1971 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1971 11–3 1st NFC East Tom Landry Tex Schramm Clint Murchison Jr. Cotton Bowl Texas Stadium Won Divisional Playoffs(at Vikings) 20–12Won NFC Championship(vs. 49ers) 14–3Won Super Bowl VI(vs. Dolphins) 24–3 Cowboys seasons The 1971 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL), the first at the new Texas Stadium in suburban Irving, Texas, and the 12th season under head coach Tom Landry. The Cowboys led the NFL with 406 points scored. Their defense allowed 222 points. For the sixth consecutive season, the Cowboys had a first-place finish. They won their second-consecutive NFC championship, then defeated the Miami Dolphins 24–3 in Super Bowl VI to capture their first Super Bowl championship. They were the first team from the NFC to win a Super Bowl since the 1970 merger of the NFL and the American Football League (AFL), and subsequently, the first team from the NFC East division to win the title. NFL draft The 1971 NFL draft was widely regarded as one of the weakest in the franchise's history, although the Cowboys recoupled draft picks by trading Tody Smith and Ike Thomas to other teams. Third-round selection Bill Gregory played seven seasons with the Cowboys, winning two Super Bowl rings. Eighth-round selection Ron Jessie was cut after the Cowboys acquired San Diego Chargers All-Pro Lance Alworth, but later enjoyed a long and successful NFL career with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams. 1971 NFL draft 1971 Dallas Cowboys 1 25 Tody Smith DE USC yes 2 51 Ike Thomas DB Bishop yes 3 69 Sam Scarber RB New Mexico no 3 77 Bill Gregory DT Wisconsin yes 4 80 Joe Carter TE Grambling State no 4 103 Adam Mitchell OT Ole Miss no 5 129 Ron Kadziel LB Stanford no 6 155 Steve Maier WR Northern Arizona no 7 181 Bill Griffin OT Catawba no 8 206 Ron Jessie WR Kansas no yes 9 233 Honor Jackson DB Pacific no 10 259 Rodney Wallace OT New Mexico yes 11 285 Ernest Bonwell DT Lane no 12 311 Steve Goepel QB Colgate no 13 337 James Ford RB Texas Southern no 14 363 Tyrone Couey DB Utah State no 15 389 Bob Young TE Delaware no 16 415 John Brennan OT Boston College no 17 440 John Bomer C Memphis The Football Database. Retrieved 2015-Jul-31. Roster Dallas Cowboys 1971 roster Quarterbacks 14 Craig Morton 12 Roger Staubach Running backs 32 Walt Garrison 35 Calvin Hill 30 Dan Reeves 33 Duane Thomas 42 Claxton Welch Wide receivers 19 Lance Alworth 22 Bob Hayes 31 Gloster Richardson Tight ends 89 Mike Ditka 87 Billy Truax Offensive linemen 62 John Fitzgerald C/G 79 Forrest Gregg G/T 64 Tony Liscio T 51 Dave Manders C 76 John Niland G 61 Blaine Nye G 71 Rodney Wallace G/T 70 Rayfield Wright T Defensive linemen 66 George Andrie DE 63 Larry Cole DE 77 Bill Gregory DT 74 Bob Lilly DT 75 Jethro Pugh DT 85 Tody Smith DE 67 Pat Toomay DELinebackers 60 Lee Roy Caffey OLB 52 Dave Edwards OLB 54 Chuck Howley OLB 55 Lee Roy Jordan MLB 50 D. D. Lewis OLB Defensive backs 26 Herb Adderley CB 34 Cornell Green SS 43 Cliff Harris FS 20 Mel Renfro CB 37 Ike Thomas CB 41 Charlie Waters FS Special teams 83 Mike Clark K 10 Ron Widby PReserve lists 78 Bob Asher T (IR) 10px 73 Ralph Neely T (NF-Inj.) 10px 56 Tom Stincic LB (IR) 10px 46 Mark Washington CB (IR) 10px Taxi squad 23 Margene Adkins WR 15Toni Fritsch K --Steve Goepel QB -- Ron Kadziel LB -- John Nelson TE 72 Don Talbert T 36 Joe Williams RB Rookies in italics 40 active, 11 inactive Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 August 6, 1971 at Los Angeles Rams W 45–21 1–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 87,187 Recap 2 August 14, 1971 New Orleans Saints W 36–21 2–0 Cotton Bowl 73,560 Recap 3 August 20, 1971 Cleveland Browns W 16–15 3–0 Cotton Bowl 