Celebrating 60 seasons of Dallas Cowboys football

60 years ago today America’s Team was born when the Dallas Cowboys took the field for the very first regular-season game in franchise history.

Pop the champagne, because today is the 60th anniversary of Dallas Cowboys football. While the franchise was technically born on January 28, 1960, when the National Football League granted the city of Dallas a professional team, today marks the 60th anniversary of the day that America’s Team first played in a regular-season football game.

Back in 1960, the team played their games at the Cotton Bowl. At the time, the Dallas Texans (who would eventually go on to become the Kansas City Chiefs) of the American Football League also called the stadium home as well. The Cowboys had played preseason games starting on August 6, against the San Francisco 49ers. They even ended up beating the New York Giants 14-3 on August 27, to clinch their first-ever preseason victory.

The Cowboy’s first regular-season game was against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 24, 1960. A team that Dallas would go on to form a fierce and iconic rivalry with in the next decade. Fans could be excused if they didn’t expect the Cowboys to win or even be particularly competitive going into the match-up. The Steelers were far from the class of the league at the time, but they were flaunting future Hall of Famer Bobby Layne as their quarterback (and part-time kicker) and were just an all-around more experienced team than the Cowboys.

The Cowboys actually jumped out to a surprising 14-0 lead behind two touchdown passes from quarterback Eddie LeBaron. The first official touchdown in Dallas Cowboys history was a 75-yard pass to Jim Doran (the team’s lone Pro Bowler in 1960) and came just three plays into the game. Their second was a seven-yard toss to Fred Dugan.

At one point in the second quarter, Dallas even held a 21-7 lead off the back of Don McIlhenny’s five-yard rush. However, the Steelers responded with a touchdown pass from Layne to Jimmy Orr and made it a one-score game. Heading into the locker rooms for halftime, the Cowboys had a 21-14 lead.

Pittsburgh then scored first in the second half with a 70-yard touchdown off of a halfback pass from Tom Tracy to Buddy Dial that tied the game at 21 apiece. But LeBaron and the Cowboys answered with a 54-yard touchdown to Doran again, giving them a lead of 28-21.

However, Doran’s second touchdown would prove to be the last time Dallas scored all game. Layne tossed a 49-yard touchdown to tie the game up at 28 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys offense just couldn’t respond. Pittsburgh got the ball back with about three minutes left and managed to put the game on ice with Layne’s 65-yard touchdown to Tracy. The Steelers walked away with a 35-28 win.

LeBaron was the first signal-caller in Dallas history and was nicknamed “The Little General” for his 5-9 frame. Coming to the team from Washington, his Cowboys debut was uneven, to say the least. At times he looked electric, but just as often he has showcased poor decision-making skills with critical mistakes. He finished the game 15-28 for 345 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

He’d go on start 11 of the Cowboys’ 12 games in 1960, where he threw an NFL leading 25 interceptions to just 12 touchdowns. Though it is worth noting that his 1,738 yards that season was more than the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Washington football franchises had in 1960.

LeBaron started 28 games over his four years in Dallas (though he appeared in 52). He finished his Cowboys career with a 5-22-1 record, 5,331 yards and 45 touchdown passes to 53 interceptions. He’d eventually lose his job to Don Meredith, who would go on to become “Dandy Don”, the first great quarterback in franchise history.

Despite a Cowboys loss, there were still plenty of positives. To start, the team was far more competitive than anyone had expected them to be. They also showed the potential to be entertaining to watch with dazzling highlight plays.

The first season in Dallas was a rough one, as the team finished the year 0-11-1. In fact, rough might be too kind a word to describe the 1960 team. The Dallas Cowboys were downright awful in their inaugural season.

How bad? Well, during one stretch from October 16-November 13, the Cowboys were outscored by a margin of 184-43. That streak included 3 losses where the box score read: 48-7, 45-7, 41-7. Hey, if nothing else they were consistent. It’s hard to imagine Tom Landry, the fourth winningest coach in the history of professional football failing to win a single game in any season and getting beat so badly, so frequently, but the truth is always stranger than fiction.

The first season for America’s Team may have left a lot to be desired, but it laid the foundation for one of the most iconic franchises in sports history. So with that, let’s raise a glass to 60 years of Dallas Cowboys football, and here’s to 60 more.