Good old days

[CT Dal Fan]

Just reading all these posts and shaking my head that Jerry Jones has destroyed a lifelong passion so many of us have/had.

And he doesn't care.

 

[Blackrain]

South Jersey here.
Didn't need the rabbit ears because I was in the Philadelphia TV market. In the mid to late 70s, eagles home games were blacked out sometimes, even the early 80s too. Eagles fans refuse to remember that. They always had the Cowboys game on at 4pm. It was a great time to be a Cowboys fan because winning was the most important thing, unlike with Jerry and the Jones.
I'm so glad I was able to see all of their super bowls except the Colts loss and the Dolphins win, I was only 4 and 5 at the time.
I feel bad for today Cowboys fans, the Cowboys of the 70s were awesome.
We'll never have that again, sadly.

I second that emotion the Cowboys of the seventies with the Pinnacle of America's team

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Unfortunately, the 70’s and 90’s memories are all we have and will be for Jed too.

 

[Flamma]

I was born and raised in NJ when they only had 6 tv channels to watch. 2,4,5,7,9, and 11. The cowboys played Philly and they were on 3 and 13 sometimes and I remember getting up early on Sunday morning and putting foil on those old rabbit ears just to try and watch the game even tho the picture was snowy. I hope this brings back some good memories for us old timers. The way the Cowboys are now I wouldn't dream of doing that!

It's hard to believe I watched the 1981 NFC Championship game on a portable 12" black and white TV. No tuck rule for Danny White.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

Yup. I remember them rabbit ears too. Monkeying with them for several minutes getting them in just the right position to see the game. Living out in the country in Oklahoma made that a real challenge.

It was a similar challenge on a farm in SW. Iowa.
I would sometimes have to watch a fuzzy showing via a Sioux City CBS affiliate.
But after the Cowboys won SB XII, the Omaha CBS affiliate aired Cowboys games every chance they could. They got more viewers that way from those who were sick of the Vikings, Bears, and Packers.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

I used to beg my Mom to get me a subscription to that little magazine called the Star or something like that and I would read it cover to cover sometimes more than once just looking for nuggets or glimmers of hope. Got three channels 3, 6. 12 and the Cowboys played on 12 and we would have to go outside and hand turn the pole so that the antenna could bring in the signal better. Naw, was dedicated to a football team then now I am left wondering just what this mess of a man has done to my team. Also spent my Moms money on any magazines that featured Cowboys news on the cover. Just make it stop already! I feel like I've entered the proverbial Twight Light zone.

"The Dallas Cowboys Weekly"
I started subscribing in 1982.
Stayed a subscriber until its demise.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

There were Sundays where I only had 3 games on TV to choose from all day (pre Sunday night Football days), and while we had cable, there was no other way to see games pre internet.

So I'd revert to an AM radio... and on several occasions would crawl out of my window in our 2 story house on to the roof of our garage, and listen to grainy radio broadcasts of games I actually cared about, perched on the apex of my roof like I was a bird, angling the antenna just to the right direction, to maximize the broadcasters voice over the background noise

My parents allowed it because quote/unquote "if you fall that's just leg-breaking height, not neck-breaking height"

I'm not quite sure how I survived my childhood

 

[Vtwin]

After ditching the satellite service in 2018 we rocked a set of 70's vintage rabbit ears until last September. Yes, complete with the obligatory tin foil. I had them connected to about ten feet of coax and sometimes had to pull them out to the middle of the room and elevate them on a makeshift pedestal to get the game. I think that helped in getting the ol' lady to sign off on hooking up to cable when it finally became available to us.

One difference between then and now is that now you either get the signal or you don't. Clear picture or nothing. No straining to see what's happening through a fuzzy, snowy picture.

 

[Runwildboys]

There were Sundays where I only had 3 games on TV to choose from all day (pre Sunday night Football days), and while we had cable, there was no other way to see games pre internet.

So I'd revert to an AM radio... and on several occasions would crawl out of my window in our 2 story house on to the roof of our garage, and listen to grainy radio broadcasts of games I actually cared about, perched on the apex of my roof like I was a bird, angling the antenna just to the right direction, to maximize the broadcasters voice over the background noise

My parents allowed it because quote/unquote "if you fall that's just leg-breaking height, not neck-breaking height"

I'm not quite sure how I survived my childhood

"Not neck-breaking height"?