69,099 Recap 4 August 26, 1971 at Houston Oilers W 28–20 4–0 Houston Astrodome 49,078 Recap 5 September 3, 1971 at Baltimore Colts W 27–14 5–0 Memorial Stadium 22,291 Recap 6 September 11, 1971 Kansas City Chiefs W 24–17 6–0 Cotton Bowl 74,035 Recap Season recap The Cowboys opened the new Texas Stadium with a 44–21 win over the New England Patriots on Oct. 24. Duane Thomas scored the first touchdown, a 56-yard run two minutes and 16 seconds after the start of the game. Attendance was 65,708 persons. The team entered the season still having the reputation of "not being able to win the big games" and "next year's champion". The Super Bowl V loss added more fuel to that widely held view. As in the previous season, Dallas had a quarterback controversy as Roger Staubach and Craig Morton alternated as starting quarterback (in a loss to the Bears in game 7, Morton and Staubach alternated plays).Roger Staubach, "Super Bowl VI", Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives, Danny Peary, editor. Macmillan, 1997. 0-02-860841-0 The Cowboys were 4–3 at the season midpoint. But after head coach Tom Landry settled on Staubach, the Cowboys won their last seven regular season games to finish with an 11–3 record. thumb|right|Cowboys' running back Duane Thomas rushing the ball for a touchdown in Super Bowl VI. Staubach finished the regular season as the NFL's top-rated passer (101.8) by throwing for 1,882 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He was also a frequent rusher, gaining 343 yards and 2 touchdowns on 41 carries. Said Cold Hard Football Facts of Staubach's 1971 season, "Staubach finally out-jockeyed Craig Morton for the starting gig with the Cowboys in 1971 and instantly produced one of the greatest passing seasons in history. The numbers are not big and gaudy, but they were ruthlessly efficient –- the 104.8 passer rating notable in a season in which the average rating was 62.2. His 8.9 [yards-per-attempt] in the regular season is phenomenal in any era of the NFL, as was his 18 [touchdowns] against a meager 4 [interceptions] (including postseason). The Cowboys did not lose any of Staubach's 13 starts in 1971 and he lifted the proverbial "team that couldn't win the big game" to its long-awaited first NFL championship.[...]"http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/Archive_3224_The_Dandy_Dozen:_12_best_passing_seasons_in_history.html Cold Hard Football Facts: The Dandy Dozen: 12 best passing seasons in history 2012-05-17 https://web.archive.org/web/20120729042325/http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/Archive_3224_The_Dandy_Dozen:_12_best_passing_seasons_in_history.html 2012-07-29 dead Dallas also had an outstanding trio of running backs, Walt Garrison, Duane Thomas, and Calvin Hill, who rushed for a combined total of 1,690 yards and 14 touchdowns during the season. Garrison led the team in receptions during the season. (Thomas, upset that the Cowboys would not renegotiate his contract after his excellent rookie year, had stopped talking to the press and to almost everyone on the team). Wide receivers Bob Hayes and Lance Alworth also provided a deep threat, catching a combined total of 69 passes for 1,327 yards and 10 touchdowns. The offensive line, anchored by all-pro tackle Rayfield Wright, Pro Bowlers John Niland and Ralph Neely, and #64 Tony Liscio who was coaxed out of retirement by Tom Landry after Ralph Neely got injured off the field, was also a primary reason for their success on offense. (Neely had broken his leg in November in a dirt-bike accident, and was replaced first by Gregg and then by Tony Liscio, who came out of retirement.) The Dallas defense (nicknamed the "Doomsday Defense") had given up only one