1965 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1965 Dallas Cowboys season was their sixth in the National Football League and their best record to date, at 7–7.[2] After five consecutive losses, Dallas was 2–5 halfway through the season. They won five of the final seven games and finished in a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference, with the New York Giants, four games behind the defending NFL champion Cleveland Browns (11–3).
1965 Dallas Cowboys season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Tom Landry |
Owner | Clint Murchison, Jr. |
Home field | Cotton Bowl |
Results | |
Record | 7–7 |
Division place | 2nd NFL Eastern (tie) |
Playoff finish | Lost NFL Playoff Bowl (vs. Colts) 3-35[1] |
The Cowboys defeated the Giants twice and earned the berth in the third place Playoff Bowl in Miami,[3][4] held three weeks after the regular season, but lost 35–3 to the Baltimore Colts, runners-up of the Western Conference.[5]
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 19 | New York Giants | W 31–2 | 1–0 | Cotton Bowl | 59,366 | Recap |
2 | September 26 | Washington Redskins | W 27–7 | 2–0 | Cotton Bowl | 61,577 | Recap |
3 | October 4 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 13–20 | 2–1 | Busch Stadium | 32,034 | Recap |
4 | October 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–35 | 2–2 | Cotton Bowl | 56,249 | Recap |
5 | October 17 | at Cleveland Browns | L 17–23 | 2–3 | Cleveland Stadium | 80,451 | Recap |
6 | October 24 | at Green Bay Packers | L 3–13 | 2–4 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 48,311 | Recap |
7 | October 31 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13–22 | 2–5 | Pitt Stadium | 37,804 | Recap |
8 | November 7 | San Francisco 49ers | W 39–31 | 3–5 | Cotton Bowl | 39,677 | Recap |
9 | November 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–17 | 4–5 | Cotton Bowl | 57,293 | Recap |
10 | November 21 | Cleveland Browns | L 17–24 | 4–6 | Cotton Bowl | 76,251 | Recap |
11 | November 28 | at Washington Redskins | L 31–34 | 4–7 | D.C. Stadium | 50,205 | Recap |
12 | December 5 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 21–19 | 5–7 | Franklin Field | 54,714 | Recap |
13 | December 11 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–13 | 6–7 | Cotton Bowl | 38,499 | Recap |
14 | December 19 | at New York Giants | W 38–20 | 7–7 | Yankee Stadium | 62,871 | Recap |
Conference opponents are in bold text
Postseason
Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game Site | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Playoff Bowl | January 9, 1966 | vs Baltimore Colts | L 3–35 | Orange Bowl | 65,569 |
Standings
NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
Cleveland Browns | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 11–1 | 363 | 325 | W1 | |
Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 6–6 | 325 | 280 | W3 | |
New York Giants | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–5 | 270 | 338 | L1 | |
Washington Redskins | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 6–6 | 257 | 301 | W1 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 5–7 | 363 | 359 | L1 | |
St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 5–7 | 296 | 309 | L6 | |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 2–10 | 202 | 397 | L7 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
NFL Draft
1965 Dallas Cowboys draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Craig Morton | QB | California | |
2 | 19 | Malcolm Walker | C | Rice | |
4 | 47 | Jimmy Sidle | RB | Auburn | |
4 | 53 | Bob Svihus | OT | USC | Signed with the AFL |
5 | 61 | Roger Pettee | LB | Florida | |
6 | 75 | Sonny Utz | RB | Virginia Tech | He spent 2 seasons on the injured reserve list |
7 | 89 | Brig Owens | S | Cincinnati | |
8 | 103 | Russell Wayt | LB | Rice | |
9 | 117 | Jim Zanios | RB | Texas Tech | |
10 | 131 | Gaylon McCullough | C | Alabama | |
11 | 145 | Jethro Pugh | DT | Elizabeth City State | |
12 | 159 | Ernie Kellerman * | S | Miami (OH) | |
13 | 173 | Jack Schraub | E | California | |
14 | 187 | Garry Porterfield | DE | Tulsa | |
15 | 201 | Gene Foster | FB | Arizona State | Signed with the AFL |
16 | 215 | Doug McDougal | E | Oregon State | |
17 | 229 | Mitch Johnson | OT | UCLA | |
18 | 243 | Marty Amsler | OT | Evansville | |
19 | 257 | Merv Rettenmund | RB | Ball State | Signed with the Baltimore Orioles of the MLB |
20 | 271 | Don Barlow | OT | Kansas State | |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Roster
Dallas Cowboys 1965 roster | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics | |||
References
- "It Was 1965 . . ". Dallascowboys.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- "1965 Dallas Cowboys". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- "Dallas clips Giants, lands Playoff Bowl". Victoria Advocate. Texas. Associated Press. December 20, 1965. p. 12.
- "Cowboys jar Giants for ticket to Playoff Bowl". Schenectady Gazette. New York. Associated Press. December 20, 1965. p. 27.
- "'Instant quarterback' Matte leads 35-3 rout of Dallas". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 10, 1966. p. 8.