Discussing Dallas Cowboys' Best Team of the 1970s

Were it not for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys would undoubtedly be called the Team of the 1970s in the NFL. But despite finishing in second place in that distinction, during the 1970s, Dallas enjoyed many outstanding seasons.

I believe that their best year of that decade was 1977. It was a season that saw the Cowboys post an impressive 12-2 record, en route to a victory in Super Bowl XII.

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1977 DALLAS COWBOYS

The 1977 Dallas Cowboys benefitted from having a pair of Heisman Trophy winners in their offensive backfield. Veteran quarterback Roger Staubach and rookie tailback Tony Dorsett gave the Cowboys an impressive pair of weapons. The Dallas receivers were no slouches either.

Wideouts Drew Pearson and Golden Richards combined to catch 65 passes during the 1977 regular season, worth 1,095 yards. Tight end Billy Joe DuPree added another 28 receptions worth 347 yards. But perhaps the main element in the Cowboys’ air attack was setback Preston Pearson, who snared 46 passes worth 535 yards coming out of the backfield.

Dallas began their 1977 campaign by running off eight straight wins over some fairly tough opponents at Minnesota in the opening game, at St. Louis in week four, and against Washington in week five. Dallas would also make mincemeat against lesser opponents such as the New York Giants, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Detroit Lions during the first couple of months of the 1977 season.

Now the Cowboys did sustain a couple of losses that blemished their 1977 record. They were expected to beat the St. Louis Cardinals on a Monday night game at Texas Stadium on November 14, 1977. They figured that they had momentum, thanks to the fact that they defeated St. Louis earlier in the year.

But a sweep of the Cardinals did not occur. St. Louis scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to give Dallas its first loss of the season, 24-17. Then next week at Pittsburgh, the Steelers dominated the Cowboys in the second half to post a 28-13 victory over Dallas.

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Fortunately for the Cowboys, they would not taste defeat anymore in 1977 after their loss at Pittsburgh. Dallas regrouped from their two untimely losses, and rebounded to beat the Redskins, Eagles, 49ers and Broncos in succession. Their win over Washington on November 27, 1977, was especially satisfying, because it marked the first time since 1970 that they managed to sweep the Redskins during the regular season.

Their 24-14 victory over Philadelphia on December 4th was also important, because it gave them a 10-2 record, which qualified them for the playoffs.

On Monday Night Football on December 12th, however, Dallas ran into a buzzsaw at San Francisco. Yes, the Cowboys managed to prevail, 42-35. But their defense surrendered the most points that they would give up all season long, and that effectively knocked them out of any talk about this Dallas defense being the greatest of all time. Funny how one bad showing will do that to a defense.

1977 NFL PLAYOFFS

The Cowboys closed out their regular season with a 14-6 win at home over the Denver Broncos, the team that they would eventually meet in Super Bowl XII. Dallas rested most of its starting players in the second half of this game, as did Denver. Neither team actually needed to win this end-of-year contest, as both had already secured the top seed in the

Speaking of the playoffs, Dallas was running on all cylinders throughout the 1977 postseason. They destroyed the youthful Chicago Bears, 37-7. They then defeated Minnesota, 23-6, in the NFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl XII, Dallas committed plenty of mistakes and turnovers, but the Denver Broncos were guilty of committing more. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos, 27-10, and thus won the second Super Bowl in their history.

In conclusion, although the Dallas Cowboys had several great seasons during the 1970s, I feel that the 1977 NFL season was their best one of the decade.

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Trivia Question:

Tony Dorsett led the 1977 Dallas Cowboys in rushing with 1,007 yards. But who finished second on the team in rushing yards?

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Host of Pro Football in the 1970s - Joe Zagorski

Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

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