2021 season countdown thread

[Thomas82]

Dang!! I totally forgot about Byron Jones, George Teague and Mike Jenkins!!

And Brock Marion too.

 

[Hagman]

Fred Cone was one of the original Cowboys in 1960 and he was the team's original placekicker.

Before that he was a long time Packer, taken in the 3rd round of the 1951 draft. Given the limited rosters at the time, kickers also played another position, and Fred was also a fullback. He led the Packers in scoring his rookie season and in five of the next six years. He played in the inaugural game at Lambeau Field. He is in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

After being out of football for two years, he was signed as a free agent by the Cowboys while coaching at University Military School in Alabama. In addition to kicking he was the team's backup fullback.

Jerry Clower recounted his experience playing against Cone in his story "The Time We Played Clemson."

So I hope you're enjoying your Golden Years, Fred. And thanks for your year with the Cowboys, even if it was just for kicks. (Let me deeply apologize for that last line).

 

[Hagman]

Amos Marsh was another important player in the early days of the Cowboys who is forgotten by most fans today. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 1961, and his size and speed earned him the nicknames "Moose" (so Moose Johnson wasn't the first Cowboys moose) and "Forward Marsh". He started out with Dallas as a wide receiver and return guy because of his speed, but was later moved to fullback because he was big AND fast.

He set the then franchise records with a 71-yard td run and a 79 yard kickoff return. in 1962 he set the then franchise record with an 85 yard td catch against the Rams. In that same game he broke his own return record by returning a kickoff for 101 yards, a Cowboys record that was to stand for 29 years. (In that same game Mike Gaechter returned an int for a touchdown, making the Cowboys the first team in NFL history to have two 100 yard scoring plays in the same game.)

In 1964 Marsh was moved to fullback, but after declining production was traded to the Lions in 1965. The Cowboys used that pick to draft Walt Garrison.

He finished his career a few years later with the Falcons. He died in 1992 as a result of complications from diabetes.

So thanks Amos, your talent and speed set records that many fans aren't aware of today, so you deserve some special recognition in the Countdown Thread.

 

[Bobhaze]

Shout out to the great Benny Barnes, #31 in the late 70s. I always think of Benny when a bad PI call happens. The most impactful bad call in Cowboys history has to be referee Fred Swearingen’s horrific pass interference call on Barnes in SB XIII on Lynn Swann. If you’ve never seen it, look it up on YouTube.

 

[Bobhaze]

Amos Marsh was another important player in the early days of the Cowboys who is forgotten by most fans today. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 1961, and his size and speed earned him the nicknames "Moose" (so Moose Johnson wasn't the first Cowboys moose) and "Forward Marsh". He started out with Dallas as a wide receiver and return guy because of his speed, but was later moved to fullback because he was big AND fast.

He set the then franchise records with a 71-yard td run and a 79 yard kickoff return. in 1962 he set the then franchise record with an 85 yard td catch against the Rams. In that same game he broke his own return record by returning a kickoff for 101 yards, a Cowboys record that was to stand for 29 years. (In that same game Mike Gaechter returned an int for a touchdown, making the Cowboys the first team in NFL history to have two 100 yard scoring plays in the same game.)

In 1964 Marsh was moved to fullback, but after declining production was traded to the Lions in 1965. The Cowboys used that pick to draft Walt Garrison.

He finished his career a few years later with the Falcons. He died in 1992 as a result of complications from diabetes.

So thanks Amos, your talent and speed set records that many fans aren't aware of today, so you deserve some special recognition in the Countdown Thread.

Amos Marsh was indeed fast. And underrated.

Shout out to all the African American players in the early days of the Cowboys- 1960-65. Most Cowboys fans today don’t realize the bigotry and prejudice they endured when they first came to Dallas. Guys like Marsh, Don Perkins, Mel Renfro, Cornell Green, Bob Hayes and many others, were usually completely shut out of neighborhoods where they tried to get housing. In the off season in those days, some black players moved out of Dallas to find employment to augment their small pay as football players. (That was true of all NFL players in those days, but it was harder for black players to find jobs in the south)

Many fans forget that there was no Civil Rights acts that allowed black citizens in the early 60s to have equal access to housing, jobs and the voting booth. The Civil Rights laws of 1964 and 1965 finally established the right to all those things most Americans took for granted.

Grateful for all those great trailblazers in Cowboys history.

 

[mrmojo]

Thomas Everett wore 31 also until Curvin Richards was cut after the last game of the season in 92, then he took Curvin's 27 after that.

Thomas was great addition to those SB teams!

 

[CooterBrown]

Shout out to the great Benny Barnes, #31 in the late 70s. I always think of Benny when a bad PI call happens. The most impactful bad call in Cowboys history has to be referee Fred Swearingen’s horrific pass interference call on Barnes in SB XIII on Lynn Swann. If you’ve never seen it, look it up on YouTube.

Even Lynn Swann later said it was a bad call.

