This Cowboys SB that had the most HOFers in it of any SB game ever

[Bobhaze]

Super Bowl XIII, in late Jan, 1979, featured NFC Champion and defending SB champs the Cowboys against AFC champion and (at that time 2 time SB champ) the Steelers. That game was not only a clash of football titans- it had THE MOST HALL OF FAMERS TO EVER BE IN A SB. And it’s not even close.

There were 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that game that day. A record that still stands today.

Sadly, the Cowboys lost this great battle 35-31 (the most disappointing loss I ever felt as a Cowboys fan) But as time goes on, this game stands as a game that had the biggest collection of NFL studs in the history of the NFL.

Here were the HOFers from each team:
DALLAS COWBOYS

• Roger Staubach- QB
• Tony Dorsett- RB
• Rayfield Wright- T
• Randy White- DT
• Cliff Harris- S
• Tom Landry- HC
• Tex Schramm (General Mgr)
• Jackie Smith- TE (inducted as a Cardinal)
• Mike Ditka- was Asst. Head Coach and ST coach under Landry that year
• Ernie Stautner- was Cowboys DL Coach. Was inducted as Steeler for his great career as DL in the 50s and 60s.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Terry Bradshaw QB
• Franco Harris RB
• Lynn Swann WR
• John Stallworth WR
• Mike Webster C
• Mean Joe Greene- DT
• Jack Lambert- MLB
• Jack Ham- OLB
• Mel Blount- CB
• Donny Shell- S
• Art Rooney- Owner
• Dan Rooney- Owner
• Chuck Noll- HC

The number of HOFers should be higher because it’s an absolute crime that Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall.
Maybe in the near future that gets rectified.

 

[cowboyec]

.

 

[Bigdog]

Is this the one where Jackie Slater dropped the ball in the end zone or was that the earlier one? I saw his name on the list and brought back flashback of the drop.

 

[OmerV]

Super Bowl XIII, in late Jan, 1979, featured NFC Champion and defending SB champs the Cowboys against AFC champion and (at that time 2 time SB champ) the Steelers. That game was not only a clash of football titans- it had THE MOST HALL OF FAMERS TO EVER BE IN A SB. And it’s not even close.

There were 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that game that day. A record that still stands today.

Sadly, the Cowboys lost this great battle 35-31 (the most disappointing loss I ever felt as a Cowboys fan) But as time goes on, this game stands as a game that had the biggest collection of NFL studs in the history of the NFL.

Here were the HOFers from each team:
DALLAS COWBOYS

• Roger Staubach- QB
• Tony Dorsett- RB
• Rayfield Wright- T
• Randy White- DT
• Cliff Harris- S
• Tom Landry- HC
• Tex Schramm (General Mgr)
• Jackie Smith- TE (inducted as a Cardinal)
• Mike Ditka- was Asst. Head Coach and ST coach under Landry that year
• Ernie Stautner- was Cowboys DL Coach. Was inducted as Steeler for his great career as DL in the 50s and 60s.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Terry Bradshaw QB
• Franco Harris RB
• Lynn Swann WR
• John Stallworth WR
• Mike Webster C
• Mean Joe Greene- DT
• Jack Lambert- MLB
• Jack Ham- OLB
• Mel Blount- CB
• Donny Shell- S
• Art Rooney- Owner
• Dan Rooney- Owner
• Chuck Noll- HC

The number of HOFers should be higher because it’s an absolute crime that Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall.
Maybe in the near future that gets rectified.

Gil Brandt - Cowboys executive/player personnel director. Maybe this list was created before he was inducted.

 

[DallasEast]

The number of HOFers should be higher because it’s an absolute crime that Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall.
Maybe in the near future that gets rectified.

I would say it is unquestionably evil but "absolute crime" works too.

 

[12+88=7]

Super Bowl XIII, in late Jan, 1979, featured NFC Champion and defending SB champs the Cowboys against AFC champion and (at that time 2 time SB champ) the Steelers. That game was not only a clash of football titans- it had THE MOST HALL OF FAMERS TO EVER BE IN A SB. And it’s not even close.

There were 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that game that day. A record that still stands today.

Sadly, the Cowboys lost this great battle 35-31 (the most disappointing loss I ever felt as a Cowboys fan) But as time goes on, this game stands as a game that had the biggest collection of NFL studs in the history of the NFL.

