Cowboy. Ha!

Well the cop wasn’t convinced and after a short argument, he arrested Fritsch and took him to jail. A few hours later, Tex Schram got wind of it and sent someone down to bail out Fritsch and bring him to camp.

Fritsch went on the be an effective kicker in Dallas, playing from 1972-75, even kicked a FG in SB X against the Steelers. Apparently, he also later got a Texas drivers license and learned to speak a little more English. Lol. The great Toni Fritsch.

This is probably the most interesting Cowboys story I've heard in a long time.
Thanks for sharing, Bob!

 

[mrmojo]

I can guarantee you that you ask an average Cowboys fan about him, they have no idea who he was.

I agree. He graduated from my college alma mater University of New Mexico and was a sports broadcaster in Albuquerque in the 1970s for a short while. Great running back!

 

[mrmojo]

Probably less than %10 under 40 have heard of Dave Manders, Ralph Neeley or Cornell Green.

George Andre, Mark Washington, Pat Toomay, I would say even Bill Gregory, Dave Stalls and John Fitzgerald.

 

[kskboys]

Murchinson tried to buy the Commanders in 1958. Yes then the team would have been the Dallas Commanders. The Commanders owner George Marshall changed the terms of the deal at the last second. This angered Murchinson and the deal fell through. One of the reasons Marshall didn't want the Cowboys in the NFL two years later was because of this. Muchinson bought the rights to Hail to the Commanders for $2,500 to (as you said) secure the vote for the expansion team.

Also, on top of the Dallas Cowboys almost being called the Commanders instead (if the purchase went through in 1958) they were almost called the Dallas Steers and the Dallas Rangers.

Dallas Commanders? Yes, that almost happened

https://www.bigblueview.com/2016/9/...lmost-happened-cowboys-washington-nfl-history

One little change. They were called the Steers. For a very short time.

 

[MWH1967]

3 playoff wins in 23 years. I'm surprised we are all still fans of this team.

We are "Hard Core" sir... Or just use to 500. I don't have a choice, my father went to Navy with Roger.

 

[CWR]

3 playoff wins in 23 years. I'm surprised we are all still fans of this team.

Its the young guys that suprise me, at least us middle aged and elderly actually got to experience championships. But the youngins where probably polluted by their dads and grand dads and didnt have much choice in the matter.

 

[kskboys]

As mentioned above Dallas being a true expansion team in 1960 in the NFL. How many know how that came about?

The Commanders owner did not vote for Dallas to get a team. He did not want a team in Dallas.
So in order to get that vote, Clint Murchinson, obtained the rights to the Commanders bands theme song. And said they were not allowed to play it.
So they made a trade, he gave the song rights to the Commanders, and he voted as the final vote to give Dallas the franchise.

It's actually even funnier than that.

On the morning of the expansion vote, Murchison went to Marshall's hotel suite and introduced himself. Marshall brought up the song, and Murchison vowed to take care of it.

Murchison then called a guy named Webb, who was their go-between. He pulled off a phony conversation w/ Webb requesting the rights. (Murchison already had the rights from Breeskin(who owned the rights to the song.)

Murchison pretended Webb was holding firm, telling Marshall, "He thinks you're a no-good bastidge, apparently, and he's just not going to let you have the song."

Marshall pleaded w/ Murchison to try again, offering his support of Dallas' expansion bid in exchange for the song rights.

Funny stuff.

Funny fact: When Marshall called Murchison "personally obnoxious", Murchison replied "If he thinks I'm obnoxious now, How will he feels when he meets me."

 

[kskboys]

Fun Fact:

Only cost $50,000 to gain the Cowboys franchise in 1959 by Clint Murchison, jr.

Fun fact: Schramm signed Don Meredith before the franchise was even awarded.