The Dallas Cowboys season was the team's 11th in the National Football League (NFL).
Dallas outscored their opponents 299–221, and finished first in their division for the fifth consecutive season. In 1970, the club made its debut on Monday Night Football on November 16, but were shut out 38–0 by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. The Cowboys advanced to their first Super Bowl, but lost to the Baltimore Colts 16–13.
Offseason NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1970 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeErnie BabcockDefensive tackleDartmouthJeff GuilloryRunning backIdahoCliff HarrisSafetyOuachita BaptistWalter HawkinsDefensive backUtahAaron HeardWide receiverSouthernTom Massey Defensive backStanfordBuzz MontsingerDefensive EndRichmondDoug MooersDefensive EndWhittierByron OlanderWide receiverSan Diego State
Roster
Dallas Cowboys 1970 roster Quarterbacks Craig Morton Roger Staubach
Running backs Walt Garrison Calvin Hill Dan Reeves Duane Thomas Claxton Welch
Wide receivers Bob Hayes Dennis Homan Reggie Rucker
Tight ends Mike Ditka Pettis Norman Offensive linemen Bob Asher T Tony Liscio T Dave Manders C Ralph Neely T/G John Niland G Blaine Nye G Rayfield Wright T
Defensive linemen George Andrie DE Larry Cole DE Ron East DE/DT Bob Lilly DT Jethro Pugh DT Pat Toomay DELinebackers Dave Edwards OLB Chuck Howley OLB Lee Roy Jordan MLB Steve Kiner OLB D. D. Lewis OLB Tom Stincic MLB
Defensive backs Herb Adderley CB Richmond Flowers FS Cornell Green SS Cliff Harris FS Mel Renfro CB Mark Washington CB Charlie Waters FS
Special teams Mike Clark K Ron Widby PReserve lists Margene Adkins WR (IR) Mike Gaechter SS (IR) Lance Rentzel WR (LOA)
Taxi squad Bob Belden QB John Fitzgerald T Halvor Hagen G/C Doug Mooers DE Joe Williams RB
Rookies in italics 40 active, 3 inactive, 5 practice squad
Regular season The Cowboys had to overcome many obstacles during the regular season. Fullback Calvin Hill, the team's second leading rusher with 577 yards and 4 touchdowns, was lost for the year after suffering a leg injury late in the regular season. And wide receiver Bob Hayes was benched by head coach Tom Landry for poor performances on several occasions.
Most significantly, the Cowboys had a quarterback controversy between Craig Morton and Roger Staubach. Morton and Staubach alternated as the starting quarterback during the regular season, but Landry eventually chose Morton to start Super Bowl V because he felt less confident that Staubach would follow his game plan (Landry called all of Morton's plays in Super Bowl V). Also, Morton had done extremely well in the regular season, throwing for 1,819 yards and 15 touchdowns, with seven interceptions, earning him a passer rating of 89.8. In contrast, Staubach, although a noted scrambler and able to salvage broken plays effectively, threw for 542 yards, and only two touchdowns with eight interceptions, giving him a 42.9 rating.
Hayes was the main deep threat on the team, catching 34 passes for 889 yards (a 26.1 yards per catch average) and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing 4 times for 34 yards and another touchdown, and adding another 116 yards returning punts. On the other side of the field, wide receiver Lance Rentzel recorded 28 receptions for 556 yards and 5 touchdowns.
However, the main strength on the Cowboys offense was their running game. Rookie running back Duane Thomas rushed 151 times for 803 yards (a 5.1 yards per carry average) and 5 touchdowns, while adding another 416 yards returning kickoffs. Fullback Walt Garrison, who replaced the injured Hill, provided Thomas with excellent blocking and rushed for 507 yards and 3 touchdowns himself. Garrison was also a good receiver out of the backfield, catching 21 passes for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. Up front, Pro Bowl guard John Niland and future Hall of Famer tackle Rayfield Wright anchored the offensive line.
