# 1966 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1966 Dallas Cowboys season was the seventh for the franchise in the National Football League. The Cowboys, who had never previously finished with a winning record in their history, would improve dramatically. Dallas finished 10–3–1 and won the Eastern Conference title, their first of six consecutive division titles. They hosted the NFL Championship Game at the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers, thus missing out on the chance to play in the first Super Bowl which the Packers went on to win two weeks later.
Quarterback Don Meredith had the best season of his career throwing for 2,805 yards, 24 touchdowns (both career highs) and 12 interceptions.

## NFL Draft

1966 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | John Niland * | OG | Iowa | |
| 2 | 22 | Willie Townes | DT | Tulsa | |
| 5 | 79 | Walt Garrison * | FB | Oklahoma State | |
| 6 | 86 | Bob Dunlevy | OT | West Virginia | |
| 7 | 100 | Arthur Robinson | WR | Florida A&M | |
| 8 | 116 | Don Kunit | RB | Penn State | |
| 9 | 130 | Darrell Elam | WR | West Virginia Tech | |
| 10 | 146 | Mason Mitchell | RB | Washington | |
| 11 | 160 | Austin Denney | TE | Tennessee | |
| 12 | 173 | Les Shy | DB | Long Beach State | |
| 12 | 176 | Craig Baynham | RB | Georgia Tech | |
| 13 | 190 | Ron Lamb | RB | South Carolina | |
| 14 | 206 | Lewis Turner | RB | Norfolk State | |
| 15 | 220 | Mark Gartung | OT | Oregon State | |
| 16 | 236 | Tom Piggee | RB | San Francisco State | |
| 17 | 250 | George Allen | DT | West Texas State | Signed with the AFL |
| 18 | 266 | Steve Orr | OT | Washington | |
| 19 | 280 | Byron Johnson | OT | Central Washington | |
| 20 | 296 | Lou Hudson | WR | Minnesota | Signed with the NBA |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular Season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 2 | September 18 | New York Giants | W 52–7 | 1–0 | Cotton Bowl | 60,010 | Recap |
| 3 | September 25 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–17 | 2–0 | Cotton Bowl | 64,116 | Recap |
| 4 | October 2 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 47–14 | 3–0 | Atlanta Stadium | 56,990 | Recap |
| 5 | October 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 56–7 | 4–0 | Cotton Bowl | 69,372 | Recap |
| 6 | October 16 | at St. Louis Cardinals | T 10–10 | 4–0–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,673 | Recap |
| 7 | October 23 | at Cleveland Browns | L 21–30 | 4–1–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 84,721 | Recap |
| 8 | October 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 52–21 | 5–1–1 | Cotton Bowl | 58,453 | Recap |
| 9 | November 6 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–24 | 5–2–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | Recap |
| 10 | November 13 | at Washington Redskins | W 31–30 | 6–2–1 | D.C. Stadium | 50,927 | Recap |
| 11 | November 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 20–7 | 7–2–1 | Pitt Stadium | 42,185 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | Cleveland Browns | W 26–14 | 8–2–1 | Cotton Bowl | 80,259 | Recap |
| 13 | December 4 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 31–17 | 9–2–1 | Cotton Bowl | 76,965 | Recap |
| 14 | December 11 | Washington Redskins | L 31–34 | 9–3–1 | Cotton Bowl | 64,198 | Recap |
| 15 | December 18 | at New York Giants | W 17–7 | 10–3–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,735 | Recap |
Conference opponents are in bold text
* A bye week was necessary in 1966, as the league expanded to an odd-number (15) of teams (Atlanta); one team was idle each week.
* This year was the first time the Dallas Cowboys played on Thanksgiving Day

### Game Summaries
#### Week 2 vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas
* Date: September 18
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C)
* Box Score
Game information :
First Quarter
Dallas – Don Perkins 1-yard rush (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 7–0.
Second Quarter
New York – Homer Jones 20-yard pass from Earl Morrall (Gogolak kick) 7–7.
Dallas – Bob Hayes 74-yard pass from Don Meredith (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 14–7.
Dallas – Danny Villanueva 12-yard field goal, Cowboys 17–7.
Dallas – Dan Reeves 2-yard pass from Don Meredith (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 24–7.
Dallas – Dan Reeves 1-yard pass from Don Meredith (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 31–7.
Third Quarter
Dallas – Bob Hayes 39-yard pass from Don Meredith (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 38–7.
Dallas – Dan Reeves 19-yard pass from Don Meredith (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 45–7.
Fourth Quarter
Dallas – Cornell Green 41-yard interception return (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 52–7
Top Passers
Giants – Earl Morrall: 9/25, 106 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Cowboys – Don Meredith: 14/24, 358 yds, 5 TD
Top rushers
Giants – Chuck Mercein: 11 car, 83 yds
Cowboys – Don Perkins: 16 car, 52 yds, 1 TD
Top receivers
Giants – Homer Jones: 4 rec, 46 yds. 1 TD
Cowboys – Bob Hayes: 6 rec, 195 yds. 2 TD :

