Welcome back to another edition of the Countdown to Kickoff Series.
We’re officially 11 days out until the Dallas Cowboys take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and if you couldn’t tell by my previous posts, I’m so excited. But to keep the flow going in this series and my excitement tamed, you know the drill.
We have to commemorate the number of days until kickoff.
And in today’s post, we have a QB who not only led his franchise at the helm–but also boomed punts downfield.
(Sounds like what most HS QBs do nowadays.)
Add in that he helped the Cowboys maintain a winning culture after HOF QB Roger Staubach retired– this player was underrated and deserves his flowers.
So without further ado, let’s welcome Mr. Danny White to the stage.
Danny White’s Football Career
White’s path to the NFL was interesting to learn about because he was going to Arizona State University for baseball, but the Sun Devils Head Football coach, wanted White to punt for his team too.
I couldn’t imagine playing nine innings on a Friday night and then traveling back to campus or wherever their football game was that week to go punt on a Saturday. Add in that he eventually played QB for the university– I would make a large bet that his body was just sore every week.
While he likely had the proper training to tough it out, White was one of ASU’s best athletes as he earned All-American honors and compiled a 33-4 record as the Sun Devils QB/P.
His NFL story wouldn’t begin until 1976 as he eventually signed with the Cowboys after a short-two-year stint in the World Football League with the Memphis Southmen. From 1976 to 1979, White’s role was mainly in punting, and you could say he was pretty damn good, as he averaged around 40 yards a punt.
As mentioned, once Staubach retired in 1979, the franchise needed a replacement. They could have gone any other way, but HC Tom Landry knew who would be the answer, and White got the nod.
A full-time starter at QB now, I thought it was unique because he was able to maintain his duties at punter. (I wonder if fans would trust QB Dak Prescott to punt today.)
From 1980-1982, White successfully led his team to three straight NFC Championship games, but he, unfortunately, couldn’t win any of them. Statistically, his best year was in 1982, as he got nominated for a Pro Bowl, Second Team All-Pro, and got votes for the MVP.
But of course, you know the fanbase was spoiled from Staubach’s greatness, so his stats were meaningless, and he got criticized for failing to take the team back to the Super Bowl. And to make matters worst, injuries and inconsistent play would sum up the rest of his Cowboys career, and he retired in 1989.
While I never saw White play in my life, after reading posts about him and seeing highlights over him, he’s a QB I would have rallied behind weekly. Yes, I understand that people are mad he couldn’t take the franchise to the promised land, but he kept the team afloat after they lost arguably the Greatest Cowboy of All-Time.
So, let’s appreciate him for his accomplishments, and in today’s piece, as he’s the Greatest #11 in franchise history.
Also, if any fans have any favorite memories of White, please share them in the comments.
Danny White was a very good qb. Let’s not forget he gave the Cowboys the lead against the 49ers in the championship game only to be the victim of “The Catch”.
Totally agree Raymond, Danny was a very good QB and “The Catch” (w/ HOFer Montana) broke my heart. Three NFC Championship games in a row is nothing to sneeze at. And taking over for an NFL legend in HOFer Staubach make things a little harder.
Danny White was tasked with doing the near impossible, replacing Roger. Most fans forget that it was just a handful of Drew Pearson’s Jersey that kept Reason from breaking away from scoring a 55+ yard game winning TD on that final drive against the 49ers. Danny never got proper credit for leading Dallas to 3 straight NFC championship games. In one of Landry’s worst decisions ever was to bench Danny in 1984 in favor of Steve (who??) Pelluer. If not for that handful of jersey and his subsequent broken wrist today Danny would be remembered more like Steve Young replacing Montana than an after thought in Cowboy lore.
It was Gary Hogeboom who replaced White in 84 not Pelluer, who was his backup & replacement later in the decade.
So when I started playing football in 1976 when I was 10 years old for the Littleton Panthers, my mom says I should pick #11 because its your cousin Danny’s number. So I picked it, never really knowing who he played for and I’m from Colorado and a Broncos fan. Then in 1979, my mom goes you should go meet your cousin Danny. He will be broadcasting the game today. (Colorado Buffs) So I rode my bike down to the stadium, went up the elevator and went to the broadcast both. And there I met my cousin Danny for the first time. What a great experience. #11 has always been my lucky number, and was also my other sports number.
Danny White is definitely on my list of top 10 favorite Dallas Cowboys of all time. Now realize I followed the Cowboys as a child when Don Meredith was quarterback….. all the way through Danny White’s retirement. He was an awesome punter with a very good distance average. Very consistent and reliable while serving duty as an ever patient backup quarterback. His special punting skill, and still unnoticed and poorly recognized, was the ability to angle the ball out of bounds inside the 20 yard line on so that there was no run back. Never before or since have I seen a strategic punter that good. For the life of me, I don’t understand why other teams didn’t then and still don’t now …kick the ball out of bounds inside the 20 yard line without penalty on punts. This prevents returns and pins the opponent back. I thought he did fantastic getting the Cowboys to the NFC championship game three years in a row, and requiring a miracle and historic catch by San Francisco to take them down one year. He was the all-around Cowboy and never caused problems or complained. One of my all-time favorites !!