Know Your Dallas Cowboys: The Blog

The first name given to the NFL franchise in Dallas was the Dallas Rangers. Prior to the time that the other NFL owners voted to allow Dallas to enter the league, the Cowboys had already signed a quarterback named Don Meredith and a coach named Tom Landry. The headline in the Dallas Morning News on December 29, 1959 read, “Rangers Hire Tom Landry.”

This was some time before Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers came into existence. However, there was a minor league franchise in Dallas at that time named the Dallas Rangers, and the thought was that it would be confusing to have a football team with the same name. Thus, in March 1960, the name Dallas Cowboys emerged.

Rangers Hire Tom Landry

by Charles Burton
(Dallas Morning News, Dec. 29, 1959)

Tom Landry, defensive coach of the New York Giants, flew back to his home town Monday with a 5-year contract in his pocket to coach the proposed Dallas Rangers of the National Football League.

Landry was accompanied by another University of Texas graduate, Tex Schramm, who has taken the post of general manager of the club, which expects to be awarded an NFL franchise at a January 20 session of the pro circuit.

If the franchise is granted to Dallas there will be two pro football teams in the city next season, including Lamar Hunt’s Dallas Texans in the American Professional Football League.

Schramm expressed complete confidence of George Halas, chairman of the NFL expansion committee, that Dallas would be awarded a franchise. There are strong indications within NFL circles, however, that Halas, the leagues No. 1 exponent of expansion into Dallas and Minneapolis next season, may not be assured of the necessary votes of 10 of the 12 present clubs.

Landry said that if the expansion vote is unfavorable, his contract with the Rangers will be null and void, but that he will be paid a certain sum for the risk he is taking. He said that in such an eventuality, he will be free to take another job, including the post he has just given up with the Giants.

Schramm said that the Rangers would play at least part of their home games, and “probably all” of them in them in the 75,502-seat Cotton Bowl.

Hunt’s Texans have first call on dates in the big stadium, and plan to play seven AFL championship games and an exhibition in it. It is understood that a clause in his contract prohibits use of the stadium for professional football on days other than Sundays.

Bedford Wynne, who with Clint Murchison Jr., is an applicant for the Dallas NFL franchise, also expressed confidence that the Rangers would have use of the stadium.

The landing of Landry was the second major coup scored over the fledgling American League by the Murchison-Wynne combination in the fantastic battle for professional football patronage in Dallas next season.

They snatched up the coveted No. 1 draft choice of the Dallas Texans, Don Meredith, the Southern Methodist forward passing star, by signing him to a “personal services contract” even before the National League held its annual selection meeting. Meredith generally was regarded as the top pro prize among graduating collegians, with Billy Cannon, the Louisiana State halfback, his only close challenger in evaluation of talent scouts.

Landry, praised recently by Jim Lee Howell, head coach of the Giants, as “the greatest coach in football,” has been contacted by at least four clubs with regard to becoming their head coach. One of those which checked on his availability was Hunt’s Texans. Hunt withdrew from the scramble to hire Henry (Hank) Stram, University of Miami backfield coach, and former Southern Methodist assistant. Another was Bud Adams’ Houston Oilers of the AFL.

The Los Angeles Rams of the NFL reportedly were interested in obtaining Landry’s services, though Pete Rozelle, that club’s general manager, wouldn’t come right out and say so Monday.

“He is one whom we obviously would have given serious consideration,” Rozelle told The Dallas News,” but we have known that he was committed”

Adams also apparently had suspected that Landry was leaning toward a tie-up with the Murchison-Wynne group, for he was interviewing another prospect for the post when contacted by The News Monday morning.

“Landry was supposed to telephone me last night or today,” Adams said, “but I haven’t heard from him yet.”

At that moment, Landry and Schramm were flying to Dallas to make their not entirely unexpected announcement. Schramm had released it earlier in New York.

Adams said Landry had told him in their discussions that “it is 50-50″ whether Dallas is granted an NFL franchise and that he might have to wait until then to decide on a Houston offer.

The Houston clubowner said he could not wait until then to hire a coach, and though he had not heard finally from Landry, he was in conference with Lou Rymkus, former offensive line coach for the Rams. Rymkus became available when Sid Gillman was fired as head coach of the Los Angeles team at the end of the season.

“I think I will be able to announce my coach within a day or two,” the Oiler owner said. “I have talked to several prospects other than Landry.”

Landry expressed delight that the Rangers have Meredith under contract.

“All we’ve got is a coach and pitcher,” he said, “but that’s a start. Now we’ve got to get some more players.”

Schramm said the NFL would provide the club with a nucleus of veteran pro players but that neither the exact number nor the method of their choosing had been decided.

Landry, looking at the prospects realistically, said it was obvious that no NFL club would give up its best players on such a transfer, but “the league doesn’t want any weak clubs, either. That hurts everybody.”

He said he planned to hire four assistant coaches, but that he had no one in mind particularly at the moment.

“You never know who might be available,” he said, “until it becomes known the jobs are available.”

A few notes of interest about this article:

* Prior to the expansion draft in 1960, the Cowboys actually signed two standout college players to personal services contracts. In addition to Meredith, Dallas obtained the rights to running back Don Perkins.

* Interesting that Landry chose the NFL expansion team over the upstart AFL clubs in Dallas and Houston. In 1949, he chose to sign with the New York Yankees of the AAFC rather than the New York Giants of the NFL, later joining the Giants when the leagues merged.

* The NFL did, of course, add teams in both Dallas and Minneapolis. The AFL originally wanted a team in Minnesota, but the proposed owner, Max Winter, double-crossed the AFL owners by choosing to join the NFL. The AFL decided instead to establish a franchise in Oakland, CA.

* Also interesting that the DMN interviewed Pete Rozelle for this piece. At the same meeting where the NFL owners granted the Dallas franchise, they also elected Rozelle to replace Burt Bell as NFL commissioner.