Here were the HOFers from each team:
DALLAS COWBOYS

• Roger Staubach- QB
• Tony Dorsett- RB
• Rayfield Wright- T
• Randy White- DT
• Cliff Harris- S
• Tom Landry- HC
• Tex Schramm (General Mgr)
• Jackie Smith- TE (inducted as a Cardinal)
• Mike Ditka- was Asst. Head Coach and ST coach under Landry that year
• Ernie Stautner- was Cowboys DL Coach. Was inducted as Steeler for his great career as DL in the 50s and 60s.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Terry Bradshaw QB
• Franco Harris RB
• Lynn Swann WR
• John Stallworth WR
• Mike Webster C
• Mean Joe Greene- DT
• Jack Lambert- MLB
• Jack Ham- OLB
• Mel Blount- CB
• Donny Shell- S
• Art Rooney- Owner
• Dan Rooney- Owner
• Chuck Noll- HC

The number of HOFers should be higher because it’s an absolute crime that Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall.
Maybe in the near future that gets rectified.

I have said this before, but the 70s were the best era of football.

You had six teams that could win the SB, Dallas, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, or Oakland.

If you look at the rosters of these teams you will see that they are stacked with HOFers and the near HOFers of players. These six teams were led by the best of the best Landry, Grant, Knox, Shula, Noll, and Madden.

There is always this question about Dallas only winning 2 SBs during this time. But the answer is the competition. To win a championship each of these teams would have to usually win three games against this field. Pittsburgh won four only because it beat Dallas twice or the numbers would be reversed.

When today's posters talk about the 90s team I laugh. Imagine the 90s teams having to play a team of San Francisco's caliber(the only team on Dallas's level) for three games for a decade to win a championship.

You will never, ever have that amount of great teams for such a period of time. That is why it will always be the best era of football.

 

[Kolemmitt]

If we had won just one of those games against the Steelers, they would have had to split "the team of the 70s" banner. Win both and we were hands down "team of the 70s." No doubt we would have had a few more Cowboys in the HOF if that was the case. Crazy what just a few points can do.

 

[Bobhaze]

Is this the one where Jackie Slater dropped the ball in the end zone or was that the earlier one? I saw his name on the list and brought back flashback of the drop.

Jackie Smith not Slater. Smith played his final year in the NFL for the Cowboys, after a HOF career as a TE for the then St. Louis Cardinals. He was a great player whose drop in that game overshadowed his time here.

 

[Bobhaze]

Gil Brandt - Cowboys executive/player personnel director. Maybe this list was created before he was inducted.

Thank you brother. Bad omission on my part! That makes 24!

 

[BourbonBalz]

Super Bowl XIII, in late Jan, 1979, featured NFC Champion and defending SB champs the Cowboys against AFC champion and (at that time 2 time SB champ) the Steelers. That game was not only a clash of football titans- it had THE MOST HALL OF FAMERS TO EVER BE IN A SB. And it’s not even close.

There were 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that game that day. A record that still stands today.

Sadly, the Cowboys lost this great battle 35-31 (the most disappointing loss I ever felt as a Cowboys fan) But as time goes on, this game stands as a game that had the biggest collection of NFL studs in the history of the NFL.

Here were the HOFers from each team:
DALLAS COWBOYS

• Roger Staubach- QB
• Tony Dorsett- RB
• Rayfield Wright- T
• Randy White- DT
• Cliff Harris- S
• Tom Landry- HC
• Tex Schramm (General Mgr)
• Jackie Smith- TE (inducted as a Cardinal)
• Mike Ditka- was Asst. Head Coach and ST coach under Landry that year
• Ernie Stautner- was Cowboys DL Coach. Was inducted as Steeler for his great career as DL in the 50s and 60s.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Terry Bradshaw QB
• Franco Harris RB
• Lynn Swann WR
• John Stallworth WR
• Mike Webster C
• Mean Joe Greene- DT
• Jack Lambert- MLB
• Jack Ham- OLB
• Mel Blount- CB
• Donny Shell- S
• Art Rooney- Owner
• Dan Rooney- Owner
• Chuck Noll- HC

The number of HOFers should be higher because it’s an absolute crime that Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall.
Maybe in the near future that gets rectified.

