Some sounds from the past and present to get you hyped!

[MWH1967]

Forty men together can't lose!"

- George Allen, December 31st, 1972, just before the NFC Championship coin flip.



We came to Washington thinking we'd just float by the Commanders, but they had something for us. They beat us soundly..."

- Mel Renfro, referring to the 1972 NFC Championship



"We were all on top of the world after that game."

- Ron McDole



"George Allen never used to say 'the Dallas Cowboys', it was always 'the Damn Dallas Cowboys.' It's the Cowboys' uniform. It strikes hate and loathing in my mind, almost in a Pavlovian sense."

-John Wilbur



"Die you dogs. Die you Dallas dogs."

- Sam Wyche



"Roger Staubach can't read defenses and wears skirts..."

- Ron McDole to the press, when asked about what he thought of the Cowboys quarterback



"Any helicopter that came over (the practice field), the coaches would look up and say 'Damn, that's George Allen up there with a notebook.'"

-Walt Garrison



"If you knock Staubach out, you've got that rookie facing you. That's one of our goals."

- Diron Talbert (Staubach was knocked out in the 3rd quarter, Thanksgiving Day, 1974, with the Commanders leading 16-3 -- but the rookie, Clint Longley, came in to beat Washington, 24-23)



"Who in the hell is Longley???"

-Diron Talbert to the press after the game.



"When you sign with Washington, you sign a contract to hate the Cowboys."

-Charles Mann



"Losing to Dallas was the worst feeling in the world. You'd rather have your arm cut off."

-Diron Talbert



"Tom Landry, hahahaha. Tex Schram, hahhaha. Roger Staubach, hahahha."

-George Allen to a television camera, after beating Dallas in Texas Stadium in 1976.



"If you grow up in metro Washington, you grow up a diehard Commanders fan. But if you hate your parents, you grow up a Cowboys fan."

-Jim Lachey



"I picked him up and pushed him back... It wasn't a smooth play, it was a desperation play. It was such an eerie feeling when it happened. There wasn't any noise in the stadium for maybe three seconds. All of a sudden... the place went crazy. I had never seen anything like it."

-Ken Houston, on stopping Walt Garrison at the one yard line in the final seconds of the Monday night game in October, 1973



"If you came out of the (Dallas) game and you weren't bleeding, you hadn't played."

- Ken Houston



"We don't like them, they don't like us."

- Roger Staubach



"We loved to play them. It was always the perfect setting - Monday Night, Thanksgiving Day, a 4 o'clock start, RFK. Those kinds of games still give me goose bumps."

- Ken Houston



"Yeah, but only after he went for my knees three times."

-Jack Pardee, after being accused of trying to knee Dallas receiver Lance Alworth in the head.



"My front four will be faced with the task of beating the sweat-hogs. It's my belief that to be a defensive lineman, you have to have a personal hate for your opponent."

- Ernie Stautner, defensive coordinator, Dallas



"Plain & Simple - WE HATE DALLAS"

- home made sign hung at RFK Stadium during the 1982 NFC Championship game.



"It was like walking into a dungeon of thieves..."

- Danny White, commenting on entering RFK Stadium.



"That's the loudest the stadium's ever been. You could hear it in the locker room. 'We want Dallas! We want Dallas!' Everybody was pretty pumped up."

-Russ Grimm



"The stadium was unbelievable. Those stands were moving three feet ... up and down..."

-Joe Gibbs



"I felt the ground shake beneath my feet - literally."

- Joe Theismann



"We're standing there for the national anthem. When it's over, Joe (Bugel) looks over to the other sideline at Ernie Stautner, who's the Cowboys defensive line coach. Joe yells over to him and flips him off."

-Joe Jacoby



"I got to the line, and I said to Randy White, 'Our coaches love you. We're going to run it over you again and again.' Randy wasn't very happy, but after three or four times, he didn't say a word."

-Jeff Bostic



"I wanted to just... put his lights out ....because, you know, ...Dallas sucks..."

- Dexter Manley, referring to Danny White whom he knocked out of the first half of the 1982 NFC Championship game.



"It was probably the next morning before I knew where I was,... I must have gotten knocked out. ... I never did regain any memory of that game. From the trip up there, first quarter, second quarter, third or fourth."

-Danny White



"When you're in a game like that and it's back and forth and back and forth, who's gonna blink? Who's gonna blink first? They blinked. ...It was the most incredible moment -- in my life."

-Joe Theismann, referring to winning the 1982 Championship game.



"Joe Theismann is a garbage-mouth little SOB. He's such a hot dog that all he needs is a bun."

-John Dutton



"The one game that really gave us confidence in the 1980s was that NFC Championship game against Dallas."

-Jeff Bostic



"They were so demoralized. They were so pissed. The officials had to drag them out of the locker room, they wouldn't come out."

-George Stark, referring to the final play of the game after players had prematurely retired to the locker room. This was the 3rd NFC Championship in a row Dallas had lost.



"This is controlled delirium. This is a coagulation, a community of interest here that is astonishing in its depth. All over this city. The rich, the poor. The black, the white. The communists, the socialists. The affluent, the unpossessed. All are bound together in this city on this day by these Commanders."

-Jack Kent Cooke, moments after the NFC Championship win against Dallas in January, 1983.



"No, Danny! No!"

-Coach Tom Landry, in an uncharacteristically emotional moment, from the sidelines to his QB Danny White, during a 4th and inches play after it became clear the drawing the Commanders offsides ploy wouldn't work. The Cowboys win-loss record at the time was 12-2, and Dallas victories, both in the regular season and the post-season, were routine. White was supposed to call a timeout, but instead, he continued the snap count, and the ball was snapped. Cowboys lost yardage, the ball, and the game, December 11, 1983. The Cowboys went on to lose three in a row and were knocked out of the 1983 wild card round. That single play seemed to mark the end of an era of Cowboys dominance in the league. They would not win a playoff game again until 1991.