#### Week 8 vs Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 52 |
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
* Date: October 30
* Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 58,453
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Marv Woodson 56-yard interception return (Mike Clark kick), Steelers 7–0.
Second quarter
DAL – Dan Reeves 1-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick), 7–7.
DAL – Lee Roy Jordan 49-yard interception return (Danny Villanueva kick). Cowboys 14–7.
DAL – Danny Villanueva 12-yard field goal, Cowboys 17–7.
DAL – Dan Reeves 8-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick), Cowboys 24–7.
PIT – Jim Butler 93-yard kickoff return (Mike Clark kick). Cowboys 24–14.
Third quarter
DAL – Mel Renfro 87-yard kickoff return (Danny Villanueva kick), Cowboys 31–14.
DAL – Frank Clarke 22-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick), Cowboys 38–14.
PIT – John Hilton 4-yard pass from Ron Smith (Mike Clark kick), Cowboys 38–21.
DAL – Pete Gent 84-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick), Cowboys 45–21.
Fourth quarter
DAL – J.D. Smith 1-yard run (Danny Villanueva kick), Cowboys 52–21.
Top passers
PIT – Ron Smith – 8/25, 115 yards, TD
DAL – Don Meredith – 11/25, 226 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
PIT – Jim Butler – 5 rushes, 9 yards
DAL – Dan Reeves – 13 rushes, 66 yards
Top receivers
PIT – Roy Jefferson – 4 receptions, 74 yards
DAL – Pete Gent – 1 reception, 84 yards, TD :

#### Week 10 at Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Redskins | 6 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 30 |
at District of Columbia Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Date: November 13, 1966
* Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 50,927
* Box Score
Don Meredith played through a broken rib
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Cowboys | Passing | Don Meredith | 21/29, 406 Yds, 2 TD, INT |
| Cowboys | Rushing | Dan Reeves | 13 Rush, 59 Yds |
| Cowboys | Receiving | Bob Hayes | 9 Rec, 246 Yds, 2 TD |
| Redskins | Passing | Sonny Jurgensen | 26/46, 347 Yds, 3 TD |
| Redskins | Rushing | A.D. Whitfield | 7 Rush, 17 Yds |
| Redskins | Receiving | Charley Taylor | 11 Rec, 199 Yds, 2 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | WAS |
| 1 | | | | | Redskins | 35-yard field goal by Charlie Gogolak | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | | | | | Cowboys | Don Meredith 1-yard touchdown run, Danny Villanueva kick good | 7 | 3 |
| 1 | | | | | Redskins | 33-yard field goal by Charlie Gogolak | 7 | 6 |
| 2 | | | | | Cowboys | Bob Hayes 52-yard touchdown reception from Don Meredith, Danny Villanueva kick good | 14 | 6 |
| 3 | | | | | Cowboys | Bob Hayes 95-yard touchdown reception from Don Meredith, Danny Villanueva kick good | 21 | 6 |
| 3 | | | | | Redskins | Jerry Smith 4-yard touchdown reception from Sonny Jurgensen, Charlie Gogolak kick good | 21 | 13 |
| 3 | | | | | Redskins | Charley Taylor 78-yard touchdown reception from Sonny Jurgensen, Charlie Gogolak kick good | 21 | 20 |
| 3 | | | | | Redskins | 11-yard field goal by Charlie Gogolak | 21 | 23 |
| 4 | | | | | Cowboys | Dan Reeves 1-yard touchdown run, Danny Villanueva kick good | 28 | 23 |
| 4 | | | | | Redskins | Charley Taylor 18-yard touchdown reception from Sonny Jurgensen, Charlie Gogolak kick good | 28 | 30 |
| 4 | 0:15 | | | | Cowboys | 20-yard field goal by Danny Villanueva | 31 | 30 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 31 | 30 |

#### Week 12 vs Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Cowboys | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 26 |
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
* Date: November 24
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 80,259
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Danny Villanueva 11-yard field goal. Cowboys 3-0.
DAL – Danny Villanueva 31-yard field goal. Cowboys 6-0.
Second quarter
CLE – Leroy Kelly 1-yard run (Lou Groza kick). Browns 7-6.
DAL – Dan Reeves 6-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick). Cowboys 13-7.
CLE – Ernie Green 16-yard pass from Frank Ryan (Lou Groza kick). Browns 14-13.
Third quarter
DAL – Danny Villanueva 12-yard field goal. Cowboys 16-14.
DAL – Danny Villanueva 13-yard field goal. Cowboys 19-14.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Don Perkins 9-yard run (Danny Villanueva kick). Cowboys 26-14.
Top passers
CLE – Frank Ryan – 12/26, 190 yards, TD
DAL – Don Meredith – 16/24, 131 yards, TD
Top rushers
CLE – Leroy Kelly – 15 rushes, 115 yards, TD
DAL – Don Perkins – 23 rushes, 111 yards, TD
Receiving
CLE – Gary Collins – 5 receptions, 92 yards
DAL – Bob Hayes – 6 receptions, 54 yards :

