Post by prossman on Jul 6, 2009 7:38:11 GMT -7
DC.COM: Cowboys Top 50: Dandy Don Began Cowboys Strong Tradition At QB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meredith still holds the club's single-game passing record with 460 yards against the 49ers in 1963.
The Cowboys may be getting ready for a new chapter with the opening of their stadium in Arlington, but this also marks the 50th anniversary season for the club.
With the help of a nine-person panel, DallasCowboys.com decided to compile a list of the Top 50 players in team history. The panel included Brad Sham, the play-by-play radio voice of the Cowboys for 32 years, Dallascowboys.com columnist Mickey Spagnola, and website beat writers Nick Eatman, Rob Phillips and Josh Ellis. Also on the panel were Bill Jones, a Dallas-area broadcaster for more than 25 years, along with Cowboys TV and radio producers Jon Ingham, Bill Carruthers and Douglas Barricklow.
Each day we'll count down from 50, providing a quick look back and highlighting another key player that has helped build the Cowboys to America's Team status.
17. Don Meredith
Position: Quarterback
Cowboys Career: 1960-68
Honors: Three-time Pro Bowl pick; Meredith started at quarterback for the Cowboys' first five playoff games.
Highest Ranking From Panel: 11
After spending his entire life in North Texas, it looked for a moment that Don Meredith would be heading north.
He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1960, and appeared on his way to the Windy City before the Bears traded him to a familiar place. Meredith was sent to the Cowboys, where he was already a well-known commodity, having starred at SMU in Dallas after a high school career in nearby Mount Vernon in East Texas.
When Meredith got to the Cowboys, he waited his turn a few years behind Eddie LeBaron as the struggling expansion team needed some time to get off the ground. When Meredith finally got his turn, it wasn't long before he was the leader of one of the NFL's top young teams.
From a six-year span from 1963-68, Meredith was the Cowboys' starting quarterback, and he set the bar at the position that would eventually produce greats such as Roger Staubach, Danny White, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo.
Meredith still holds the Cowboys' record for most passing yards in a game, when he torched the 49ers for 460 in a 1963 contest. Meredith actually has three of the top four passing days, also throwing for 406 and 394 yards, both occurring in the 1966 season.
Teaming up with "Bullet" Bob Hayes, Meredith was one of the NFL's top passers as well. He made the Pro Bowl three straight years from 1966-68.
However, similar to the Cowboys' current quarterback situation, Meredith put up plenty of stats, but was often criticized for his failure to lead his team over the top. He was just 1-4 in five career playoff games and was quarterback of the team that was often dubbed "Next Year's Champion."
As popular as Meredith was as a player, he might have received even more fame after he suddenly retired in 1969. Meredith wound up in the TV booth of Monday Night Football, teaming up with Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell. Meredith's trademark phrase came at the end of football games when he would often sing Willie Nelson's famous song "Turn Out the Lights, The Party's Over."
But Meredith's football career certainly hasn't been forgotten. Along with running back Don Perkins, Meredith was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium in 1976 as the first offensive players. He is just one of three quarterbacks in the Ring, joining Staubach and Aikman.
Meredith currently ranks among team leaders in nearly every club passing category, including yards (17,199), touchdowns (135) and quarterback rating (74.7).
__________________
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meredith still holds the club's single-game passing record with 460 yards against the 49ers in 1963.
The Cowboys may be getting ready for a new chapter with the opening of their stadium in Arlington, but this also marks the 50th anniversary season for the club.
With the help of a nine-person panel, DallasCowboys.com decided to compile a list of the Top 50 players in team history. The panel included Brad Sham, the play-by-play radio voice of the Cowboys for 32 years, Dallascowboys.com columnist Mickey Spagnola, and website beat writers Nick Eatman, Rob Phillips and Josh Ellis. Also on the panel were Bill Jones, a Dallas-area broadcaster for more than 25 years, along with Cowboys TV and radio producers Jon Ingham, Bill Carruthers and Douglas Barricklow.
Each day we'll count down from 50, providing a quick look back and highlighting another key player that has helped build the Cowboys to America's Team status.
17. Don Meredith
Position: Quarterback
Cowboys Career: 1960-68
Honors: Three-time Pro Bowl pick; Meredith started at quarterback for the Cowboys' first five playoff games.
Highest Ranking From Panel: 11
After spending his entire life in North Texas, it looked for a moment that Don Meredith would be heading north.
He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1960, and appeared on his way to the Windy City before the Bears traded him to a familiar place. Meredith was sent to the Cowboys, where he was already a well-known commodity, having starred at SMU in Dallas after a high school career in nearby Mount Vernon in East Texas.
When Meredith got to the Cowboys, he waited his turn a few years behind Eddie LeBaron as the struggling expansion team needed some time to get off the ground. When Meredith finally got his turn, it wasn't long before he was the leader of one of the NFL's top young teams.
From a six-year span from 1963-68, Meredith was the Cowboys' starting quarterback, and he set the bar at the position that would eventually produce greats such as Roger Staubach, Danny White, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo.
Meredith still holds the Cowboys' record for most passing yards in a game, when he torched the 49ers for 460 in a 1963 contest. Meredith actually has three of the top four passing days, also throwing for 406 and 394 yards, both occurring in the 1966 season.
Teaming up with "Bullet" Bob Hayes, Meredith was one of the NFL's top passers as well. He made the Pro Bowl three straight years from 1966-68.
However, similar to the Cowboys' current quarterback situation, Meredith put up plenty of stats, but was often criticized for his failure to lead his team over the top. He was just 1-4 in five career playoff games and was quarterback of the team that was often dubbed "Next Year's Champion."
As popular as Meredith was as a player, he might have received even more fame after he suddenly retired in 1969. Meredith wound up in the TV booth of Monday Night Football, teaming up with Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell. Meredith's trademark phrase came at the end of football games when he would often sing Willie Nelson's famous song "Turn Out the Lights, The Party's Over."
But Meredith's football career certainly hasn't been forgotten. Along with running back Don Perkins, Meredith was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium in 1976 as the first offensive players. He is just one of three quarterbacks in the Ring, joining Staubach and Aikman.
Meredith currently ranks among team leaders in nearly every club passing category, including yards (17,199), touchdowns (135) and quarterback rating (74.7).
__________________