 

[Hagman]

Thomas Everett wore 31 also until Curvin Richards was cut after the last game of the season in 92, then he took Curvin's 27 after that.

Thomas was great addition to those SB teams!

Oh man. Very good catch! My little jersey generator program skipped him. Thanks for bringing him up.

 

[maryquality]

30 more days!! Former player with #30 was Dan Reeves. Current player wearing #30 is Anthony Brown.

 

[Bobhaze]

30 more days!! Former player with #30 was Dan Reeves. Current player wearing #30 is Anthony Brown.

I still remember Dan Reeves’ TD pass to Lance Rentzl in the Ice Bowl game. Should have been the game winner. Reeves was a very versatile player who obviously had a great career as a coach.

 

[Hagman]

 

[ArtClink]

This is something we do on another forum leading up to the start of the college season. Counting down the days by recognizing players, past and/or present, who wore the number of that day in the countdown. The thread is typically pinned until it reaches zero, if that's okay with the powers-that-be here.

It's 75 days until the season, so the first player who comes to my mind for me is Jethro Pugh.

I met the great Jethro Pugh when I was playing youth football in Ft. Worth. Pugh was the guest speaker at the end of the season awards banquet. I had a great moment when I got up to use the restroom and found myself about to walk through a door way (door already open) as Jethro Pugh was headed through in the opposite direction. I remember that there was a lot of light coming through the door when I approached it and then all the light went dim as Pugh stopped in the doorway. From an 10 year old's perspective, Jethro had eclipsed the sun! He was such a massive man, but a gentle giant. He stooped down and shook my hand and it's a day I'll never forget.

 

[Hagman]

Dan Reeves is the most important player to wear #30 for the Dallas Cowboys. He was signed by the Cowboys as a free agent in 1965 to play safety, but was moved to halfback after a lot of injuries that year at running back. He had a breakout season his sophomore year, leading the team in rushing with 757 yards and making 557 yards in reception, In 1968 against the Falcons, he set a franchise record by scoring 4 tds in a game. Against the Eagles that year he ran, caught and threw for tds. I remember that Landry loved to use him on the halfback option play, and he famously threw a 50 yard td to Lance Rentzel on the frozen tundra of the Ice Bowl. The direction of his career changed dramatically in 1968 when he tore ligaments in his knee, and for the rest of his playing days he was a back up to the likes of Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas..

He was a really smart player, and Landry made him a player-coach. He became a full time assistant coach when he retired as a player in 1972.

I remember that Reeves was always spoken of as the guy who would replace Landry when he retired someday, but he went on to coach the Broncos, Giants and Falcons instead. As a player and coach, he participated in nine Super Bowls. He is also a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame. And I will always think that one of Jerry Jones' many mistakes was not following through and making Dan a team consultant.

So thanks for you time as a Cowboy Dan (Ummmm....and not so much as a Giant).

 

[Hagman]

Mike Dowdle was another member of the original Cowboy squad in 1960. He was drafted by San Francisco but cut, and Dallas claimed him off waivers. He was used to return kickoffs and was switched to linebacker in 1962, starting the next 20 games. Dallas traded him back to the 49ers in '63 and he was replaced by Dave Edwards. He passed in 1993.

But thanks Mike. You got to be in on the ground floor of a historic football team.

 

[ArtClink]

Mike Dowdle was another member of the original Cowboy squad in 1960. He was drafted by San Francisco but cut, and Dallas claimed him off waivers. He was used to return kickoffs and was switched to linebacker in 1962, starting the next 20 games. Dallas traded him back to the 49ers in '63 and he was replaced by Dave Edwards. He passed in 1993.

But thanks Mike. You got to be in on the ground floor of a historic football team.

Those Pokes original uniforms look modern to me. Cowboys should wear these for all hm games. It’s such a shame Cowboys could not return to the Cotton Bowl instead of Arlington.

 

[maryquality]

29 more days!! Former players who wore #29 are DeMarco Murray and Kenny "the shark" Gant. Current player wearing #29 is C. J. Goodwin.

 

[Hagman]

 

[Jake]

29 days to Tampa Bay

Kenneth "the shark" Gant was a 9th round pick out of little Albany State (GA) in 1990. A longshot to even make the team, Gant immediately became a standout on special teams. He eventually became an integral part of one of the best defenses in the NFL, earned some starts in the secondary, and won 2 SB rings. After 5 seasons in Dallas, Gant received a free agent deal with the Buccaneers. He spent three more seasons in Tampa, continuing to be a special teams standout on some bad clubs, before ending his NFL career in 1997.

 

[Bobhaze]

DeMarco Murray was a flash- great for a few years, then completely used up. We put so many touches on him in 2014, he was never the same again.

 

[maryquality]

DeMarco Murray was a flash- great for a few years, then completely used up. We put so many touches on him in 2014, he was never the same again.

Yeah....I felt bad for him in his first year playing for the egals. I don't think Chip Kelly knew what to do with him! LOL