1961 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1961 Dallas Cowboys season was their second in the National Football League. The team finished with 4 wins, 9 losses, and 1 tie, placing them 6th in the Eastern Conference. After going 0–11–1 the previous season, the Cowboys got their first win in franchise history with a 27–24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 1.

Offseason The Cowboys participated in their first NFL college draft following the 1960 season. Despite owning the league's worst record, the team picked second overall because the expansion Minnesota Vikings received the first overall selection. However, the team previously traded away their first round pick in the 1961 draft to the Washington Redskins for quarterback Eddie LeBaron. The Cowboys had another selection in the first round (13th overall) that they acquired from the Cleveland Browns, and with that selection they chose defensive lineman Bob Lilly from Texas Christian University. Other notable selections in the draft included offensive linemen E.J. Holub, Billy Shaw, and Stew Barber. However, all three chose to sign with teams in the rival American Football League.

Other notable acquisitions by the Cowboys during the offseason included trading for linebacker Chuck Howley from the Chicago Bears, and signing rookie free agents Amos Marsh and Warren Livingston.

The Cowboys played in the NFL's Western Division for the 1960 season, but were a "swing team" and played each of the other 12 teams in the league that year. When the Minnesota Vikings joined the league for the 1961 season, the owners of the Eastern Division teams were allowed to vote on which expansion franchise they wanted to be permanently assigned to their division. In April 1961, the Eastern Division owners voted for Dallas, largely as a safeguard against early winters in Minnesota. This also pleased Western Division owners, who preferred the Vikings because of lower travel expenses and natural geographic rivalries with teams like the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. This resulted in both Eastern and Western Divisions having seven teams.

NFL draft

Undrafted free agents

+ 1961 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeKen FrostDefensive tackleTennesseeWarren LivingstonCornerbackArizona

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1961 roster Quarterbacks Buddy Humphrey Eddie LeBaron

Running backs Merrill Douglas L. G. Dupre J. W. Lockett Amos Marsh Don Perkins

Wide receivers Frank Clarke Billy Howton Lee Murchison

Tight ends Dick Bielski K Jim Doran Offensive linemen Byron Bradfute T Mike Connelly C Andy Cvercko G Mike Falls G Bob Fry T John Houser C Bob Grottkau G Bob McCreary T

Defensive linemen Nate Borden DE Ken Frost DT Don Healy DT Bill Herchman DT Bob Lilly DELinebackers Gene Babb OLB Mike Dowdle OLB Chuck Howley OLB Jack Patera MLB Jerry Tubbs MLB

Defensive backs Don Bishop CB Tom Franckhauser SS/CB Glynn Gregory SS/WR Jimmy Harris CB/FS Dicky Moegle FS

Special teams Allen Green K/PReserve lists Bob Bercich SS (IR) Tom Braatz OLB (IR) Sonny Davis OLB (IR) Don Heinrich QB (Retired) Warren Livingston CB/FS (IR) Don Meredith QB (IR)

Rookies in italics 36 active, 6 inactive

Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 vs. Minnesota Vikings W 38–13 1–0 Howard Wood Field 4,954 2 Green Bay Packers L 7–30 1–1 Cotton Bowl 30,000 3 vs. New York Giants L 10–28 1–2 University Stadium 21,520 4 vs. Baltimore Colts W 35–24 2–2 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 19,000 5 vs. San Francisco 49ers L 7–24 2–3 Hughes Stadium 22,130

Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 17 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–24 1–0 Cotton Bowl 23,500 Recap 2 September 24 Minnesota Vikings W 21–7 2–0 Cotton Bowl 20,500 Recap 3 October 1 at Cleveland Browns L 7–25 2–1 Cleveland Stadium 43,638 Recap 4 October 8 at Minnesota Vikings W 28–0 3–1 Metropolitan Stadium 33,070 Recap 5 October 15 New York Giants L 10–31 3–2 Cotton Bowl 41,500 Recap 6 October 22 Philadelphia Eagles L 7–43 3–3 Cotton Bowl 25,000 Recap 7 October 29 at New York Giants W 17–16 4–3 Yankee Stadium 60,254 Recap 8 November 5 St. Louis Cardinals L 17–31 4–4 Cotton Bowl 20,500 Recap 9 November 12 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–37 4–5 Forbes Field 17,519 Recap 10 November 19 Washington Redskins T 28–28 4–5–1 Cotton Bowl 17,500 Recap 11 November 26 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–35 4–6–1 Franklin Field 60,127 Recap 12 December 3 Cleveland Browns L 17–38 4–7–1 Cotton Bowl 23,500 Recap 13 December 10 at St. Louis Cardinals L 13–31 4–8–1 Busch Stadium 15,384 Recap 14 December 17 at Washington Redskins L 24–34 4–9–1 D.C. Stadium 21,451 Recap Conference opponents are in bold text

Game summaries Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Standings

1961 Dallas Cowboys season

Bron en licentie