# 1970 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1970 Dallas Cowboys season was the team's 11th in the National Football League (NFL).
Dallas outscored their opponents 299–221, and finished first in their division for the fifth consecutive season. In 1970, the club made its debut on Monday Night Football on November 16, but were shut out 38–0 by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. The Cowboys advanced to their first Super Bowl, but lost to the Baltimore Colts 16–13.

## NFL Draft

1970 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 23 | Duane Thomas | RB | West Texas State |
| 2 | 29 | Bob Asher | OT | Vanderbilt |
| 2 | 49 | Margene Adkins | WR | Henderson County J.C. |
| 3 | 66 | Charlie Waters * | S | Clemson |
| 3 | 73 | Steve Kiner | LB | Tennessee |
| 3 | 75 | Denton Fox | DB | Texas Tech |
| 4 | 101 | John Fitzgerald | C | Boston College |
| 6 | 153 | Pat Toomay | DE | Vanderbilt |
| 7 | 179 | Don Abbey | LB | Penn State |
| 8 | 205 | Jerry Dossey | OG | Arkansas |
| 9 | 231 | Zenon Andrusyshyn | K | UCLA |
| 10 | 257 | Pete Athas | CB | Tennessee |
| 11 | 283 | Ivan Southerland | OT | Clemson |
| 12 | 309 | Joe Williams | RB | Wyoming |
| 13 | 335 | Mark Washington | CB | Morgan State |
| 14 | 361 | Julian Martin | WR | North Carolina Central |
| 15 | 387 | Ken DeLong | TE | Tennessee |
| 16 | 413 | Seabern Hill | DB | Arizona State |
| 17 | 439 | Glenn Patterson | C | Nebraska |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season

The Cowboys had to overcome many obstacles during the regular season. Fullback Calvin Hill, the team's second leading rusher with 577 yards and 4 touchdowns, was lost for the year after suffering a leg injury late in the regular season. And wide receiver Bob Hayes was benched by head coach Tom Landry for poor performances on several occasions.
Most significantly, the Cowboys had a quarterback controversy between Craig Morton and Roger Staubach. Morton and Staubach alternated as the starting quarterback during the regular season, but Landry eventually chose Morton to start Super Bowl V because he felt less confident that Staubach would follow his game plan (Landry called all of Morton's plays in Super Bowl V). Also, Morton had done extremely well in the regular season, throwing for 1,819 yards and 15 touchdowns, with seven interceptions, earning him a passer rating of 89.8. In contrast, Staubach, although a noted scrambler and able to salvage broken plays effectively, threw for 542 yards, and only two touchdowns with eight interceptions, giving him a 42.9 rating.
Hayes was the main deep threat on the team, catching 34 passes for 889 yards (a 26.1 yards per catch average) and 10 touchdowns, while also rushing 4 times for 34 yards and another touchdown, and adding another 116 yards returning punts. On the other side of the field, wide receiver Lance Rentzel recorded 28 receptions for 556 yards and 5 touchdowns.
However, the main strength on the Cowboys offense was their running game. Rookie running back Duane Thomas rushed 151 times for 803 yards (a 5.1 yards per carry average) and 5 touchdowns, while adding another 416 yards returning kickoffs. Fullback Walt Garrison, who replaced the injured Hill, provided Thomas with excellent blocking and rushed for 507 yards and 3 touchdowns himself. Garrison was also a good receiver out of the backfield, catching 21 passes for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. Up front, Pro Bowl guard John Niland and future Hall of Famer tackle Rayfield Wright anchored the offensive line.
The Cowboys had their lowest regular season (6–2 vs. Cleveland Browns) and playoff (5–0 vs. Detroit Lions) scoring games in franchise history. The playoff victory over Detroit on December 26 remains the lowest scoring postseason game in NFL history. Through the 2022 season, the Cowboys-Browns game is one of only two 6-2 games in league history; the other was a Packers-Bears game in 1931, and the Cowboys-Lions playoff is one of three 5-0 games, along with a 1927 game between the Providence Steam Roller and Buffalo Bisons, and a Bills-Bengals game in 1978.
For the first time, the Cowboys defeated the Green Bay Packers; this year's game was on Thanksgiving on the new artificial turf of the Cotton Bowl. Green Bay had won the first six contests, four in the regular season (1960, 1964, 1965, 1968) and two in NFL championship games (1966, 1967). The Packers won the next meeting in Green Bay in 1972.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 20 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–7 | 1–0 | Franklin Field | 59,728 | Recap |
| 2 | September 27 | New York Giants | W 28–10 | 2–0 | Cotton Bowl | 57,236 | Recap |
| 3 | October 4 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 7–20 | 2–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,780 | Recap |
| 4 | October 11 | Atlanta Falcons | W 13–0 | 3–1 | Cotton Bowl | 53,611 | Recap |
| 5 | October 18 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–54 | 3–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,900 | Recap |
| 6 | October 25 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 27–16 | 4–2 | Municipal Stadium | 51,158 | Recap |
| 7 | November 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 21–17 | 5–2 | Cotton Bowl | 55,736 | Recap |
| 8 | November 8 | at New York Giants | L 20–23 | 5–3 | Yankee Stadium | 62,938 | Recap |
| 9 | November 16 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–38 | 5–4 | Cotton Bowl | 69,323 | Recap |
| 10 | November 22 | at Washington Redskins | W 45–21 | 6–4 | RFK Stadium | 50,415 | Recap |
| 11 | November 26 | Green Bay Packers | W 16–3 | 7–4 | Cotton Bowl | 67,182 | Recap |
| 12 | December 6 | Washington Redskins | W 34–0 | 8–4 | Cotton Bowl | 57,936 | Recap |
| 13 | December 12 | at Cleveland Browns | W 6–2 | 9–4 | Cleveland Stadium | 75,458 | Recap |
| 14 | December 20 | Houston Oilers | W 52–10 | 10–4 | Cotton Bowl | 50,504 | Recap |
    Division opponents are in bold text