"There are three great things in life: Winning the lottery, having a baby, and beating the Cowboys..."

- Mark May, after a 41-14 route of Dallas in 1986.



"I know we don't have any Dallas people here — they are the ugliest people in the world."

- Joe Gibbs during Fan Day, Training camp, 2005.



"This is my moment, this is my chance to make a difference, and you know, I just went for the ball, I attacked it, and I went and got it, ... I was gonna catch that ball, regardless of what happens..."

- Santana Moss, referring to the Monday Night Miracle game vs Dallas in Sept, 2005.



"This ****'s for the TRIO!",

-Santana Moss, to a video camera immediately after catching his 2nd TD pass at Texas Stadium in September, 2005. The trio he was referring to was Troy Aikman, Emmit Smith, and Michael Irving, who were being honored and included on the Ring of Fame at Texas Stadium that day.



"I mean, there wasn't a lot of hope for that one, yet we found out, you know, we found a way to win that game, AGAINST our rival, at their place, on Monday night, and uh, the locker room was just -- it was just unbelievable."

-Mark Brunell



"...one of the greatest moments for me in sports"

- Joe Gibbs after the game at Texas Stadium, September, 2005.



"We always seem to have these big, crazy endings. It's unbelievable."

- Renaldo Wynn



"Ever since I've been here, our games against Dallas have ... been wild."

-Jon Jansen



"I'll tell you what - if you attend a Cowboy-Commanders game, you better not leave til that clock hits zero..."

-Joe Gibbs, 2006



"**** Dallas"

Chris Cooley, as autographed on one of his photos on his site



"These guys are done...we can do whatever we want now...",

- Tony Romo, just after throwing a TD pass to Owens to open the second half and tie the game at 17 on Sept 28th, 2008 at Texas Stadium. Dallas would not score again until the final minute. Commanders won 26-24.



"Any Cowboys fan that thinks the Commanders game is just another game is either very young or very stupid."

-unknown veteran Dallas fan.

Go Cowboys!!!!!!!

 

[bbgun]

"Good read."

- CrazyCowboy

 

[Apefist]

From an article in the sports page of the Washington Post called "Worst Commanders-Cowboys moments" (so the "L" wins "W" for Dallas):

[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1]Dec. 16, 1979[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]At Texas Stadium[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]L, 35-34[/SIZE][/FONT]
The Commanders fell victim to another stunning Cowboys fourth-quarter rally on the final day of the regular season as the visitors watched their division title and playoff hopes crash amid one of quarterback Roger Staubach's trademark comebacks. The Commanders wasted a 13-point, fourth quarter lead and a 151-yard, two-touchdown effort from John Riggins as the Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the final 140 seconds to stun the Commanders. To add insult to injury, the Bears snatched the final wild-card berth away from the Commanders with a 36-point win over the Cardinals. Dallas defensive tackle Harvey Martin tossed a funeral wreath in Washington's dressing room following the crushing victory.

[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1]Sept. 12, 1999[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]L, 41-35 (OT)[/SIZE][/FONT]
The Dan Snyder era in Washington began with a dull thud on opening day in 1999 as the Commanders suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Cowboys. The Commanders, with newly acquired quarterback Brad Johnson starting his first game in D.C., powered the home team to what appeared to be an insurmountable 35-14 lead heading into the final quarter. But the Commanders suffered a fourth-quarter collapse of appalling proportions as the Cowboys scored 21 fourth-quarter points to send the game into overtime, where Rocket Ismail broke the Commanders' backs, and hearts, with a 76-yard touchdown reception just four minutes into the extra session.

[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1]Sept. 5, 1983[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]At RFK Stadium[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]L, 31-30[/SIZE][/FONT]
A game so memorable that it has been selected one of five finalists for the greatest Monday night game, the Commanders blow a 23-3 halftime lead and fall in their season-opener, their first game since beating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. Never has a Commander team been so superior in one half and so god awful in the other. Quarterback Joe Theismannn was masterful, going 28-of-38 for 325 yards and two touchdowns and the Commanders dominated time of possession by 14 minutes. Although the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, it did announce the arrival of future Hall-of-Famer Darrell Green, who raced by two teammates to chase down Cowboys' running back Tony Dorsett four yards shy of the goal line in the first half.

[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1]Nov. 28, 1974[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]L, 24-23[/SIZE][/FONT]
Remember the Mad Bomber? The events that transpired during the final minute of this Thanksgiving Day epic will live in infamy for those who witnessed it. The Commanders were 35 seconds away from clinching a playoff berth when a rookie quarterback -- Clint Longley -- tossed an improbable 50-yard touchdown to Drew Pearson to give the Cowboys a shocking last-second victory. Washington did nearly everything imaginable to pull out this game, including forcing five turnovers and knocking starting quarterback Roger Staubach out of the game. But a blocked field goal and their inability to stop a neophyte quarterback making his first regular-season appearance still has Commanders' fans scratching their collective heads 28 years later.


[FONT=verdana,arial][SIZE=-1]Nov. 16, 1997[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]At Texas Stadium[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=-1]L, 17-14[/SIZE][/FONT]
The Commanders were in total control for the first 55 minutes of a game they absolutely had to win when the Cowboys jump-started another miraculous comeback. With Dallas backed up on their 3-yard line with 5:48 left, quarterback Troy Aikman engineered a 97-yard touchdown drive, plus a two-point conversion, to pull the Cowboys even at 14-14. A devastating three-and-out on the Commanders' next possession precipitated a dismal 28-yard punt by Matt Turk, which gave the Cowboys prime field position. Twenty-eight yards later, Richie Cunningham booted a 42-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give the Cowboys another unlikely win. The loss was symbolic of the maddening disasters that befell the Commanders during the Norv Turner era, and they would finish out of the playoffs once again that season.

