The 1968 season was supposed to be the coronation of the Dallas Cowboys as the new kings of the NFL. The Packers were old and Vince Lombardi had retired.
There was no one standing in the way of the Cowboys and that elusive first NFL Championship. A date with the AFL Champion in Miami that January was all but certain.
The 1968 Draft would net the Cowboys two future starters – guard Blaine Nye (5th round) – and linebacker D.D. Lewis (6th round) – and a surprise immediate starter in the 16th round in defensive end Larry Cole.
The Cowboys would waste little time serving notice on the NFL they had come to play in 1968. The team would go 7-0 on the road and 5-2 at home in the regular season.
A Six-Pack Of Wins
In the season-opener at the Cotton Bowl, the Lions jumped out to an early 6-0 lead before the Cowboys scored the next 38 points to crush Detroit 59-13.
The following week against the Browns, Willie Townes returned a fumble for a score and Dan Reeves added two rushing touchdowns for a 28-7 win.
Hitting the road for two games, Don Meredith threw for five touchdowns in a 45-13 win over the Eagles. He added a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown in a 27-10 win over the Cardinals.
Back home in Dallas, Meredith threw for two touchdowns in a 34-14 win over Philadelphia. The second score, a 15-yard pass, was to tight end Rayfield Wright.
It was Wright’s first reception in two years. He would catch one more pass in 1969 before converting to an offensive tackle.
A late 55-yard interception return by Cornell Green preserved a 20-7 win over the Vikings in Minnesota. The Cowboys were off to a 6-0 start.
Mid-Season Struggles
Even though Lombardi had retired, and Starr was getting old, the Packers were still a thorn in the Cowboys side. Green Bay handed Dallas its first loss, 28-17.
Starr threw four touchdowns and Meredith threw three interceptions after the Cowboys had taken an early 10-0 lead.
Bob Hayes hauled into touchdown passes from Meredith the next week as Dallas rebounded with a 17-3 win over the Saints.
But a week later Fran Tarkenton ran for a touchdown and threw for two more as the Giants left Dallas with a 27-21 win. Meredith again struggled, throwing three interceptions.
The loss dropped Dallas to 7-2 on the season on November 10, 1968. They would not lose a regular season game for the rest of the year.
Strong Finish
Dallas stormed through the final five games of the season. Back-to-back road wins over the Redskins (44-24) and the Bears (34-3) righted the ship.
Cole’s five-yard interception return in the late stages sealed a 29-20 win at home over the Redskins. A 28-7 win over the Steelers closed out the home schedule.
The Cowboys finished the season with a 28-10 road win over the Giants. At 12-2 only the Colts’ 13-1 record was better than the Cowboys’.
A date with Baltimore for the NFL Championship seemed all but certain. Only a divisional round playoff game at Cleveland stood in the way of destiny.
Meredith’s Last Stand
At the time, the team with the better record did not automatically host the playoff game. The NFL rotated home field in the 1960s instead.
So, despite having a better record at 12-2 to the Browns’ 10-4, the Cowboys hit the road. There was not much concern at the time.
After all, Dallas had steamrolled the Browns earlier in the year and the Cowboys had gone 7-0 away from the Cotton Bowl.
Chuck Howley’s 44-yard fumble return and a Mike Clark 45-yard field goal put Dallas up 10-3 in the second quarter. Then it all unraveled.
Leroy Kelly scored two long touchdowns – a 45-yard reception and a 35-yard rush – and Dale Lindsey returned an interception 27 yards for a score.
Suddenly, the Browns were up 24-10 in the third quarter. Meredith was pulled after throwing a third interception.
Despite being the favorites the Cowboys left Cleveland with a stunning 31-20 loss. The coronation in Dallas had been cancelled.
A Bitter Consolation Prize
The Cowboys were relegated to the Playoff Bowl game against the Vikings while the Colts and Browns played for the right to meet the Jets in Super Bowl III.
Meredith managed to throw a touchdown in the first half, while Craig Morton played in the second half. Morton’s late touchdown pass gave Dallas a 17-13 victory.
It was the last time Meredith played in an NFL game. At the age of 30 Dandy Don retired.
Meredith finished with a regular-season record of 47-32-4 and 17,199 passing yards with 135 touchdowns and 111 interceptions. But he was just 1-3 in the playoffs.
The Morton Era had begun in Dallas. But it would not last long as the man who would take the Cowboys all the way to the top would soon arrive.