50 Seasons Series: 1960 Regular Season, Part 2

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From: knowyourdallascowboys.com

This post is part of the 50 Seasons in 50 Weeks Series.

Below are summaries of the six games played in the second half of the 1960 season.

Please click here for the summaries of games 1 through 6.

Week 7: November 6, 1960

Los Angeles Rams 38, Dallas 13

Frank Ryan, who later led the Cleveland Browns to a NFL Championship, threw three touchdown passes as the Cowboys suffered another blowout loss. The more significant aspect of this game was it featured the debut of Don Meredith as starting quarterback. He struggled, to say the least, as the Cowboys completed only nine passes for 75 yards and suffered three interceptions. Rookie fullback Walt Kowalczyk put in the best performance of the day, rushing for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Dallas Morning News: Cowboys Bow, 38-13, For 7th Straight Loss | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 8: November 13, 1960

Green Bay 41, Dallas 7

Tom Landry turned to Don Heinrich as the starter in week 8 of the 1960 season, but he fared no better than Meredith or Eddie LeBaron. The Cowboys had no answer for the Green Bay ground attack, which gained 165 yards. Jim Taylor had three touchdowns. Dallas did not score until midway through the fourth quarter, when Meredith hit Kowalczyk on a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Dallas Morning News: Green Bay Runs Over Dallas Cowboys, 41-7 | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 9: November 20, 1960

San Francisco 26, Dallas 14

The Cowboys could not hold on to a 14-9 fourth quarter lead, giving up 17 late points and falling 26-14 to the 49ers. About 10,000 Cotton Bowl fans saw the longest play of the 1960 season when LeBaron hit Frank Clarke on a 76-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that gave Dallas the 14-9 lead. However, on the ensuing drive, San Francisco quarterback John Brodie drove the 49ers into Dallas territory, and running back C. R. Roberts put the 49ers on top for good with a 20-yard touchdown run. Dallas fumbled on two consecutive kickoff returns, and San Francisco was able to put the game away with 10 more points.

Dallas Morning News: 49ers Scuttle Cowboy Lead, Post 26-14 Win | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 10: November 27, 1960

Chicago 17, Dallas 7

The “stubborn, luckless” Cowboys fell behind 14-0 in the first half to the Bears, who gained a total of 221 yards on the ground. Dallas cut the lead to 14-7 when Heinrich hit running back Don McIlhenny on a 64-yard catch-and-run. However, in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys turned the ball over deep in their own territory when a punt took a crazy bounce and hit safety Bill Butler. Chicago converted the turnover by kicking a field goal, which put the game out of reach.

Dallas Morning News: Cowboys Tumble, 17-7 | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 11: December 4, 1960

Dallas 31, N.Y. Giants 31

In what Tex Schramm later described as the Cowboys’ Super Bowl for the 1960 season, Dallas managed a 31-31 tie with Landry’s old team, the Giants. Eddie LeBaron played the entire game, completing 17 of 35 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yarder to Billy Howton with 2:37 remaining. Running back L.G. Dupre also had a good game, catching two touchdown passes from LeBaron and running for another.

Dallas Morning News: Cowboys Battle New York To 31-31 Deadlock | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Week 12: December 11, 1960

Detroit 23, Dallas 14

The Cowboys played their final game of the 1960 season at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. Lion running back Nick Pietrosante scored on touchdown runs of 43 and 40 yards in the first half, giving Detroit a 16-7 lead. Dallas was unable to make a dent in the lead in the second half and lost for the eleventh time.

Dallas Morning News: Cowboys Lose Finale, 23-14 | Box Score (Pro-Football-Reference)

Final Synopsis of the 1960 Season

The 1960 Cowboys had chances to make strides, but nearly all of the newspaper accounts of those games note that Dallas was prone to make mistakes. The Cowboys scored 14 or fewer points in five of their last six games and in nine of their games during the season. On the other hand, the team stayed in several of their games until late, which was a positive sign.

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