[FONT=arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]
Note: This is an unscientific survey of washingtonpost.com readers.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[Chief]

Those are the quotes that should have been on the Cowboys' bulletin board this week.

I'm not convinced this current team gets it.

 

[Apefist]

Here's some more for ya "5 Worst Commanders losses to Dallas":

5. Dec. 10, 2000, Texas Stadium, Cowboys 32, Commanders 13. Ebenezer Ekuban sacks Jeff George and drags him across the field as the 5-9 Cowboys cruised. None of George's teammates step in on a play that crystallized why such a talented bunch never became a team and missed the playoffs despite having three Hall of Fame corners (Darrell Green, Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey), a Hall of Fame passrusher (Bruce Smith) and such others stars as Stephen Davis, Chris Samuels and LaVar Arrington.


4. Nov. 5, 1989, RFK Stadium, Cowboys 13, Commanders 3. Dallas came in 0-8 and had been thumped 30-7 at home by Washington six weeks earlier. But the Commanders were struggling to score with the creaking Doug Williams at quarterback. Behind halfback Paul Palmer (Churchill High), the Cowboys stunned the Commanders for their only victory in a 1-15 season. Washington wound up 10-6, but the loss to Dallas cost a playoff berth.


3. Sept. 9, 1985, Texas Stadium, Cowboys 44, Commanders 14. Two years earlier Joe Theismann had been the NFL's MVP. But on this, his 36th birthday, Joey T was definitely over the hill. The Cowboys picked off Theismann five times and their fans taunted him by singing "Happy Birthday." Six weeks later, Theismann would truly be done as a broken leg courtesy of a sack by the Giants' Lawrence Taylor ended his career. Washington finished 10-6 but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.


2. Nov. 28, 1974, Texas Stadium, Cowboys 24, Commanders 23. Washington had edged Dallas 28-21 just 11 days earlier and led the Thanksgiving Day rematch 16-3 when linebacker Dave Robinson knocked Cowboys star quarterback Roger Staubach out of the game with a concussion in the third quarter. The unknown Clint Longley replaced Stabauch and threw to touchdown passes, the second a 50-yard bomb to Drew Pearson that stunned the Commanders in the final minute, helping St. Louis win the NFC East.


1. Dec. 16, 1979, Texas Stadium, Cowboys 35, Commanders 34. Having won four of five, including a 34-20 home conquest of Dallas, to improve to 10-5 and tie the Cowboys atop the NFC East, the Commanders came to Dallas in search of their first division title in seven years. They blew a 17-0 lead but rebounded to lead 34-21 with just 6:54 left, but Staubach beat them with two touchdown passes, the second to Tony Hill in the closing seconds. Dallas won the division. Washington missed the playoffs.

 

[Chief]

3. Sept. 9, 1985, Texas Stadium, Cowboys 44, Commanders 14. Two years earlier Joe Theismann had been the NFL's MVP. But on this, his 36th birthday, Joey T was definitely over the hill. The Cowboys picked off Theismann five times and their fans taunted him by singing "Happy Birthday." Six weeks later, Theismann would truly be done as a broken leg courtesy of a sack by the Giants' Lawrence Taylor ended his career. Washington finished 10-6 but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

:laugh2:

What a great memory.

 

[Apefist]

I keep finding these great rivalry articles:

[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=+1]The Rivalry: 1960-69[/SIZE][/FONT]

Oct. 9, 1960: [SIZE=-1]Those who have been maintaining the Washington Commanders wouldn't win a game this season were proven irrefutably wrong at Griffith Stadium yesterday. The Commanders won one. With quarterback Ralph Guglielmi returning to action and awakening a hitherto slumbering offensive unit, the Commanders celebrated a gala home opener on an otherwise drab day by convincingly scalping the Dallas Cowboys, 26-14.[/SIZE]

Nov. 19, 1961: [SIZE=-1]Their dismal 17-game losing streak came to an end in the Cotton Bowl today, but the Washington Commanders still didn't win. The Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys, the last team they beat, played to a wild and wooly 28-28 tie that more than matched the Texas setting.[/SIZE]


Dec. 17, 1961: [SIZE=-1] Christmas arrived eight days early for the Washington Commanders. With Dick James, the littlest Commander of them all, scoring four touchdowns for a club record, Washington cashed in on its last chance for a 1961 victory by pasting the Dallas Cowboys, 34-24, in the season finale at D.C. Stadium yesterday.[/SIZE]


Sept. 16, 1962: [SIZE=-1]It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Washington Commander Bobby Mitchelle tied the Dallas Cowboys today, 35-34, in a wild National Football League opener for the two have not clubs of the Eastern Division. In a truly tremendous Commander debut, Mitchell returned a kickoff for a 92-yard touchdown; scored on an 81-yard pass play; scored another on a six-yard pass and set up the other two touchdowns with a pass reception and a pass interference call.[/SIZE]


Nov. 10, 1962: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders didn't exactly meet the challenge of playing before a sellout crowd of 49,888 at D.C. Stadium yesterday, largest ever to see a sports event here. They were pasted by the Dallas Cowboys, 38-10, and toppled out of first place in the National Football League's Eastern Conference as the second half of the season got underway. [/SIZE]


Sept. 29, 1963: [SIZE=-1]With three interceptions, the first a 78-yard scoring journey, scrappy defensive back Jim Steffen led the Washington Commanders over the Dallas Cowboys in a rosy 21-17 home opener yesterday before 40,101 largely contented spectators at D.C. Stadium.[/SIZE]