touchdown in the last 25 quarters prior to the Super Bowl. Their defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bob Lilly, who excelled at pressuring quarterbacks and breaking up running plays. Dallas also had an outstanding trio of linebackers: Pro Bowler Chuck Howley, who recorded 5 interceptions and returned them for 122 yards; Dave Edwards 2 interceptions; and Lee Roy Jordan, who recorded 2 interceptions. The Cowboys secondary was led by 2 future hall of fame cornerbacks Herb Adderley (6 interceptions for 182 return yards) and Mel Renfro (4 interceptions for 11 yards). Safeties Cliff Harris and Pro Bowler Cornell Green also combined for 4 interceptions. After the 1971 season, Bob Lilly would play in the last of his last Pro Bowl games, despite being selected after the 1972 and 1973 seasons. Lilly would also score his final career touchdown in a 42–7 smashing of The Philadelphia Eagles. Lilly retired with the NFL record for scoring the most TDs by a defensive lineman with 4. September 26, 1971 – Herb Adderley became the first Cowboy to have three interceptions in one game. October 11, 1971 – The Cowboys earned their first win on Monday Night Football by defeating the New York Giants 20–13, which was also the last game the Cowboys played in the Cotton Bowl. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 19 at Buffalo Bills W 49–37 1–0 War Memorial Stadium 46,206 Recap 2 September 26 at Philadelphia Eagles W 42–7 2–0 Veterans Stadium 65,358 Recap 3 October 3 Washington Redskins L 16–20 2–1 Cotton Bowl 61,554 Recap 4 October 11, 1971 New York Giants W 20–13 3–1 Cotton Bowl 68,378 Recap 5 October 17 at New Orleans Saints L 14–24 3–2 Tulane Stadium 83,088 Recap 6 October 24 New England Patriots W 44–21 4–2 Texas Stadium 65,708 Recap 7 October 31 at Chicago Bears L 19–23 4–3 Soldier Field 55,049 Recap 8 November 7 at St. Louis Cardinals W 16–13 5–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,486 Recap 9 November 14 Philadelphia Eagles W 20–7 6–3 Texas Stadium 60,178 Recap 10 November 21 at Washington Redskins W 13–0 7–3 RFK Stadium 53,041 Recap 11 November 25 Los Angeles Rams W 28–21 8–3 Texas Stadium 66,595 Recap 12 December 4, 1971 New York Jets W 52–10 9–3 Texas Stadium 66,689 Recap 13 December 12 at New York Giants W 42–14 10–3 Yankee Stadium 62,815 Recap 14 December 18, 1971 St. Louis Cardinals W 31–12 11–3 Texas Stadium 66,672 Recap Division opponents are in bold text Standings Game summaries Week 1 #fff #eee Dallas Cowboys 1971 2; text-align:center collapsed Week One: Dallas Cowboys (0–0) at Buffalo Bills (0–0) September 19 1:00 p.m. EDT Cowboys 7 21 7 14 Bills 14 10 6 7 War Memorial Stadium • Buffalo, New York 55 F C • Wind 9 mph km/h knot Fred Swearingen CBS Frank Glieber and Eddie LeBaron Box Score Cowboys Craig Morton10/24, 221 Yds, 2 TD Calvin Hill22 Rush, 84 Yds, 4 TD Bob Hayes2 Rec, 91 Yds, TD Bills Dennis Shaw18/30, 353 Yds, 4 TD, 3 INT Wayne Patrick7 Rush, 30 Yds Marlin Briscoe3 Rec, 113 Yds, 2 TD Cowboys Bills collapsed 1 Cowboys RushTD Calvin Hill 2 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 0 1 Bills RecTD Haven Moses Dennis Shaw 73 good Grant Guthrie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 7 1 Bills RushTD O. J. Simpson 6 good Grant Guthrie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 7 14 2 Cowboys RecTD Bob Hayes Craig Morton 76 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 14 14 2 Cowboys RushTD Walt Garrison 3 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 21 14 2 Bills FG 40 Grant Guthrie 21 17 2 Bills RecTD Marlin Briscoe Dennis Shaw 75 good Grant Guthrie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 21 24 2 Cowboys RushTD Calvin Hill 3 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 