Don MeredithOne of the oldest records in team history is most yards passing in a single game. Don Meredith established the mark with 460 yards in a 31-24 loss to San Francisco in 1963.

Here is a clip of the story from that game:

Don Meredith had one of the greatest afternoons in National Football League history and that was not enough to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

Meredith threw 48 passes. That’s a team record. He completed 30, another record. The total distance was 460 yards, which not only breaks the Cowboy team record by 112 yards, but approaches Norm Van Brocklin’s NFL record of 554.

Only three quarterbacks in league history have pitched more productively in a single afternoon: Van Brocklin, Y. A. Tittle (505) and Johnny Lujack (468).

Had the Dallas defense contributed anything but awkwardness and stupidity, Meredith would have surpassed Lujack and probably scared the keepers off Van Brocklin’s treasured moment.

But the defense was pitiful against the pitiful 49ers.

And when they counted all the chips San Francisco had won its second game of the season. 31-24.

All-pro halfback Don Perkins was normally violent, punishing he 49ers when it was necessary. Frank Clarke (eight catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns), Bill Howton (eight for 107 and one score) and Lee Folkins (seven for 112) caught brilliantly and ran like wild boars.

But these heroics were insufficient, vastly insufficient.

Troy Aikman came close to breaking the record with a 455-yard performance that also occurred in a loss (46-36 to Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day in 1998). Meredith also had the only other 400-yard game in team history, in a 31-30 win over Washington in 1966.

Below is the list of games in which a Dallas quarterback has had at least 350 yards passing in one game.

Table: Most Passing Yards in a Game (Regular Season)


Date Player Yards Opponent Result Score
11/10/1963 Meredith, Don 460 San Francisco 49ers L 24-31
11/26/1998 Aikman, Troy 455 Minnesota Vikings L 36-46
11/13/1966 Meredith, Don 406 Washington Redskins W 31-30
10/9/1966 Meredith, Don 394 Philadelphia Eagles W 56-7
12/22/1985 Hogeboom, Gary 389 San Francisco 49ers L 16-31
11/12/1989 Aikman, Troy 379 Phoenix Cardinals L 20-24
10/9/1983 White, Danny 377 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27-24
10/27/1996 Aikman, Troy 363 Miami Dolphins W 29-10
9/25/2005 Bledsoe, Drew 363 San Francisco 49ers W 34-31
10/27/1985 White, Danny 362 Atlanta Falcons W 24-10
9/12/1999 Aikman, Troy 362 Washington Redskins W 41-35
12/13/1987 White, Danny 359 Washington Redskins L 20-24
9/18/1966 Meredith, Don 358 New York Giants W 52-7
11/27/1997 Aikman, Troy 356 Tennessee Oilers L 14-27
9/12/2004 Testaverde, Vinny 355 Minnesota Vikings L 17-35
10/25/1981 White, Danny 354 Miami Dolphins W 28-27
12/25/1995 Aikman, Troy 350 Arizona Cardinals W 37-13