Nov. 3, 1963: [SIZE=-1]Supposedly an up-and-down team, the Washington Commanders continued going down one way today — down, down, down. The Dallas Cowboys, considerably aided by the unbelievably sloppy Commanders, plastered them with a 35-20 defeat to run the Washington losing streak to five games before a slim but delighted Cotton Bowl gathering of 18,838.[/SIZE]


Sept. 20, 1964: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders played on a dry field today, but they still could not hold the ball and the Dallas Cowboys rode away with a 24-18 victory. It was a cliff hanger. The Cowboys held onto the six-point lead by their fingernails for 6 minutes, 2 seconds while the Commanders resisted the heroic efforts of quarterback George Izo to turn a sorry performance into a spectacular "save."[/SIZE]


Nov. 22, 1964: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders' raging defensive unit intercepted four passes, returned two for touchdowns, and smothered hard-pressed Dallas quarterbacks seven times for losses yesterday in a 28-16 conquest of the Cowboys.[/SIZE]


Sept. 26, 1965: [SIZE=-1]There is no need to adjust your TV set. The Commanders' performance did not suffer a bit in the transmission of their 27-7 collapse against the Dallas Cowboys today.[/SIZE]


Nov. 28, 1965: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders - bless their fumbling hearts - recoiled from a 21-0 deficit and bombed, boomed, and entombed the Dallas Cowboys, 34-31, yesterday at D.C. Stadium.[/SIZE]


Nov. 13, 1966: [SIZE=-1]Don Meredith made a scandalous mockery of the Commanders' "prevent" defense yesterday and Danny Villanueva finished off his handiwork by booting a 20-yard field goal in the final 15 seconds that earned a 31-30 triumph for the Dallas Cowboys.[/SIZE]


Dec. 11, 1966: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders took savory revenge against Dallas on a day when the Cowboys could have wrapped up the Eastern Conference title in the National Football League by merely protecting a 31-31 tie for the last 3 minutes and 19 seconds. But A.D. Whitfield ran 30 yards against the best rushing defense in the league today and from the Dallas 24-yard line like Sonny Jurgensen used a prevent offense to keep the ball away from the Cowboys until only eight seconds remained. Then gutsy little Charlie Gogolak flouted the pressure and the taunts of a crowd of 64,198 in the Cotton Bowl, kicking a 29-yard field goal four seconds later for the 34-31 triumph that conceded the Cowboys only a tie for the title.[/SIZE]


Oct. 8, 1967: [SIZE=-1] An unfunny thing happened to the Commanders yesterday on their way to a 14-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys with 18 seconds remaining on the clock at D.C. Stadium. They lost, 17-14.[/SIZE]


Nov. 19, 1967: [SIZE=-1] Out of the fist of Sonny Jurgensen shot four thunderbolts today for touchdowns that left the Dallas Cowboys reeling with a 27-6 deficit before a madding crowd of 75,538 at the Cotton Bowl. With 11 minutes, 13 seconds left in the game the Commanders' defenders, who had collapsed in four Washington losses and two ties, faced up to a fearful challenge. They responded nobly after giving up two touchdowns by Morton within 110 seconds and saved a 27-20 upset triumph through the last 4 minutes and 14 seconds.[/SIZE]


Nov. 17, 1968: [SIZE=-1]Otto Graham got out of a sick bed yesterday to coach the Commanders. What he saw did not figure to hasten his recovery as the Dallas Cowboys gushed 515 yards of total offense and rolled up a 44-24 victory at D.C. Stadium.[/SIZE]


Nov. 28, 1968: [SIZE=-1]Jim Ninowski persisted against all kinds of adversity tonight and brought the Commanders back from a 17-0 deficit to a 20-19 lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at the Cotton Bowl. But the Cowboys, 21-point favorites, finally clinched a tie for the Capitol Division title in the National Football League by coming up with a 23-yard field goal by Mike Clark, his second, and a five-yard runback of an interception by defensive end Larry Cole for a touchdown and a 29-20 victory.[/SIZE]


Nov. 16, 1969: [SIZE=-1] Sonny Jurgensen was slightly wonderful yesterday when he was throwing to the Commanders, merely accurate when he was throwing to the Dallas Cowboys. He nearly pitched the Commanders back into serious contention for the Capitol Division title with four touchdown passes, which nearly erased a 17-point deficit, but then he wild-pitched them just about out of the running with four passes that were intercepted, three in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys won, 41-28.[/SIZE]


Dec. 21, 1969: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders played club football today. The Dallas Cowboys played slightly more professionally and swept the two-game NFL series for the second straight season. By 20-10 the Cowboys improved their record to 11-2-1 as they headed into the Eastern Conference playoff against Cleveland here next Sunday. And they demonstrated their defense is ready by shutting out the Commanders' offense without a touchdown.[/SIZE]

 

[Cbz40]

:laugh2:

What a great memory.

Yes indeed....... I loved every minute of it.