 

[Runwildboys]

After ditching the satellite service in 2018 we rocked a set of 70's vintage rabbit ears until last September. Yes, complete with the obligatory tin foil. I had them connected to about ten feet of coax and sometimes had to pull them out to the middle of the room and elevate them on a makeshift pedestal to get the game. I think that helped in getting the ol' lady to sign off on hooking up to cable when it finally became available to us.

One difference between then and now is that now you either get the signal or you don't. Clear picture or nothing. No straining to see what's happening through a fuzzy, snowy picture.

Every game was a snow game!

 

[McKDaddy]

rabbit ears

I lived in a rural area. All the transmitters were 50+ miles away so we had a pole beside the house with a large antenna about 15ft high. The transmitter that we could get the best reception on didn't generally carry Cowboys games. The one that did was the hardest to pull in consistently (75-80 miles with a major airport nearby). Third transmitter carried ABC so had to tune that to pull in Monday Night Football. Generally was ok, but there were times you just couldn't get a sniff of that signal. So, between the wind moving the antenna & any other "interferences" that might occur it was often very difficult & frustrating trying to watch a game.

Side note, you would occasionally get airplane communications as they were coming in for landing.

 

[McKDaddy]

It's hard to believe I watched the 1981 NFC Championship game on a portable 12" black and white TV. No tuck rule for Danny White.

Why couldn't we have had cable, satellite & internet during the 70's - 90's to watch the glory days in high def, anywhere we wanted?

And have limited, crappy reception to watch everything since.

 

[sjmike]

South Jersey here.
Didn't need the rabbit ears because I was in the Philadelphia TV market. In the mid to late 70s, eagles home games were blacked out sometimes, even the early 80s too. Eagles fans refuse to remember that. They always had the Cowboys game on at 4pm. It was a great time to be a Cowboys fan because winning was the most important thing, unlike with Jerry and the Jones.
I'm so glad I was able to see all of their super bowls except the Colts loss and the Dolphins win, I was only 4 and 5 at the time.
I feel bad for today Cowboys fans, the Cowboys of the 70s were awesome.
We'll never have that again, sadly.

From South Jersey also. Roger Staubach made me a Cowboy fan. Loved watching him play. Bob Lilly, Chuck Howley, Charlie Waters, Cliff Harris, Too Tall, Randy White. Loved those guys, too. I can still remember the starting offensive line from that team in the early 70s but I can't remember what I had for dinner last night. LOL

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

"Not neck-breaking height"?

I guess that was their version of "what doesn't kill you makesnu stronger"

Broke leg doesn't kill you...neck does.

All I cared about was being able to hear every other word from a football game 300 moles away LOL!

 

[Runwildboys]

I guess that was their version of "what doesn't kill you makesnu stronger"

Broke leg doesn't kill you...neck does.

All I cared about was being able to hear every other word from a football game 300 moles away LOL!

I just don't get why they thought you could break your leg, but not your neck.

 

[Whirlwin]

I was born and raised in NJ when they only had 6 tv channels to watch. 2,4,5,7,9, and 11. The cowboys played Philly and they were on 3 and 13 sometimes and I remember getting up early on Sunday morning and putting foil on those old rabbit ears just to try and watch the game even tho the picture was snowy. I hope this brings back some good memories for us old timers. The way the Cowboys are now I wouldn't dream of doing that!

I missed maybe two games, and 50+ years. One was my daughter’s wedding. The other I was in the field in the military. I would drive to Connecticut from Rhode Island. 90% of the games were on because we were the NFC East.

 

[Whirlwin]

Yup. I remember them rabbit ears too. Monkeying with them for several minutes getting them in just the right position to see the game. Living out in the country in Oklahoma made that a real challenge.

The big satellite dish or the rotary antenna. There was always a way to get the game. On the sears 26 inch console , which I actually think is sometimes easier than streaming 14 platforms to find it

 

[Whirlwin]

I used to beg my Mom to get me a subscription to that little magazine called the Star or something like that and I would read it cover to cover sometimes more than once just looking for nuggets or glimmers of hope. Got three channels 3, 6. 12 and the Cowboys played on 12 and we would have to go outside and hand turn the pole so that the antenna could bring in the signal better. Naw, was dedicated to a football team then now I am left wondering just what this mess of a man has done to my team. Also spent my Moms money on any magazines that featured Cowboys news on the cover. Just make it stop already! I feel like I've entered the proverbial Twight Light zone.

Dallas Cowboys paper, I still have a bunch of them.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

I just don't get why they thought you could break your leg, but not your neck.

They knew CATS always landed on their feet....so they just assumed it applied to children too.