Harvey Martin as well.

 

[Bigdog]

Jackie Smith not Slater. Smith played his final year in the NFL for the Cowboys, after a HOF career as a TE for the then St. Louis Cardinals. He was a great player whose drop in that game overshadowed his time here.

That is what I met. Don't know why Jackie Slater came into my head. My bad. Yeah Smith was a great player. It was an unfortunate drop as he was so why open on the play. Never the less even though we lost the game it was great SB as a fan of football.

 

[Bobhaze]

That is what I met. Don't know why Jackie Slater came into my head. My bad. Yeah Smith was a great player. It was an unfortunate drop as he was so why open on the play. Never the less even though we lost the game it was great SB as a fan of football.

Roger Staubach often said that it was also partly his own fault- Jackie Smith was so wide open Roger didn’t throw it as hard as he normally would have and slightly under threw Smith. Still should have been caught.

 

[Red Dragon]

Both Pittsburgh Super Bowl losses were marred by questionable officiating. SBXIII, we all know, so I won't go into that. But Super Bowl X three years earlier stands as a record; it is the only Super Bowl in which one team (the Steelers) went the entire game without having a single penalty flag thrown against them. Are we seriously supposed to believe that over the course of 130+ plays in that game, that not a single one of the Steelers players committed a single hold, or pass interference, or defensive illegal contact? Remember that holding happens on a great many plays in the NFL, it just isn't called.

 

[Bigdog]

Roger Staubach often said that it was also partly his own fault- Jackie Smith was so wide open Roger didn’t throw it as hard as he normally would have and slightly under threw Smith. Still should have been caught.

I agree but sometimes when your that wide open you can't believe it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[tyke1doe]

Super Bowl XIII, in late Jan, 1979, featured NFC Champion and defending SB champs the Cowboys against AFC champion and (at that time 2 time SB champ) the Steelers. That game was not only a clash of football titans- it had THE MOST HALL OF FAMERS TO EVER BE IN A SB. And it’s not even close.

There were 23 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that game that day. A record that still stands today.

Sadly, the Cowboys lost this great battle 35-31 (the most disappointing loss I ever felt as a Cowboys fan) But as time goes on, this game stands as a game that had the biggest collection of NFL studs in the history of the NFL.

Here were the HOFers from each team:
DALLAS COWBOYS

• Roger Staubach- QB
• Tony Dorsett- RB
• Rayfield Wright- T
• Randy White- DT
• Cliff Harris- S
• Tom Landry- HC
• Tex Schramm (General Mgr)
• Jackie Smith- TE (inducted as a Cardinal)
• Mike Ditka- was Asst. Head Coach and ST coach under Landry that year
• Ernie Stautner- was Cowboys DL Coach. Was inducted as Steeler for his great career as DL in the 50s and 60s.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Terry Bradshaw QB
• Franco Harris RB
• Lynn Swann WR
• John Stallworth WR
• Mike Webster C
• Mean Joe Greene- DT
• Jack Lambert- MLB
• Jack Ham- OLB
• Mel Blount- CB
• Donny Shell- S
• Art Rooney- Owner
• Dan Rooney- Owner
• Chuck Noll- HC

The number of HOFers should be higher because it’s an absolute crime that Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall.
Maybe in the near future that gets rectified.

Even though we loss, that was the best Super Bowl eva! I don't think you'll ever have as star-studded a Super Bowl as Super Bowl 13.

 

[tyke1doe]

Roger Staubach often said that it was also partly his own fault- Jackie Smith was so wide open Roger didn’t throw it as hard as he normally would have and slightly under threw Smith. Still should have been caught.

Staubach was being classy as he always was. That ball was on the mark. Smith just blew it.
But we REALLY lost that game on strategy. The game plan should have centered around Tony Dorsett. The Steelers later said if we would have fed him the ball, they wouldn't have been able to stop him.
Also, whose bright idea was it to put Randy White with a cast on his hand on special teams.
And I won't mention the Bennie Blades phantom pass interference.

 

[Red Dragon]

Staubach was being classy as he always was. That ball was on the mark. Smith just blew it.
But we REALLY lost that game on strategy. The game plan should have centered around Tony Dorsett. The Steelers later said if we would have fed him the ball, they wouldn't have been able to stop him.