 

[Apefist]

[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=+1]The Rivalry: 1970-79

[/SIZE][/FONT] Nov. 22, 1970: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders were less than savage yesterday and their paying guests were outright hostile about it. The customers at RFK Stadium were venting a week-old rage even before kickoff because the athletes had succumbed to a 21-0 fourth quarter by the New York Giants. They had to suffer another one in the second period by the Dallas Cowboys. By the time the Commanders had fumbled two touchdown opportunities to the Cowboys, treated Mark Washington to a 100-yard kickoff return with unprofessional tackling, and center John Didion made another touchdown a snap with a herculean effrt, the Cowboys were 45-21 winners.[/SIZE]

Dec. 6, 1970: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders sank to one of the lowest points in their history today. As afternoon turned into night in the Cotton Bowl, Dallas annihilated them, 34-0, only the third shutout victory in the Cowboys' 217-game existence. For the crippled Washington club, it was Custer's farewell reenacted with the Commanders wiped out this time.[/SIZE]

Oct. 3, 1971: [SIZE=-1]In their exhilaration over springing a 20-16 upset of the Dallas Cowboys today, the Commanders made it clear that they regarded the victory as a coaching triumph for George Allen.[/SIZE]

Nov. 21, 1971: [SIZE=-1]After the Commanders were beaten yesterday by a busted play for the second straight week, coach George Allen said there is no defense for a scrambler, such as Roger Staubach. Staubach, the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, was momentarily delayed in his own backfield in the first quarter when defensive tackle Diron Talbert got a hand on him. The agile Cowboy escaped, however, swung to his left and ran another 29 yards without another glove being laid on him for the only touchdown in a 13-0 Dallas victory.[/SIZE]

Oct. 22, 1972: [SIZE=-1]Dallas had the gun to Washington's head yesterday, but before the Cowboys were able to pull the trigger, the Commanders escaped from apparent doom to gain a 24-20 victory before 53,039 mostly delirious fans at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Dec. 9, 1972: [SIZE=-1]That delightfully merry journey the Washington Commanders had been enjoying this season came to an abrupt halt today in the first half at Texas Stadium. The Dallas Cowboys nailed the Commanders for 28 points in the first 30 minutes en route to a 34-24 success that moved Dallas into pro football's playoffs for the seventh straight season.[/SIZE]

Dec. 31, 1972: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders found deliverance yesterday. Playing with intense ferocity, they simply smashed the Dallas Cowboys, 26-3, to gain the National Football Conference championship and a trip to the Super Bow in Los Angeles Jan. 14.[/SIZE]

Oct. 8, 1973: [SIZE=-1]In a stunning reversal of their fortunes in the previous 56 minutes, the Washington Commanders scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes, then got a phenomenal goal-line tackle by strong safety Ken Houston to save a 14-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last night at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Oct. 8, 1973: Commanders Safeties Saw Turning Point Coming: [SIZE=-1]"That's the biggest tackle I've made in my life," said Commander safetyman Ken Houston. Indeed, it was the biggest tackle of the season for the Commanders, for it preserved their 14-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.[/SIZE]

Dec. 9, 1973: [SIZE=-1]The Dallas Cowboys took the NFC East championship out of the clutches of an NFL computer with a devastating 27-7 rout of the Washington Commanders today.[/SIZE]

Nov. 17, 1974: [SIZE=-1]As daylight turned to darkness yesterday at RFK Stadium, the Washington Commanders played one of the most extraordinary first halves of football during this or any other season. They will always remain thankful they did. For the Dallas Cowboys very nearly came all the way back from a 28-0 halftime deficit before finally succumbing, 28-21, when the Commanders came up with a stirring goal line stand in the game’s final three minutes.[/SIZE]

Nov. 28, 1974: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders were 35 seconds away from clinching a berth in the 1974 NFC playoffs today when "that rookie," Clint Longley - also known as the Mad Bomber - shocked them with one or more improbable touchdown passes of recent football history for a 24-23 Dallas Cowboys victory.[/SIZE]

Nov. 2, 1975: [SIZE=-1]Billy Kilmer, who passed for 301 yards yesterday, leaped six inches over right guard Walt Sweeney into the end zone to propel the Washington Commanders to a dramatic 30-24 sudden-death overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Dec. 13, 1975: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders ran out of healthy bodies and miracle comebacks today and because of it, for the first time since 1970, they will not make the National Football League playoffs. With Roger Staubach throwing for two touchdowns and running for another and the Dallas defense knocking Commanders' quarterback Billy Kilmer from the game early in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys soundly defeated the Commanders, 31-10.[/SIZE]

Dec. 12, 1976: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders did it their way today. They snarled, scratched and clawed to a memorable 27-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys and gained the National Football Conference playoffs for the fifth time in the last six years.[/SIZE]

Oct. 16, 1977: [SIZE=-1]Washington's chances for a divisional championship were dealt a mortal blow today by a Dallas Cowboy team that Commander quarterback Billy Kilmer described as "the best I've ever played against." The final score in this brutally played football game was Dallas 34, Washington 16. But the Commanders were more concerned about another set of grim numbers — two fullbacks, John Riggins and Bob Brunet, out for the season with injuries and Kilmer suffering from a badly bruised left shoulder.[/SIZE]

Nov. 27, 1977: [SIZE=-1] The Commanders' road to the playoffs took another treacherous turn for the worse yesterday. The Dallas Cowboys used what hte Commanders called flim-flammery on a punt snap, and Tony Dorsett's one-yard fourth quarter touchdown dive, to leave RFK Stadium as repeat winners over Washington, 14-7.[/SIZE]

Oct. 2, 1978: [SIZE=-1]In the presence of President Carter, the Washington Commanders rolled out their most potent weapon of all — a dominant defense that spelled doomsday for the Dallas Cowboys last night at RFK Stadium. The surprising Commanders' version of a major confrontation at the summit ended with a 9-5 Washington victory that was not assured until the final gun had sounded as Joe Theismann voluntarily accepted a safety rather than risk a fourth-down punt in the last three seconds. [/SIZE]

Nov. 23, 1978: [SIZE=-1]Doomsday descended on the Washington Commanders yesterday in a farcical football game that was singularly embarrassing and cast a shadow on their hopes of winning the NFC East Division title. "Washington Slept Here" read a Texas Stadium banner, and the white-hot Dallas Cowboys took advantage of the Commanders' somnambulant state for a 37-10 rout, the most lopsided Washington loss since 1970.[/SIZE]