28 24 3 Bills RecTD Marlin Briscoe Dennis Shaw 23 no good Grant Guthrie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 28 30 3 Cowboys RecTD Reggie Rucker Craig Morton 19 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 35 30 4 Cowboys RushTD Calvin Hill 1 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 42 30 4 Cowboys RushTD Calvin Hill 1 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 49 30 4 Bills RecTD Ike Hill Dennis Shaw 26 good Grant Guthrie run/pass good/failed/incomplete 49 37 49 37Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles - September 26th, 1971 https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197109260phi.htm 2025-03-08 Pro-Football-Reference.com en Week 2 Cowboys 0 21 7 14 Eagles 0 0 0 7 September 26 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia 1:00 p.m. 59 F; wind 7 mph on Bob Frederic Frank Glieber and Eddie LeBaron CBS yes Q2 DAL Hill 1 yard run (Clark kick) DAL 7–0 Q2 DAL Lilly 7 yard fumble return (Clark kick) DAL 14–0 Q2 DAL Garrison 4 yard pass from Morton (Clark kick) DAL 21–0 Q3 DAL Richardson 16 yard pass from Morton (Clark kick) DAL 28–0 Q4 DAL Morton 2 yard run (Clark kick) DAL 35–0 Q4 DAL Welch 2 yard run (Clark kick) DAL 42–0 Q4 PHI Nelson 102 yard field goal return (Feller kick) DAL 42–7 yes Week 3 July 2014 Week 4 Giants 3 3 0 7 Cowboys 3 10 7 0 October 11 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas 8:00 p.m. CDT 64 F • Wind 7 mph on Tommy Bell Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith ABC yes 1 DAL Mike Clark 42-yard field goal Cowboys 3–0 1 NYG Pete Gogolak 35-yard field goal Tie 3–3 2 DAL Mike Clark 41-yard field goal Cowboys 6–3 2 NYG Pete Gogolak 20-yard field goal Tie 6–6 2 DAL Billy Truax 4-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 13–6 3 DAL Bob Hayes 48-yard pass from Craig Morton (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 20–6 4 NYG Clifton McNeil 24-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Pete Gogolak kick) Cowboys 20–13 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Last game at the Cotton Bowl Week 6 Patriots 7 0 0 14 Cowboys 10 24 0 10 October 24 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 1:00 p.m. CDT 62 F • Wind 6 mph on Fred Wyant Jay Randolph and Dave Kocourek NBC yes 1 DAL Duane Thomas 56-yard run (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 7–0 1 DAL Mike Clark 16-yard field goal Cowboys 10–0 1 NE Jim Nance 1-yard run (Charlie Gogolak kick) Cowboys 10–7 2 DAL Roger Staubach 2-yard run (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 17–7 2 DAL Mike Clark 17-yard field goal Cowboys 20–7 2 DAL Bob Hayes 35-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 27–7 2 DAL Bob Hayes 28-yard pass from Roger Staubach (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 34–7 4 DAL Mike Clark 12-yard field goal Cowboys 37–7 4 NE Randy Vataha 33-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Charlie Gogolak kick) Cowboys 37–14 4 DAL Joe Williams 2-yard run (Mike Clark kick) Cowboys 44–14 4 NE Tom Beer 31-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Charlie Gogolak kick) Cowboys 44–21 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Dallas' first game at Texas Stadium. Week 7 July 2014 Week 8 Cowboys 3 0 3 10 Cardinals 0 10 0 3 November 7 Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri 1:00 p.m. CST 29 F; wind 11 mph on Fred Swearingen yes Q1 DAL Fritsch 27 yard field goal DAL 3–0 Q2 STL Bakken 41 yard field goal Tie 3–3 Q2 STL Williams 11 yard pass from Hart (Bakken kick) STL 10–3 Q3 DAL Fritsch 14 yard field goal STL 10–6 Q4 DAL Ditka 4 yard pass from Staubach (Reeves run) DAL 13–10 Q4 STL Bakken 36 yard field goal TIE 13–13 