The Cowboys had their lowest regular season (6–2 vs. Cleveland Browns) and playoff (5–0 vs. Detroit Lions) scoring games in franchise history. The playoff victory over Detroit on December 26 remains the lowest scoring postseason game in NFL history. Through the season, the Cowboys-Browns game is one of only two 6-2 games in league history; the other was a Packers-Bears game in , and the Cowboys-Lions playoff is one of three 5-0 games, along with a game between the Providence Steam Roller and Buffalo Bisons, and a Bills-Bengals game in .
For the first time, the Cowboys defeated the Green Bay Packers; this year's game was on Thanksgiving on the new artificial turf of the Cotton Bowl. Green Bay had won the first six contests, four in the regular season (1960, 1964, 1965, 1968) and two in NFL championship games (1966, 1967). The Packers won the next meeting in Green Bay in 1972.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 20 at Philadelphia Eagles W 17–7 1–0 Franklin Field 59,728 Recap 2 September 27 New York Giants W 28–10 2–0 Cotton Bowl 57,236 Recap 3 October 4 at St. Louis Cardinals L 7–20 2–1 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,780 Recap 4 October 11 Atlanta Falcons W 13–0 3–1 Cotton Bowl 53,611 Recap 5 October 18 at Minnesota Vikings L 13–54 3–2 Metropolitan Stadium 47,900 Recap 6 October 25 at Kansas City Chiefs W 27–16 4–2 Municipal Stadium 51,158 Recap 7 November 1 Philadelphia Eagles W 21–17 5–2 Cotton Bowl 55,736 Recap 8 November 8 at New York Giants L 20–23 5–3 Yankee Stadium 62,938 Recap 9 St. Louis Cardinals L 0–38 5–4 Cotton Bowl 69,323 Recap 10 November 22 at Washington Redskins W 45–21 6–4 RFK Stadium 50,415 Recap 11 November 26 Green Bay Packers W 16–3 7–4 Cotton Bowl 67,182 Recap 12 December 6 Washington Redskins W 34–0 8–4 Cotton Bowl 57,936 Recap 13 at Cleveland Browns W 6–2 9–4 Cleveland Stadium 75,458 Recap 14 December 20 Houston Oilers W 52–10 10–4 Cotton Bowl 50,504 Recap Division opponents are in bold text
Game summaries
Week 1 at Eagles
Week 2
Bob Hayes 5 Rec, 112 Yds
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Thanksgiving Day
Week 12
Week 13
The telecast was blacked out in Dallas/Fort Worth due to the NCAA College Division Pecan Bowl being played at Turnpike Stadium that day.
Week 14
The Cowboys clinched the NFC East by crushing their in-state rival, combined with the Rams' 31-3 rout of the Giants at Yankee Stadium.. Had the Giants won, they would have won the NFC East, and the Cowboys and Lions would have been forced into a coin toss for the wild card berth.
This was scheduled to be the Cowboys' last game at the Cotton Bowl. However, they hosted a playoff game six days later, and due to construction delays at Texas Stadium, would play their first two home games of the next season there.
Standings
Postseason
Round Date Opponent Result Game Site Attendance Recap Divisional Detroit Lions W 5–0 Cotton Bowl 69,613 Recap NFC Championship January 3, 1971 at San Francisco 49ers W 17–10 Kezar Stadium 59,364 Recap Super Bowl January 17, 1971 vs Baltimore Colts L 13–16 Orange Bowl 79,204 Recap
NFC Divisional Playoff
The Cowboys shut down the Lions offense and took advantage of a first-quarter field goal to outlast the Lions in the lowest-scoring playoff game in NFL history.
NFC Championship Game
Super Bowl V
Chuck Howley became the first defensive player, and only member of a losing team to be the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.
Awards and records Chuck Howley, Most Valuable Player, Super Bowl V Mel Renfro, Pro Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player
Publications The Football Encyclopedia Total Football Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes
References
External links 1970 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site