Nov. 18, 1979: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders remembered. They remembered being caled "turkeys" by the Dallas Cowboys a year ago. They remembered Tom Landry calling play-action, bombs-away passes in the fourth quarter with his team ahead by 27 points. They remember a humiliating 37-10 loss in Dallas on Thanksgiving day. So yesterday, these romping, ravenous Commanders, led by Joe Theismann's three touchdown passes, gained sweet revenge, converting mistake after Dallas mistake into a 34-20 triumph.[/SIZE]

Dec. 16, 1979: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders came within 140 seconds today of reaching their impossible drea. Then the brilliance of Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach turned the afternoon into a 35-34 nightmare that will haunt them the rest of the winter.[/SIZE]

 

[Apefist]

[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=+1]The Rivalry: 1980-89

[/SIZE][/FONT] Nov. 27, 1980: [SIZE=-1]The Cowboys practically begged to be upset today. But even their six turnovers could not revive a Commander offense that has forgotten how to score. The Washington cause was not helped when quarterback Joe Theismann aggravated his hamstring pull late in the first half of this 14-10 loss and had to leave the game, allowing the Cowboys front four a chance to tee off on his substitute, Mike Kruczek.[/SIZE]

Sept. 6, 1981: [SIZE=-1]Washington decided the only way to beat Dallas in the season opener yesterday was to all but ignore the run and pass, pass, pass. But the Cowboys shot down that strategy by intercepting four of Joe Theismann's passes in defeating the new-look Commanders, 26-10.[/SIZE]

Nov. 22, 1981: [SIZE=-1]By losing, 24-10, to the Dallas Cowboys today, the Commanders once again proved they can't compete against more talented oppponents, unless Joe Washington stays healthy and their nickel defense improves dramatically.[/SIZE]

Dec. 5, 1982: [SIZE=-1]Dallas stunned the Commanders yesterday with some uncharacteristic blitzing tactics, then used a daring fourth-period run off a fake punt to end the Commanders' hopes of a fifth straight victory this season. The Cowboy blitzes led to a staggering seven sacks of quarterback Joe Theismann, disrupting Washington's normally well-meshed offense. But when the Commanders recall this 24-10 defeat, their first of this season, they probably will remember Danny White's suprising decision not to punt from his 21 with seven minutes left.[/SIZE]

Jan. 23, 1983: [SIZE=-1] It couldn't get much sweeter than this for the Washington Commanders. In a madhouse called RFK Stadium, they got all the revenge and respect they wanted yesterday by beating the Dallas Cowboys, 31-17, to earn their second trip to the Super Bowl.[/SIZE]

Sept. 5, 1983: [SIZE=-1]In a comeback that will dissected and cursed for days to come in Washington, the Dallas Cowboys rallied from a 23-3 halftime deficit last night to defeat the Commanders, 31-30, in a nationally televised season opener before a sellout of 55,045 at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Dec. 11, 1983: [SIZE=-1]Tilt the picture of the game in any direction and the shiny truth remains the same: the Washington Commanders dominated the Dallas Cowboys today. The Commanders defeated Dallas, 31-10, before 65,074 at Texas Stadium, representing Washington's largest margin of victory in this rivalry. Consequently, after 15 weeks of first-place residence, the Cowboys are a chasing posse again.[/SIZE]

Oct. 14, 1984: [SIZE=-1]Maybe it wasn't propaganda after all. Only one day before the rout, Washington Commanders Coach Joe Gibbs had said the Dallas Cowboys had purposely played down their talents to give the Commanders a false sense of security. Perhaps he'll reconsider now. Yesterday, the Commanders defeated the Cowboys, 34-14, before 55,431 at RFK Stadium, thereby claiming sole possession of first place in the NFC East Division, while leaving Tom Landry's fedora flattened under a steamroller of Riggo Drills.[/SIZE]

Dec. 9, 1984: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders' season dangled from a ledge late today at Texas Stadium. They trailed the Dallas Cowboys by 15 points at halftime and their playoff hopes, it seemed, were a blink away from becoming remote. But then Commanders cornerback Darrell Green returned an interception 32 yards for a score. That was the spark that rekindled the flame of the team that has appeared in the last two Super Bowls. The Commanders defeated the Cowboys, 30-28.[/SIZE]

Sept. 9, 1985: [SIZE=-1]What a disastrous way for a football team to start a season. What a miserable way for a guy to spend a birthday. What a score. What a loss. The Washington Commanders, notoriously slow starters under Coach Joe Gibbs, began 1985 with their worst defeat in six seasons, losing tonight to the Dallas Cowboys, 44-14.[/SIZE]

Oct. 12, 1986: [SIZE=-1]What more could have gone wrong today for the Washington Commanders? Two controversial calls by officials hurt them badly, Herschel Walker tore them apart early and often, and their own mistakes beat them in the end. It was another miserable day for Washington in Texas Stadium, and when it was over, the Dallas Cowboys (4-2) had thoroughly defeated the previously unbeaten Commanders, 30-6, before 63,264.[/SIZE]

Nov. 23, 1986: [SIZE=-1]When the Washington Commanders spoke last week of getting their revenge against the Dallas Cowboys, there was no way anyone could have imagined exactly what they had in mind. Now we know. Fed up after losing three consecutive games to the Cowboys, the Commanders jumped to a series-record 34-point halftime lead and coasted to an incredibly one-sided 41-14 victory before 55,642 yesterday at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Oct. 19, 1987: [SIZE=-1]This wasn't supposed to be. The replacement Washington Commanders, playing without any of their veterans and without quarterback Ed Rubbert for more than three quarters, weren't given much if any chance to beat the Dallas Cowboys tonight. But they did. Stopping a furious Dallas comeback bid on fourth down at the Washington 13-yard line with two seconds to play in the game, the Commanders upset the Cowboys, 13-7, to end an improbable undefeated replacement season in first place in the NFC East.[/SIZE]

