Remembering Tom Landry: Born September 11, 1924

Cover photo: Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry is carried by his players after winning Super Bowl XII on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. The Cowboys won the game 27-10 over the Denver Broncos.

Tom Landry in 1986. Photo credit: Andy Hayt, Sports Illustrated.

One of the best coaches in NFL history and a Dallas Cowboy icon was born on this date in 1924. 

Born in Mission, Texas, Tom Landry before he became a Hall of Fame head coach was a punter in both the All-America Football Conference (1949) with the New York Yankees and from 1950-1955 with the NFL’s New York Giants. In 1949, Landry led the AAFC in punt yards (2,249) and led the NFL in that category in 1952 (3,363) and 1955 (3,022). His 75 punts in ‘55 also led the NFL. In 1954, Landry was a 1st team All-Pro. 

From 1954-1959, Landry was the Giants’ defensive coordinator. In 1960, he was hired as the first head coach of the expansion Dallas Cowboys. 

In Landry’s first six seasons at the helm in Dallas, the Cowboys finished:

1960: 0-11-1

1961: 4-9-1

1962: 5-8-1

1963: 4-10

1964: 5-8-1

1965: 7-7

---

Though the team struggled from ‘60-‘65, the bones of a successful team not so far into the future were in place, with quarterback Don Meredith, running back Don Perkins, wide receiver “Bullet” Bob Hayes, and defensive tackle Bob Lilly. 

In 1966, the Cowboys turned things around, going 10-3-1 with the top scoring offense in the NFL (31.8 points per game). The Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers at The Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day 1967 in the NFL Championship, and lost 34-27. Dan Reeves and Don Perkins both scored rushing touchdowns in the game while Meredith was 15-for-31 for 238 yards, his lone touchdown throw a 68 yarder to Frank Clarke. 

The ‘67 Cowboys finished 9-5 and after trouncing the Cleveland Browns 52-14 in the divisional round squared off against the Packers again, this time at Lambeau Field in the infamous Ice Bowl. At thirteen degrees below zero, it was the coldest game ever played. The Packers emerged with the victory 21-17. 

In ‘68 and ‘69, the Cowboys finished 12-2 and 11-2-1. They had the top offense in ‘68 (30.8 points per game) but lost in the divisional round that year to the Browns. The ‘69 team averaged 26.4 points per game, second in the NFL. That squad also lost to the Browns in the divisional round. 

Over the next sixteen seasons beginning in 1970, Landry led the Cowboys on a stretch that established the franchise as America’s Team and as one of the most successful in league history. 

Roger Staubach had replaced Meredith in ‘69, and the ‘70 team in the rushing department was led by second year back Calvin Hill (four career Pro Bowls and the father of NBA star Grant), with rookie Duane Thomas and 26-year-old Walt Garrison in the fold. Hayes caught 34 balls for 889 yards for an NFL-leading 26.1 yards per catch. He scored 10 touchdowns. Lilly, “Mr. Cowboy”, made 11 Pro Bowls in his career and was a 7-time All-Pro. He is one of the best defensive linemen in history. He, 6-time Pro Bowler Chuck Howley, 5-time Pro Bowler Lee Roy Jordan, and Mel Renfro, the Hall of Fame safety and cornerback who made the Pro Bowl each season from 1964-1973, anchored the defense. The team lost 16-13 to the Colts in Super Bowl V. Howley was named MVP, the only player from the losing team in Super Bowl history to be named Most Valuable Player of the game. 

The ‘71 team defeated the Minnesota Vikings 20-12 in the divisional round, the San Francisco 49ers 14-3 in the NFC Championship, and in the Super Bowl defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-3. The offense’s 29.0 points per game was tops in the league. Thomas ran for 793 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hayes caught 35 balls for 840 yards and 8 touchdowns. Again, he led the NFL in yards per catch at 24.0. Staubach was named the MVP of Super Bowl XI, throwing for 119 yards (12-for-19) and two touchdowns. Thomas ran 19 times for 95 yards and a touchdown. 

In ‘72 and ‘73, Landry led the team to 10-4 marks, though they lost 26-3 in the ‘72 NFC Championship to George Allen’s Washington Redskins and 27-10 in the ‘73 NFC Championship to Bud Grant’s Vikings. 

The ‘74 team went 8-6 and missed the playoffs. In the ‘73 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected Harvey Martin in the third round. The defensive end made four Pro Bowls from ‘76-‘79 and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and sack leader in ‘77. He was also the MVP of Super Bowl XII, which was a 27-10 Cowboy win over the Denver Broncos.

In ‘74, the Cowboys selected Ed “Too Tall” Jones first overall. A 6 foot, 9 inch defensive end, he would go on to make three Pro Bowls and two 1st team All-Pros. In ‘75, linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson was taken 18th overall. He would be a one-time Pro Bowler, in 1978. Sixteen slots before Henderson, defensive tackle Randy White was drafted. “The Manster” between 1977-1985 would make the Pro Bowl nine times and make 1st team All-Pro eight times. 