### Game summaries
#### Week 1 at Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 20, 1970
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 59,728
* Referee: John McDonough
* Box Score
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Cowboys | Passing | Roger Staubach | 11/15, 115 yards, TD, INT |
| Cowboys | Rushing | Calvin Hill | 25 rushes, 117 yards |
| Cowboys | Receiving | Lance Rentzel | 6 receptions, 100 yards, TD |
| Eagles | Passing | Norm Snead | 10/23, 138 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Eagles | Rushing | Tom Woodeshick | 15 rushes, 55 yards |
| Eagles | Receiving | Ben Hawkins | 4 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DAL | PHI |
| 1 | | | | | Eagles | Ben Hawkins 10-yard touchdown reception from Norm Snead, Mark Moseley kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | | | | | Cowboys | Walt Garrison 1-yard touchdown run, Mike Clark kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 3 | | | | | Cowboys | Lance Rentzel 31-yard touchdown reception from Roger Staubach, Mike Clark kick good | 14 | 7 |
| 4 | | | | | Cowboys | 13-yard field goal by Mike Clark | 17 | 7 |
| "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. | 17 | 7 |

#### Week 2

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 28 |
* Bob Hayes 5 Rec, 112 Yds

#### Week 3

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| • Cardinals | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |

#### Week 4

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |

#### Week 5

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| • Vikings | 14 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 54 |

#### Week 6

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys | 3 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |

#### Week 7

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| • Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |

#### Week 8

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| • Giants | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 23 |

#### Week 9

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cardinals | 7 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Week 10

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys | 3 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
| Redskins | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |

#### Week 11

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
Thanksgiving Day

#### Week 12

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 34 |

#### Week 13

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Browns | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |

#### Week 14

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Cowboys | 17 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 52 |

## Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 5–3 | 7–4 | 299 | 221 | W5 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 6–2 | 6–5 | 301 | 270 | L1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 5–3 | 6–5 | 325 | 228 | L3 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3–5 | 4–7 | 297 | 314 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 10 | 1 | .231 | 1–7 | 1–9–1 | 241 | 332 | W1 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
| Divisional | December 26, 1970 | Detroit Lions | W 5–0 | Cotton Bowl | 69,613 | Recap |
| NFC Championship | January 3, 1971 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 17–10 | Kezar Stadium | 59,364 | Recap |
| Super Bowl | January 17, 1971 | vs Baltimore Colts | L 13–16 | Orange Bowl | 79,204 | Recap |

### NFC Divisional Playoff

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
* Game attendance: 69,613
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Frank Gifford
The Cowboys shut down the Lions offense and took advantage of a first-quarter field goal to outlast the Lions in the lowest-scoring playoff game in NFL history.

### NFC Championship Game

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| 49ers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 59,364
* Referee: Tommy Bell
* TV announcers (CBS): Ray Scott and Pat Summerall

### Super Bowl V

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts (AFC) | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
| Cowboys (NFC) | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: January 17, 1971
* Game attendance: 79,204
* Referee: Norm Schachter
* TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Kyle Rote
Chuck Howley became the first defensive player, and only member of a losing team to be the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.

## Awards and records

* Chuck Howley, Most Valuable Player, Super Bowl V
* Mel Renfro, Pro Bowl Defensive Most Valuable Player

## Publications

The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4 Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3 Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2