The Dallas Cowboys extended their consecutive winning season streak to nine straight in 1974. And that’s about all that was good about the year.
Well, that and two of their draft picks that spring. Ed “Too Tall” Jones (1st) and Danny White (3rd) were selected by the Cowboys and they would play huge roles in the future.
But the 1974 season would be one of disappointment and departures. Outside of Dallas, 1974 would mark the first season of the WFL. That league would last just two years.
It would also be the final year in Dallas for Bob Lilly, Walt Garrison, Cornell Green, Bob Hayes, Calvin Hill, and Craig Morton.
Failure To Launch
The Cowboys started the year with a solid 24-0 win over the Falcons in Atlanta. Roger Staubach ran for a score and tossed a 52-yard scoring pass to Golden Richards.
Robert Newhouse added a one-yard run to cap the scoring while the defense forced five turnovers. But Staubach took another beating, getting sacked seven times.
The season came unraveled with four-straight losses by a combined 16 points. The Eagles edged Dallas 16-13 on a late field goal, scoring their only touchdown on a 96-yard fumble return.
The Giants picked off three Staubach passes for a 14-6 win at Texas Stadium the next week. Staubach would throw four more interceptions against the Vikings and a late Fred Cox field goal would hand Dallas a 23-21 loss.
The Cardinals would cap the losing skid on a late field goal for a 31-28 win, despite a late Cowboys’ rally from 14-points down to tie the game.
Dallas suddenly found themselves at 1-4 and wondering just how far they would fall before hitting bottom.
Clawing Their Way Back
The Cowboys found themselves trailing the Eagles by seven going into the final quarter of Week Six. But short scoring runs by Hill and Staubach rallied the team to a 31-24 victory.
The losing streak was over. A winning streak had begun.
Drew Pearson caught a touchdown pass from Staubach, then threw a 46-yard touchdown to Golden Richards for a 21-7 win over the Giants.
The Cowboys had traded Craig Morton to the Giants just days earlier. He was picked off three times by his former team.
Dallas had to rally to beat the Cardinals at home, Efren Herrera’s 20-yard field goal giving them a 17-14 win. Calvin Hill’s six-yard rush handed the Cowboys a 20-14 victory over the 49ers.
The Redskins would score 28 unanswered points in the first half and hold off a furious rally for a 28-21 victory. Dallas would get back over the .500 mark with a lackluster 10-0 win over the Oilers.
All Hail The Mad Bomber
On Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys played the Redskins for the second time in three weeks. Dallas fell behind 16-3 after Billy Kilmer hit Duane Thomas for a nine-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
With Staubach knocked out of the game, Clint Longley was summoned from the bench. He took his place in Cowboys’ lore that day.
Longley connected with Billy Joe Dupree on a 35-yard scoring pass to make it 16-10. Walt Garrison made it 17-16 with a one-yard run.
But Thomas put Washington back up 23-17 with a 19-yard rush. A Dallas fumble set the Redskins up for a 24-yard field goal, but Jones blocked the attempt, keeping the Redskins within striking distance.
Getting the ball back for one last drive at their own 40 and just 1:45 remaining, Longley grabbed his moment of glory. On 4th-and-6 from the 44, Longley hit Hayes for a first down at midfield with 35 seconds remaining.
On the very next play, Landry called for Pearson to run a 20-yard down-and-in route. Longley and Pearson had other ideas.
The duo decided to have Pearson fake the route and try to split the secondary on a deep route instead. The play worked to perfection.
Longley hit Pearson for the game-winning, 50-yard bomb. The legend of The Mad Bomber was born.
Too Little, Too Late
The Cowboys walloped the Browns at home, 41-17, the following week to get to eight wins. They ensured a ninth-straight winning season with the victory.
But with both the Redskins, and the eventual division-winning Cardinals, well beyond their reach they had nothing to play for in the season-finale in Oakland.
The Cowboys trailed 24-9 in the third quarter on 47-year-old George Blanda’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch. Dallas rallied with two Doug Dennison rushing touchdowns but fell to the Raiders, 27-23.
At 8-6 on the season, Dallas finished third in the NFC East and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1965. Little did anyone in Dallas know at the time, but much better days were only a few months away.