The formation of the core of the Cowboys of the ‘70s - the Doomsday Defense with Jones, White, Martin, Henderson, and safety Cliff Harris (a rookie in ‘70, six straight Pro Bowls from ‘74-‘79) - was essentially complete. Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett, drafted 2nd overall in 1977, was a rookie on the Super Bowl XII team. Offensive Tackle Rayfield Wright had been a Cowboy since ‘67, and each year from 1971-1976 was named to the Pro Bowl. 

From 1975-1982, Landry’s Cowboys won 12 games four times and 11 games twice. They lost Super Bowl X to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-17, and lost in the divisional round in ‘76 to the Los Angeles Rams 14-12. The ‘77 iteration went 12-2, and Martin with his two sacks took Super Bowl MVP honors in the 27-10 Cowboy win. 

In ‘78, the Cowboys won 11 games and lost to the Steelers 35-31 in Super Bowl XIII. In his final Super Bowl, Staubach, who led the NFL in touchdown passes in ‘73 (23), completed 17-of-30 passes for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns. In his final season of 1979, he made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl (3,586 yards, 27 touchdowns). Staubach and Drew Pearson, a Pro Bowler in ‘74, ‘76, and ‘80, developed a strong rapport as one of the NFL’s best QB-WR tandems. Captain America and Roger the Dodger was a symbol of the early Cowboys, the face of the franchise and a beloved figure. A Lieutenant in the Vietnam War, Staubach and Landry, a World War II veteran, were the symbols of success and class that the team embodied. 

After losing 20-19 in 1979’s divisional round to the Rams, the Cowboys lost three consecutive NFC Championship games. In ‘80, they were defeated by the Eagles 20-7, in ‘81 they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 28-27, thanks in part to Dwight Clark’s famous Catch. The ‘82 team lost to the Redskins 31-17. 

With Staubach retired, Danny White, drafted in ‘76, became the starter. In ‘80, ‘81, ‘83, and ‘85, White was the starter and led the Cowboys to a combined 45-16 record. He threw 28 touchdown passes in 1980, 22 in 1981, and 29 in 1983. Dorsett in his rookie season of ‘77 ran for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in ‘78 thanks to 1,325 yards and 7 touchdowns. In ‘81 he ran for 1,646 yards and in ‘82 led the NFL in attempts with 177 (745 yards and a Pro Bowler again). His last Pro Bowl appearance was in ‘83 - 1,321 yards and 8 touchdowns. On the defensive side, from ‘81-‘85, mainstay cornerback Everson Walls made four Pro Bowls in five seasons, three times leading the NFL in interceptions (11 in ‘81, 7 in ‘82, and 9 in ‘85).

Landry led the ‘83 Cowboys to a 12-4 record. In the Wild Card round, the team lost 24-17 to the Rams. The team finished 9-7 the following season, breaking a streak of nine consecutive playoff appearances that included three Super Bowl appearances and three consecutive NFC Championship appearances. The ‘85 squad finished 10-6, the last time that Landry would lead the franchise to the postseason as they lost in the divisional round 20-0 to the Rams. 

In his final three seasons, Landry’s Cowboys went 7-9, 7-8, and 3-13. On February 25, 1989, Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys from Bum Bright and let Landry, the only head coach that Cowboys fans had ever known, go after 29 seasons. In those 29 seasons, Landry accumulated a .607 winning percentage with a record of 250-162. 

The Cowboys are currently worth $12.5 billion, an astronomical figure that leads all professional sports teams. Their popularity is global with a reach worldwide. The team began in 1960, with Landry as its head coach, Tex Schramm as President and General Manager and Bright as the owner. The trio had work to do from the ground up, but with smart drafting were able to gradually build a winning franchise, after five seasons of losing. A stretch of eight consecutive playoff appearances which included a Super Bowl win, another Super Bowl appearance, and six NFC Championship games (two wins). Then a stretch of nine consecutive postseason appearances, three Super Bowl appearances (one win), and three additional NFC title game appearances. 

Landry was at the center of it all, the sharply dressed man in the fedora and suit who exuded class. Think early NFL head coaches, and the names that jump to the forefront are Lombardi and Landry and the Chiefs’ Hank Stram. 

After 1966, the longest Landry’s Cowboys went without making the playoffs was his final three seasons. Since 1996 - when the Cowboys’ Super Bowl run (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) and six straight postseason appearances were over - the Cowboys have gone three straight years without a postseason appearance twice (2000-02, 2010-13) and two straight years without the playoffs twice (2004-05, 2019-20). After Jimmy Johnson, they have had seven head coaches (not including current head coach Brian Schottenheimer). Bill Parcells turned the team around from perennial 5-11 losers (2000-02) to a 10-6 Wild Card team in ‘03. Beyond that, since Johnson, the franchise has failed to live up to expectations. When they have had quality rosters and put together successful seasons (2007, 2014, 2016 to name three), they have failed to live up to their regular season record.  

A lot of people say that the franchise is currently chasing the glory of the ‘90s, which is true. But they are no doubt chasing the consistency and glory of Landry’s ‘boys, too. 

Tom Landry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He passed away on February 12, 2000 after a battle with leukemia.

We remember him on his birthday.