Q4 DAL Fritsch 26 yard field goal DAL 16–13 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 30-Jun-2014. Week 9 Eagles 0 0 0 7 Cowboys 3 7 7 3 November 14 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 1:00 p.m. CST 73 F; wind 17 mph on Jim Tunney yes Q1 DAL Fritsch 23 yard field goal DAL 3–0 Q2 DAL Thomas 1 yard run (Fritsch kick) DAL 10–0 Q3 DAL Thomas 13 yard run (Fritsch kick) DAL 17–0 Q4 DAL Fritsch 46 yard field goal DAL 20–0 Q4 PHI Liske 1 yard run (Feller kick) DAL 20–7 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Jul-01. Playoffs 1971–72 NFL playoffs Super Bowl VI Round Date Opponent Result Game Site Attendance Recap Divisional December 25 at Minnesota Vikings W 20–12 Metropolitan Stadium 47,307 Recap NFC Championship January 2 San Francisco 49ers W 14–3 Texas Stadium 63,409 Recap Super Bowl VI January 16 vs Miami Dolphins W 24–3 Tulane Stadium 81,023 Recap NFC Divisional Playoff background-color:#ffffff; color:#002244 ;text-align:center; border:2px solid #002244 Dallas Cowboys 20, Minnesota Vikings 12 Cowboys 3 3 14 0 Vikings 0 3 0 9 December 25, 1971 Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington, Minnesota 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST 31 °F °C, mostly cloudy CBS Jack Whitaker and Irv Cross 47,307 Norm Schachter DAL MIN collapsed 1 Cowboys FG 26 Mike Clark 3 0 2 Vikings FG 27 Fred Cox 3 3 2 Cowboys FG 44 Mike Clark 6 3 3 Cowboys RushTD Duane Thomas 13 good Mike Clark 13 3 3 Cowboys RecTD Bob Hayes Roger Staubach 9 good Mike Clark 20 3 4 Vikings SafetyTackle Roger Staubach Alan Page 20 5 4 Vikings RecTD Stu Voigt Gary Cuozzo 6 good Fred Cox 20 12 20 12 NFC Championship Game Dallas Cowboys 2; text-align:center Dallas Cowboys 14, San Francisco 49ers 3 49ers 0 0 3 0 Cowboys 0 7 0 7 January 2, 1972 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 1:30 p.m. EST/12:30 p.m. CST CBS Jack Buck and Pat Summerall 63,409 Tommy Bell SF DAL collapsed 2 Cowboys RushTD Calvin Hill 1 good Mike Clark 0 7 3 49ers FG 28 Bruce Gossett 3 7 4 Cowboys RushTD Duane Thomas 2 good Mike Clark 3 14 3 14 Super Bowl VI Super Bowl VI Dallas Cowboys 2; text-align:center Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3 Cowboys 3 7 7 7 Dolphins 0 3 0 0 January 16, 1972 2:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. CST Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana CBS Ray Scott and Pat Summerall Jim Tunney DAL MIA collapsed 1 Cowboys FG 9 Mike Clark 3 0 2 Cowboys RecTD Lance Alworth Roger Staubach 7 good Mike Clark 10 0 2 Dolphins FG 31 Garo Yepremian 10 3 3 Cowboys RushTD Duane Thomas 3 good Mike Clark 17 3 4 Cowboys RecTD Mike Ditka Roger Staubach 7 good Mike Clark run/pass good/failed/incomplete 24 3 24 3 Awards and records Led NFC, Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed, 1,144 yards Led NFL, 401 Points Scored Led NFL, 5,035 Total Yards Gained Herb Adderley, Three Interceptions in One Game, Club Record Roger Staubach, MVP, Super Bowl VI Roger Staubach, NFL Passing Leader Roger Staubach, Led NFL, 2,786 pass yards Roger Staubach, Bert Bell Awardhttp://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients 2010-06-28 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090619081037/http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm 2009-06-19 Roger Staubach, NFC Pro Bowl Roger Staubach, All-Pro Quarterback Duane Thomas, NFL Touchdown Leader (13 – 11 Rushing, 2 Receiving) Chuck Howley, NFC Pro Bowl References External links 1971 Dallas Cowboys season 1971 Dallas Cowboys Dallas Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Category:NFC East championship seasons Category:National Football Conference championship seasons Category:Super Bowl champion seasons Dallas Cowboys