Dec. 13, 1987: [SIZE=-1]What more could you ask of the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys? Yesterday, they fought, clawed, kicked and were so nasty that a helmet even was yanked off a player's head. A big Washington lead all but evaporated into the chilly air at RFK Stadium; a late Dallas comeback fell short due to a controversial mix of a questionable coaching decision, an unusual non-measurement that infuriated Tom Landry, several penalties and an instant replay review. The Commanders won a game that meant next to nothing, 24-20, but it left opposing players pointing fingers at one another, spitting fire and complaining well into the night. Isn't that what this rivalry is all about? [/SIZE]

Oct. 9, 1988: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders' disappointing 2-3 record entering today's game against the Dallas Cowboys was due in large part to a tendency to give up big plays but make very few. The team's minus-eight turnover ratio entering the game was next to last in the NFC, tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That ratio improved substantially in Washington's 35-17 victory at Texas Stadium.[/SIZE]

Dec. 11, 1988: [SIZE=-1]Quarterback Doug Williams' fluttering, fourth-down lob to tight end Don Warren seemed as catchable as a fluff pillow yesterday until Michael Downs' fingertips intervened. The ball hit the ground, 10 delirious Dallas Cowboys hit Downs and the Washington Commanders hit cold pavement. The defending Super Bowl champions have no more playoff mathematics after a 24-17 loss at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Sept. 24, 1989: [SIZE=-1]Besides a rocky coin flip and another one of those haunting 77-yard fumble returns, the Washington Commanders today took an unimpeded path through the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium, 30-7.[/SIZE]

Nov. 5, 1989: [SIZE=-1] Quarterback Doug Williams found himself shaking off mothballs last night, and the Dallas Cowboys finally found a team they could handle -- the embarrassed Washington Commanders. Running back Paul Palmer, a Potomac native, rushed for 110 yards at RFK Stadium and personally produced the drive to his touchdown that broke a 3-3 tie. Then his 14-yard, fourth-quarter scamper set up an insurance field goal sealing the Cowboys' first victory of the NFL season and the first win of Coach Jimmy Johnson's pro career, 13-3. [/SIZE]

 

[Apefist]

[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=+1]The Rivalry: 1990-1999

[/SIZE][/FONT] Sept. 23, 1990: [SIZE=-1]Quarterback Mark Rypien's nightmarish start turned into a nightmare of a different sort yesterday while the Washington Commanders were stumbling to a 19-15 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in front of 53,804 at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Nov. 22, 1990: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders keep saying this season is about finding answers, but this afternoon they stumbled onto a few more questions during a 27-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys before 60,355 at Texas Stadium.[/SIZE]

Sept. 9, 1991: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders took all the body punches the Dallas Cowboys could offer tonight. They absorbed the best of Troy Aikman and some of the best of Emmitt Smith, and they punched out a Dallas defense that had been on a two-year roll. They survived four injuries to starters. And they still won, defeating the Cowboys, 33-31, before 63,025 in a playoff-like atmosphere at Texas Stadium. [/SIZE]

Nov. 24, 1991: [SIZE=-1]The Washington Commanders had talked about playing teams that would gamble, about onside kicks and Hail Marys and game plans that were both aggressive and free-wheeling. The Dallas Cowboys were all of those things yesterday, and though the Commanders may have known what was coming, they were still knocked off balance and handed their first loss of the season, 24-21, before 55,561 at RFK Stadium.[/SIZE]

Sept. 7, 1992: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders played 12 weeks last season before leaving the field with a loss. Tonight, the Dallas Cowboys outplayed them from beginning to end and won the regular season opener, 23-10, before 63,538 at Texas Stadium.[/SIZE]

Dec. 13, 1992: [SIZE=-1]They'd been at it for three hours, pounding at one another like a pair of heavyweights, fighting through their emotions and their fatigue and their excitement. Washington Commanders Coach Joe Gibbs later would call it a night he'd never forget, and running back Earnest Byner said it might be the biggest victory of his life, this from a guy who has played in three conference finals and a Super Bowl. And when it was all over, the Commanders emerged a 20-17 winner.[/SIZE]

Sept. 6, 1993: [SIZE=-1] With heroes coming from almost every corner of their locker room, from familiar names like Mark Rypien and Art Monk and from new ones like Reggie Brooks and Pat Eilers, the Washington Commanders opened a new era in stunningly easy fashion last night by dominating the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, 35-16, before 56,345 at raucous RFK Stadium. [/SIZE]

Dec. 26, 1993: [SIZE=-1]Throughout a horrifying 1993 season the Washington Commanders have lost many times, but rarely have been made to feel insignificant and helpless. That changed today as the Dallas Cowboys unloaded on the Commanders, 38-3, in an end-to-end stomping before 64,497 at Texas Stadium. It was the Commanders' worst loss in eight years, since the Chicago Bears beat them 45-10 on Sept. 29, 1985.[/SIZE]

Oct. 2, 1994: [SIZE=-1]Any questions? Does anyone have a doubt about how far the Washington Commanders have to go after the Dallas Cowboys came into RFK Stadium yesterday and laid a 34-7 pasting on them before 55,394?[/SIZE]

Nov. 20, 1994:[SIZE=-1]A season that ceased to be promising long ago for the Washington Commanders continued on its path today, with the Dallas Cowboys putting another licking on their former National Football Conference Eastern Division rivals, 31-7, at Texas Stadium.[/SIZE]

