The 1966 Season
Record: 10-3-1
Eastern Conference Champion
Synopsis
- The 1966 season was the year that everything changed. It was announced that
the NFL and AFL would merge under the NFL banner. This would produce interconference
play after 1969 and there would be a joint collegiate draft. More importantly,
the champions from the National Football Conference and the American Football
Conference would meet in a game eventually known as the Super Bowl.
- The 1966 season also marked the appearance of the Dallas Cowboys as a NFL Power.
The Cowboys had continued success in the draft by landing the likes of guard John
Niland and running back Walt Garrison. But the foundation had been laid in the
previous years and now the Cowboys started reaping the reward. The Cowboys roared
to a 10-3-1 record, winning their first conference championship. The old weakness
of the Cowboys, the defense, is now their strength allowing only 239 points.
- The great regular season gave Dallas its chance to participate in their first
real playoff game. Their first opponent was the Vince Lombardi coached Green Bay
Packers with the winner playing the first Super Bowl. Though the Cowboys lost to
the eventual Super Bowl Champs, the message was clear-- the Dallas Cowboys have arrived.
Notables:
- Merger between NFL and AFL announced June 8.
- First Thanksgiving Day for the Cowboys
- First Winning Season
- First Conference Title
- Danny Villanueva kicks NFL record 56 PATs without miss.
- Dallas sacks Pittsburgh quarterbacks an NFL record 12 times on Nov. 20.
- Dallas sets NFL record by allowing 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns in a season.
| Preseason |
|---|
| Week | Date | Opponent | W/L | Score |
|---|
| - | Aug 7 | at San Francisco | W | 24-13 |
| - | Aug 13 | at Los Angeles | W | 20-10 |
| - | Aug 20 | Green Bay | W | 21-03 |
| - | Aug 27 | Detroit @Tulsa, OK | W | 20-10 |
| - | Spet 2 | Minnesota | W | 28-24 |
Regular Season
|
|---|
| Week | Date | Opponent | W/L | Score |
|---|
| 1 | Sept 18 | NY Giants | W | 52-07 |
| 2 | Sept 25 | Minnesota | W | 28-17 |
| 3 | Oct 2 | at Atlanta | W | 47-14 |
| 4 | Oct 9 | Philadelphia | W | 56-07 |
| 5 | Oct 16 | at St. Louis | T | 10-10 |
| 6 | Oct 23 | at Cleveland | L | 21-30 |
| 7 | Oct 30 | Pittsburgh | W | 52-21 |
| 8 | Nov 6 | at Philadelphia | L | 23-24 |
| 9 | Nov 13 | at Washington | W | 31-30 |
| 10 | Nov 20 | at Pittsburgh | W | 20-07 |
| 11 | Nov 24 (Thurs) | Cleveland | W | 26-14 |
| 12 | Dec 4 | St. Louis | W | 31-17 |
| 13 | Dec 11 | Washington | L | 31-34 |
| 14 | Dec 18 | at NY Giants | W | 17-07 |
Playoffs
|
|---|
| Week | Date | Opponent | W/L | Score |
|---|
| NFL | Jan 1 | Green Bay | L | 27-34 |
Last Updated: August 10, 2000
jrbeasley@email.msn.com