Filed under Trivia and Stats
9 comments
I haven’t asked many trivia questions lately, but this one may be interesting. Take a look at this picture (click on it to see a larger size) and then answer the questions that appear below it.
Cowboys vs. Browns, 1960s
Questions:
1. In what year was this game played?
2. Who was the quarterback for the Cowboys in this picture?
3. In what year did the Cowboys begin displaying their names on the backs of their jerseys?
1. I’m guessing 1966 or 1967. It appears its Don Meredith taking a snap from Dave Manders. Tony Liscio is probably the right guard. Can’t determine who the left guard or tackle would be but if its 1966, then it could be Leon Donahue. Its a regular season game as there are other games on the score board. Don Perkins awaits a hand off on a draw play?
2. If I have the year correct, its Dandy Don (though Morton played alot in 1967 but I don’t think he wore a single bar facemask.
3. Not sure exactly when but probably early 1980’s.
1966 don meredith 1965
I assume the picture (in particular the scoreboard) hasn’t been doctored in any way.
If so, then the year must be 1965 — you can deduce that from the date of Cleveland’s next home game (Oct 31 vs. MN) and the schedule of games being played. That set of games was unique to Oct 17, 1965.
The scoreboard does not give the time remaining, but you can see its scoreless in the 1Q (and all other games are also scoreless), so it must be relatively early in the game.
We know Jerry Rhome started that game and wasn’t pulled until he played three series. In fact, all three QBs (Rhome, Morton, Meredith) saw action that day, but only Meredith was effective.
The picture doesn’t look like either Meredith or Morton (that would be too easy, and in any case, by the time Meredith entered the game, he was already down 0-10, so it can’t be Don), so I’m gonna guess the QB pictured is Rhome, the starter.
The last question is the easiest. The Cowboys (like the entire old-line NFL) did not put player names on their jersies. That was an AFL innovation. When the leagues merged in 1970, all teams put player names on their jersies.
Finally, its worth noting that the Cowboys are wearing blue on the road. By 1965, the Cowboys were two years into their new “tradition” of wearing white at home. This picture shows the Browns also wearing white at home.
They aren’t doing it because they thought the Cowboys were jinxed in blue — its just that, at the time, Cleveland was one of the few teams (like the Cowboys) that chose to wear white at home.
I had no doubt you’d get it, Fred. Regarding the quarterback, you can tell the second number is neither a 7 (as in Meredith’s #17) nor a 4 (as in Morton’s #14). So even though it is not clear what the number is, the only other quarterback (Rhome, #13) was also the starter that day.
Regarding the blue jerseys, some teams apparently alternated dark and white jerseys periodically. I’ve seen video of Dallas wearing blue at Pittsburgh and New Orleans, and I know that the Cardinals sometimes wore white at home.
Thanks for the comment.
That’s a neat picture — where did you find it?
Great job Fred. I have not checked Pro Football Reference on who the lineman are, but I do know that Liscio and Donahue were with the team. I started to go with Jerry Rhome but I thought—naah. But great call and good use of the info presented.
Like the picture alot. Those were great days in professional football.
I found the shot in one of the 25th anniversary books (I don’t have it in front of me but I’ll mention the title when I do). I thought at first that the quarterback looked a bit like Eddie LeBaron, but he never wore the uniforms with the silver helmets, etc. That’s what caught my attention. There are very few picture of Rhome, and this is the only one I’ve seen with him in action.
If I could go back in time, I wish I could attend a game at the Cotton Bowl in the 1960s. Those were apparently the days. I love Texas Stadium, of course, but the original die-hards watched in the Cotton Bowl.
kick, its not the same as being there, but its close: read “Cotton Bowl Days” by Eisenberg if you haven’t already. He grew up in Dallas and does a great job of capturing the spirit of the town and the team of the 60s.
I never saw a game at the Cotton Bowl in person, but I saw several road games on TV (we couldn’t afford the “Cowboy Antenna” that would draw Waco broadcasts of home games — home games were blacked-out then, even if sold out).
I’m almost sure I’ve got a 25th anniversary book with that picture in it. Also featured: a foreword by James Michener(!).