There is, of course, lots of history associated with the Cowboys and 49ers. I have a few clips of the 1971 NFC Championship Game, but since we’ve featured a few posts on the 1970 team (here, here), I thought I’d show a couple of clips from the Cowboys’ first win in an NFC championship game.

San Francisco won the NFC West division in 1970 with a 10-3-1 record, while Dallas won the East at 10-4. Dallas knocked off the Lions 5-0, while the 49ers beat the defending NFL champion Minnesota Vikings 17-14.

In the final game played at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, against a 49er team coached by former Tom Landry assistant Dick Nolan, the Cowboys pulled out a 17-10 win.

Imagine if Tony Romo put up these sorts of stats: 7 of 22, 101 yards, 1 TD. One wide receiver– Reggie Rucker– caught a pass. Them blogs wouldn’t be happy.

But Duane Thomas’ 143 rushing yards on 27 attempts, coupled with Walt Garrison’s 71 yards in 17 attempts, rendered Craig Morton’s passing performance a non-issue. John Brodie and Gene Washington did what they could to keep San Francisco in the game. However, interceptions by Lee Roy Jordan and Mel Renfro led to two Dallas touchdowns.

In the first clip, the Dave Edwards had just sacked Brodie back at the San Francisco 14. On the play shown here, Larry Cole put tremendous pressure on Brodie, who threw a pass over the middle. Jordan stepped in front of fullback Ken Willard and picked off Brodie’s pass, leading to a 13-yard touchdown run by Thomas (also shown) to give Dallas a 10-3 lead.

(You might note that Pat Summerall at that time worked as a color analyst. Ray Scott is the play-by-play announcer).

Renfro’s pick occurred later in the third quarter, and after Dallas drove the ball downfield, the Cowboys faced a first-and-goal from the San Francisco 5. Morton hit Garrison in the flat for a touchdown, giving Dallas a 17-3 lead.

For more…

Cowboys Do It … in the Big One! (Dallas Morning News, Jan. 4, 1971)

Box Score (Pro Football Reference)