A bitter rivalry is born from the 1987 players’ strike

For the second time in the 1980s, the NFL players went out on strike after the first two games of the 1987 season.

But unlike the 1982 strike, which saw seven weeks scratched from the schedule, this time the NFL owners weren’t playing.

Cancelling only the Week 3 games, the NFL fielded teams of mostly replacement players. A handful of players eventually crossed the lines and joined the scrubs.

This included quarterback Danny White, defensive tackle Randy White, running back Tony Dorsett, and defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones.

Their presence on the field during the last of the three games played during the strike would spark a heated rivalry that lasts until today.

Mixed Results At The Start

The Cowboys looked to be headed for a season-opening win at St. Louis, leading 13-3 in the fourth quarter.

But two Neil Lomax passes to Roy Green and an Earl Ferrell 15-yard run turned that 10-point advantage into a 24-13 loss.

Dallas stayed on the road and found themselves down 14-10 in the third quarter at the Giants. Despite four White interceptions, the Cowboys rallied behind two Roger Ruzek kicks for a 16-14 win.

ANAHEIM, CA: Roger Ruzek of the Dallas Cowboys circa 1987 attempts a field goal against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)

Then the strike hit and the season really got crazy.

The Replacements

Kevin Sweeney started for Dallas in the first strike game two weeks later at the Jets. Despite completing only six of his 14 passes for 139 yards with an interception, Sweney tossed three touchdowns.

The Cowboys exited the stadium with a 38-24 victory in an ugly game that featured nine turnovers and 26 penalties for 281 yards.

Finally playing a home game, Sweeney started again and went 8-of-14 for 152 yards with a touchdown against the Eagles. Dallas jumped out to a 21-3 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Kevin Sweeney under pressure from a Giants defender. Photo courtesy of dallascowboys.com.

By halftime it was 27-10 and in the third quarter, Tom Landry decided to insert White and Dorsett into the game to get some work in preparation for starting against the Redskins the following week.

Dorsett scored a 10-yard touchdown against the Eagles scrubs and Dallas went on to a 41-22 victory.

Eagles Head Coach Buddy Ryan was seething at the move and vowed revenge. He would get it two weeks later.

White and Dorsett would start against the Redskins replacement players but they would be outplayed in a 13-7 loss.

The strike ended and Dallas found themselves at 3-2 and heading to Philadelphia and an angry head coach.

Hate In The City Of Brotherly Love

The Eagles were 1-4 coming into the game and Ryan was treating it like their Super Bowl. As they would finish tied with Dallas at 7-8 on the year it seems he was right.

With both teams at full strength with their regular players, they battled to a 13-13 tie in the third quarter. But the Eagles rolled up 17 unanswered to take a commanding 30-13 lead in the fourth.

A White to Dorsett pass of 19 yards cut the lead to 30-20 but the Eagles had the ball in the final minute. All they had to do was run two kneel downs and that would end the game.

Did I mention that Ryan was still seething about the game from two weeks earlier?

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 10: Head coach Buddy Ryan of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during a NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on October 10, 1987 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

The Eagles ran one kneel down at the Dallas 34 to run the clock down to 10 seconds. The Randall Cunningham faked a kneel down and threw a pass into the end zone.

A pass interference call was made, putting the ball on the one-yard line with two seconds on the clock. Keith Byars punched it in on the final play for a 37-20 win.

While the Cowboys rivalries with the Giants and Redskins have been heated they’ve also had a level of respect between the teams.

The Cowboys-Eagles? Ever since Ryan took over as head coach — and especially after this game on Oct. 25, 1987 — its been nothing but pure, spiteful hate on both sides.

A Comeback Falters

The Cowboys rallied with wins over the Giants (33-24) and Patriots (23-17 in overtime) sandwiched around a 27-17 loss at Detroit.

At 5-4 Dallas was still alive for the playoffs. But back-to-back losses to Miami (20-14) and Minnesota (44-38 in overtime) sealed their fate.

A 21-10 loss at home to the Falcons had owner Bum Bright – who had bought the team in 1984 – questioning Landry’s play calling. Tex Schramm – who had been with the team since Day 1 – called it the lowest he’d been.

Steve Pelluer had started against the Falcons and White returned to start the next week against the Redskins. But after a 24-20 loss White was benched for the rest of the season.

Pelluer would start the final two games and lead Dallas to wins over the Rams (29-21) and Cardinals (21-16). Both victories would knock the opponents out of playoff contention as the Cowboys were reduced to playing spoiler.

At 7-8, Dallas had suffered its first back-to-back losing seasons since the 1960s. Perhaps spoiled by decades of winning, the fanbase was displeased.

1987: Head coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys paces on the sideline during a 1987 season NFL game. Tom Landry directed the Dallas Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966-85, retiring after the 1988 season. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

As a sign of how far Landry had fallen from grace, White was forced to serve as head coach briefly during the Rams victory.

A threat against Landry’s life had been made, and he would have to wait in the locker room until it was determined to be safe enough for him to return to the sidelines.