#### Week 15 at New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Yankee Stadium, New York City
* Date: December 18
* Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
* Box Score
Game information :
First Quarter
Dallas – George Andrie 6-yard interception return (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 7–0.
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
New York – Joe Morrison 1-yard rush (Gogolak kick), 7–7.
Dallas – Bob Hayes 41-yard pass from Craig Morton (Villanueva kick), Cowboys 14–7.
Dallas – Danny Villanueva 10-yard field goal, Cowboys 17–7.
Top Passers
Cowboys – Craig Morton: 6/9, 88 yds, 1 TD
Giants – Gary Wood: 14/28, 198 yds, 2 INT
Top rushers
Cowboys – Don Perkins: 10 car, 41 yds
Giants – Allen Jacobs: 11 car, 28 yds
Top receivers
Cowboys – Bob Hayes: 7 rec, 99 yds,1 TD
Giants – Joe Morrison: 6 rec, 131 yds :

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| NFL Championship | January 1, 1967 | Green Bay Packers | L 27–34 | Cotton Bowl | 75,504 | Recap |

### NFL Championship Game

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| Cowboys | 14 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
* Date: Sunday, January 1
* Game attendance: 74,152
* Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
GB – Elijah Pitts 17-yard pass from Bart Starr (Don Chandler kick)
GB – Jim Grabowski 18-yard fumble return (Don Chandler kick)
DAL – Dan Reeves 3-yard run (Danny Villanueva kick)
DAL – Don Perkins 23-yard run (Danny Villanueva kick)
Second quarter
GB – Carroll Dale 51-yard pass from Bart Starr (Don Chandler kick)
DAL – Danny Villanueva 11-yard field goal
Third quarter
DAL – Danny Villanueva 32-yard field goal
GB – Boyd Dowler 16-yard pass from Bart Starr (Don Chandler kick)
Fourth quarter
GB – Max McGee 28-yard pass from Bart Starr (kick blocked)
DAL – Frank Clarke 68-yard pass from Don Meredith (Danny Villanueva kick)
Passing
GB – Bart Starr 19/28, 304 yards, 4 TD
DAL – Don Meredith 15/31, 238 yards, TD, INT
Rushing
GB – Elijah Pitts 12 att, 66 yards
DAL – Don Perkins 17 att, 108 yards, TD
Receiving
GB – Carroll Dale 5 rec, 128 yards, TD
DAL – Frank Clarke 3 rec, 102 yards, TD :
Green Bay took an early 14–0 lead on two first-quarter scores; a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bart Starr to Elijah Pitts and an 18-yard fumble return by Jim Grabowski on the ensuing kickoff. The Cowboys tied the score with two touchdowns towards the end of the quarter.
Starr's third touchdown pass of the game gave the Packers a 34–20 lead with 5:20 left in the game, but the Cowboys responded with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Don Meredith to Frank Clarke. Dallas advanced to the Green Bay 22-yard line on their next drive, when a pass interference penalty gave the Cowboys a first down at the Packer 2-yard line. Green Bay's Tom Brown intercepted a Meredith pass in the end zone with 28 seconds left to play to preserve the victory for the Packers.

## Standings

NFL Eastern Conference :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–3–1 | 445 | 239 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 8–5 | 326 | 340 | W4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 9–4 | 403 | 259 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–5–1 | 264 | 265 | L3 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–6 | 351 | 355 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 8 | 1 | .385 | 4–8–1 | 316 | 347 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 2–5 | 204 | 437 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–11–1 | 263 | 501 | L8 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Season recap

With the growth in popularity of televised NFL games, the league began looking for a second team in addition to the Detroit Lions, to host an annual Thanksgiving Day game. Every team turned down the offer, except for the Dallas Cowboys. General Manager Tex Schramm recognized this as an opportunity for the franchise to increase its popularity and establish its own Thanksgiving Day game tradition.
In 1966, the Cowboys who had been founded six years earlier, adopted the practice of hosting Thanksgiving games. It is widely rumored that the Cowboys sought a guarantee that they would regularly host Thanksgiving games as a condition of their very first one (since games on days other than Sunday were uncommon at the time and thus high attendance was not a certainty). Since then, the two "traditional" Thanksgiving Day pro football games have been in Detroit and Dallas.

## Statistics
### Team leaders

| Category | Player(s) | Value | Rank |
| Passing yards | Don Meredith | 2,805 | 4th |
| Passing touchdowns | Don Meredith | 24 | 3rd |
| Rushing yards | Dan Reeves | 757 | 6th |
| Rushing touchdowns | Dan Reeves/Don Perkins | 8 | t2nd |
| Receiving yards | Bob Hayes | 1,232 | 2nd |
| Receiving touchdowns | Bob Hayes | 13 | 1st |
| Points | Danny Villanueva | 107 | 2nd |
| Kickoff return yards | Mel Renfro | 487 | 12th |
| Punt return yards | Mel Renfro | 123 | 8th |
| Interceptions | Cornell Green | 4 | t6th |
| Sacks | George Andrie | 18.5 | 1st |
Note that sack totals from 1960 to 1981 are considered unofficial by the NFL.

## Awards and honors

* Don Meredith, Bert Bell Award