Yes, this was Landry getting too fancy for his own good. You go with what works until or unless the other team can stop it. Dorsett was unstoppable early on in that game, so Dallas should have just crammed the running game down Pittsburgh's throats.

 

[JoeKing]

This game was so painful to lose. I remember watching it with my extended family at my grandparent's house. I also remember crying in the car all the way back home.

 

[MichaelValentino]

If we had won just one of those games against the Steelers, they would have had to split "the team of the 70s" banner. Win both and we were hands down "team of the 70s." No doubt we would have had a few more Cowboys in the HOF if that was the case. Crazy what just a few points can do.

In the 1970s, during the regular season, Dallas was 105-39, while Pittsburgh went 102-42. In the playoffs, Dallas was 14-7 for the decade; Pittsburgh, 14-4. Had Dallas won either SB vs Pittsburgh, the Cowboys would have been 3-2 in the SB vs Pittsburgh's 3-1, with Dallas posting a playoff record of 15-6 to Pittsburgh's 13-5. It's almost a certainty the Cowboys would have been the team of the 70s even with one win vs Pittsburgh.

Also, had Dallas won one of those - especially SB XIII - it's likely that instead of five players in Canton, they'd have six or seven as Drew Pearson would be in, and possibly Harvey Martin. If you compare Martin's stats to Richard Dent's - as well as his impact on the game - you'll see how no. 79 deserves to be in Canton.

Another sad reality in the 70s is the way Dallas was robbed in SB V vs. the Colts. The bad call on Duane Thomas's fumble and the fluke play on the tipped pass that John Mackey took 75 yds hurt Dallas, which could have been up 20-0 at halftime. That was a game the Cowboys should have won. Even so, with two losses to the Steelers, even if the Cowboys went 3-2 in the SB by beating the Colts, Pittsburgh would still have been team of the decade.

If Dallas could have won both SBs against the Steelers, Staubach would be regarded today as the greatest QB in history. Taking nothing away from Brady, but he never faced a defense the likes of the Steelers, who from 74-78 were as dominant as any defensive team in NFL history. Without looking it up, did any defense have more HOFers in the lineup than the 70s Steelers? I don't think the 60s Packers had as many HOFers on defense, and the 85 Bears certainly didn't (three).

We can play the "only if" game all day, but just think if Duane Thomas stayed in Dallas and played at a level equal to his talent. He'd have been in his prime in 1975, and the Cowboys would have had him in the backfield against Pittsburgh in that SB. Thomas could have been the difference maker, as the Cowboys could do nothing on the ground, especially in the 2nd half.

 

[MichaelValentino]

Staubach was being classy as he always was. That ball was on the mark. Smith just blew it.
But we REALLY lost that game on strategy. The game plan should have centered around Tony Dorsett. The Steelers later said if we would have fed him the ball, they wouldn't have been able to stop him.
Also, whose bright idea was it to put Randy White with a cast on his hand on special teams.
And I won't mention the Bennie Blades phantom pass interference.

Tyke, you're singing my tune.

On the first possession, the Cowboys handed off to Dorsett three times, who gained 37 yards. Donnie Shell made an ankle tackle that saved a long touchdown. Then Landry called the ill-fated double reverse. The Dallas O-line was blowing Pittsburgh off the ball. Even Rafferty was winning his battle vs. Joe Greene on that first drive, and Lambert was being neutralized by Fitzgerald.

Landry should have handed off to Dorsett 25 times and thrown to him more than the five times they did. And why have Newhouse run eight times (for 3 yards)? Those were eight carries Dorsett could have had. Easily the fastest player on the field, and a tough inside runner, TD should have been the focal point from the opening gun.

Randy White broke his thumb in the NFCCG on Pat Haden's helmet, and with that huge cast was at a disadvantage going up against Sam Davis and Mike Webster. Having him on the kick coverage team? I don't get it.

I love and respect Coach Landry, but it's true that Pittsburgh had Dallas's number in the 70s. I think there was a mental advantage that Steelers took into those games. I've wondered how those teams would have done, especially the 78 teams, if Johnson was coaching them.

Benny Barnes, not Blades. The 78 Cowboys were solid everywhere but corner. Barnes and Aaron Kyle were mediocre DBs. The 77 Cowboys had Mel Renfro and that D was more dominant than the 78 team.