Taking a short break from the greatest-by-jersey posts, here is a classic article written by Tom Landry prior to the 1960 season. Most of it is what you would expect from a coach, and it is especially what you would expect from a 1960s-era article. However, there is an interesting reference to rookies Don Meredith, Jim Mooty, Don Perkins and Dalton Hicks. We know about Meredith, but here are some tidbits about the others:
* Perkins did not play in 1960 due to an injury.
* Mooty, a safety, lasted only one season in the NFL, playing with Dallas in 1960.
* To my knowledge, Dalton Hicks never played a down in the NFL. The only fact it could find about him was that he played end for McMurry University from 1957 to 1959.
As for the established pros, Landry refers to Don Heinrich, L. G. Dupre, Ed Modzelewski, Charlie Ane, Doyle Nix, Don McIlhenny, Duane Putnam, Jerry Tubbs, and John Gonzaga. Here are there stories:
* Heinrich lasted only one season in Dallas, having started one game in 1960.
* Dupre was the team’s leading rusher in 1960, but he was gone after the 1961 season.
* Modzelewski never played for the Cowboys or anyone else after the 1959 season.
* Similarly, Ane played his final down of football in 1959 and did not play for the Cowboys.
* Nix played for the AFL’s Los Angeles Chargers in 1960.
* McIlhenny played for the Cowboys in 1960 and for part of the season in 1961. He later played for the 49ers during the 1961 season.
* Tubbs played for Dallas until 1966 and also served for many years as an assistant coach for the Cowboys.
* Gonzaga only played one season for Dallas, leaving in 1961 to play for the Lions.
Many thanks to Fred Goodwin for pointing this article out to me.
Dallas Morning News
June 27, 1960
By TOM LANDRY, Head Coach, Dallas CowboysWhat are the Cowboys’ chances In 1960? How does one prepare a first-year club for entry Into the National Football League?
Those are the two most frequent questions asked by football fans in recent months.
Actually the two questions involve at least one major common subject-our player personnel. The mere fact that we were fortunate enough to obtain some talented
veterans from other teams in the National Football League gives us a big advantage over the common concept of a first-year team.With 10 to 12 players who were starters in the National Football League last season, there exists the advantage of experience that should give us a real chance to win
games in 1960. And these same veterans allow us to make preparations of a more definite nature since we know what they can do. Thus, we can construct our offense
and defense around the capabilities of such NFL stars as Don Heinrich, L. G. Dupre, Ed Modzelewski, Charlie Ane, Doyle Nix, Don McIlhenny, Duane Putnam, Jerry Tubbs,
John Gonzaga and the other proven performers.However, the most outstanding value of these veterans is probably the fact that with them on hand now, it gives us the opportunity to begin development of a strong
contender, to accomplish this we must blend with the experienced, some good rookies over the next two or three years. By doing this, I am sure we will come up with a
solid squad much quicker than would be possible had we been forced to start out with a group of completely untried personnel.Work Day Will Be Long
With newcomers to pro ball such as rookies Don Meredith, Jim Mooty, Don Perkins and Dalton Hicks, to name a few, we have on our roster a fine nucleus for the Cowboys
future.Preparation for the Cowboys first season entails many hours of work by the staff. Knowing our opponents, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington
Redskins, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Detroit
Lions, is a must.Planning our offensive and defensive attack against each of those clubs, keeping in mind our squad potential, is a time consuming task.
This is off-season work that must be done. Then when we get to camp, comes the problem of molding our squad into the type unit necessary to carry out the plans we
have set as our ’60 program.However, here again our veterans are the “ace in the hole.” With their experience, I believe they will catch on quickly to our system. This will give us the nucleus to
build, and the nucleus into which we will gradually insert rookies to gain the vital experience and maturity that can be learned only by education alongside the
established veterans.The long planning sessions of the past lew months have been interesting – and the training camp will prove be more so. However, the extensive work we have already
done and that which we will do in the near future will, I believe, pay off with a good team representing Dallas in the National Football League this fall, and in the
years to come.
Landry’s final sentence was prophetic, I thought, despite the 0-11-1 record of that 1960 squad:
“the extensive work we have already done and that which we will do in the near future will, I believe, pay off with a good team representing Dallas in the National Football League this fall, and in the years to come.”
Its also worth noting that, even though the Cowboys missed the ’59 college draft (for the ’60 season), Dallas actually had five players in the ’60 College All-Star Game. Only three teams had more (Rams & Cards with six each, and the Browns, with five).
Cowboys in the ’60 College All-Star game: QB Don Meredith from SMU; FB Don Perkins from NM (injured during practice and did not play); RB Jim Mooty from Arkansas (injured during practice and did not play; T Paul Rochester from Michigan State; and RB Fred Doelling from Penn.
The Bears, Eagles, Giants & Lions also sent four; the Niners, Colts and Redskins sent two; the Packers sent one.
For a team w/o a college draft, I’d say the Cowboys did pretty well signing free agents (Meredith and Perkins were drafted on behalf of the Cowboys in exchange for future draft picks).
For the record: the NFL champion Colts pounded the collegians, 32-7.
Oh, and despite Landry’s words of praise for Dalton Hicks, the Cowboys waived him on July 18, 1960.
And I think you’re right that he never played in the NFL; “Total Football” does not have an entry for him.
Despite an 0-11-1 record. The Cowboys were only BLOWN out of 4 games, they lost 3 games by less than a touchdown and the lost 4 more by less than 2 touchdowns. They had a turnover ratio of -25! They didn’t have a single game were the committed less than 2 turnovers. They had a total of 51 turnovers in 12 games, thats an average of more than 4 a game. Your not gonna win many games like that!
Of course the Cowboys tied one game, 31-31 vs the Giants at Yankee stadium. The 1961 Fleer football card Cowboy photograhs were taken just before the Giants at Yankee stadium and you can see the house that Ruth built in the background of each card.