Oct. 1, 1995: [SIZE=-1]The only true believers wore burgundy and gold yesterday. The only people who thought the Washington Commanders had a chance against the Dallas Cowboys were on the south sideline at RFK Stadium, players and coaches united in an unlikely quest. And the Commanders' 27-23 upset victory over Dallas before 55,489 frenzied fans was theirs and theirs alone to enjoy and savor.[/SIZE]

Dec. 3, 1995: [SIZE=-1]Who knew the snow that hit Washington early last week was the first sign that hell would figuratively freeze over and the down-in-the-mouth Washington Commanders would upset the overconfident Dallas Cowboys for the second time this season? The Commanders, who had lost six of seven games since surprising the Cowboys in Washington on Oct. 1, shocked the Cowboys again today by winning, 24-17, in front of 64,866 at Texas Stadium.[/SIZE]

Nov. 28, 1996: [SIZE=-1]Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith dispelled any notion that he was ailing or washed up by running over and through the Washington Commanders today for 155 yards and three touchdowns, leading Dallas to a 21-10 victory before 64,955 at Texas Stadium.[/SIZE]

Dec. 22, 1996: [SIZE=-1]On a cold and crisp day, RFK Stadium was sold out for the 229th straight Commanders game for what was the last NFL game in the stadium's 35-year history. Dozens of former Commanders were honored at halftime by a crowd energized from the full and rich history that hangs under the stadium's roof. Even before kickoff, fans shook the stands and chanted, "We want Dallas. We want Dallas." And at the end of a long afternoon, the Commanders had a 37-10 victory over the Cowboys and a winning record for the first time since 1992.[/SIZE]

Oct. 13, 1997: [SIZE=-1]With a nation watching the Commanders played one of their best games ever under Coach Norv Turner. And they did it in style, rushing to an early lead, then holding off the Cowboys in dramatic fashion to win, 21-16. Reserve running back Stephen Davis stepped in for the injured Terry Allen to score a pair of touchdowns and rush for 94 yards. The victory left the Commanders with a 4-2 record and sole possession of the division lead. [/SIZE]

Nov. 16, 1997: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders had their biggest victory in five years within their grasp, as well as a chance to push the Cowboys out of playoff consideration. But, they couldn't finish. The Cowboys scored 11 points in the final two minutes to defeat the Commanders, 17-14, at Texas Stadium. Richie Cunningham's 42-yard field goal with four seconds left finished what quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin began by making play after play against a defense that ran out of steam. [/SIZE]

Oct. 4, 1998: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders lost to the Cowboys, 31-10, giving Washington its worst start since the 1981 season. Coach Norv Turner's job looked to be on shaky ground and veteran Darrell Green called the Commanders losing streak "the worst situation I have been in as a Commander." [/SIZE]

Dec. 27, 1998: [SIZE=-1]The Commanders, who had rebounded from a terrible start to the season, lost to the Cowboys, 23-7, in the season finale. Washington had a four game winning streak snapped as Dallas played mostly second string players since they had already locked up the NFC East title. [/SIZE]

Sept. 12, 1999: [SIZE=-1] The Commanders saw a 35-14 lead disappear and lost to the Cowboys, 41-35, when Raghib Ismail caught a 76-yard pass from Troy Aikman in overtime. [/SIZE]

Oct. 24, 1999: [SIZE=-1] With a four-game winning streak and a chance to avenge a heartbreaking opening-day loss, the Commanders came out remarkably flat and were dominated by the Cowboys, 38-20, at Texas Stadium. Comments by wide receiver Albert Connell during the week preceding the game lit a spark under Dallas cornerback Deion Sanders, who came back from a first-quarter concussion to return a punt 70 yards for a touchdown to put the finishing touches on the victory. [/SIZE]

 

[Apefist]

It only goes to 2001 in this article...

[FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=+1]The Rivalry: 2000 and Beyond

[/SIZE][/FONT] Sept. 18, 2000: [SIZE=-1] In the 11th Monday night meeting between the two rivals, the Commanders' season of enormous expectations showed serious signs of crumbling as the Cowboys, playing without starting quarterback Troy Aikman, embarrassed the Commanders, 27-21. With former coach Joe Gibbs and ex-players Art Monk and Dexter Manley in attendance, Washington wilted under a deluge of penalties and mistakes to fall to a disappointing 1-2.

[/SIZE] Dec. 10, 2000: [SIZE=-1]In his first game as interim head coach, Terry Robiskie could not find a way to stop the season from collapsing as the lackluster Commanders were routed by the lowly Cowboys in Dallas, 32-13. The firing of former coach Norv Turner the preceding Monday failed to light a spark under the Commanders, who allowed Emmitt Smith to run for 150 yards as they were eliminated from the NFC East race.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE]
Oct. 15, 2001: [SIZE=-1]The winless Commanders traveled to Dallas to face an equally hapless Cowboys team on Monday night hoping to snap a seven-game losing streak to their NFC rivals. In a game completely devoid of offense but littered with mistakes by both teams, the Commanders had victory within their grasp when Stephen Davis fumbled the ball and eventually the game away to the Cowboys in the final minutes as Dallas kept Marty Schottenheimer winless in Washington, 9-7.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE]
Dec. 2, 2001: [SIZE=-1]Having turned their season around and riding the wave of a five-game winning streak, the Commanders appeared poised to put their losing streak to the Cowboys to rest once and for all. But prosperity proved too much for the hot Commanders, who wasted a prime opportunity and dropped a 20-14 decision at FedEx Field. "They must have wanted it more than us because they're definitely not a better football team than us," said Commanders quarterback Tony Banks after the loss. [/SIZE]

 

[Mysterio]

Amazing history, thanks for this thread.