Cowboys-Redskins Rivalry History

Cowboys vs. Redskins: Sibling Rivalry (Photo credit: Wayan Vota)

Since I live in an area with a large number of Redskins and Cowboys fans I understand this rivalry- these two clubs HATE EACH OTHER.

Sport Illustrated call this rivalry the top in the NFL and for good reason. As divisional rivals they see each other at least twice a season and both teams have won a combined eight Super Bowls.

But how did it all start and why? Well it’s really about a song and chicken feed.

Yep really.

A Texas oil tycoon Clint Murchison, Jr. wanted to bring an NFL team to Dallas and was having a hard time doing. In 1958 the owner of the Washington Redskins George Preston Marshall wanted to sell the team- and so the Redskins almost moved to Dallas until the last minute Marshall wanted a change in terms. Murchison wasn’t happy and the whole deal called off.

Then along came a man named Barnee Breeskin. Breeskin was the Redskin band director and the composer of “Hail to the Redskins.” Breeskin got into a disagreement with Marshall (see a pattern with this guy) and wanted revenge. Breeskin sold the rights to “Hail to the Redskins” for $2,500 to Murchison!

Murchison worked with the NFL to get an expansion team in Dallas and had every other owner’s approval- except you guessed Marshall. Even today in order to create an expanision team in the NFL you need unanimous owner’s approval and Marshall was the only hold out.

Until Marshall realized that Murchison owned the rights to a particular song. In order to get the rights back Marshall agreed to the expansion and the Dallas Cowboys were founded and began playing in 1960.

The fighting should be over right- no one more dig was needed. Back then there wasn’t free agency so in order to build a team Dallas was allowed to pick from certain players from other NFL teams– unless they were protected. Murchison picked Redskins’ Pro Bowl quarterback Eddie LeBaron as their starter. Marshall forgot to protect LeBaron.

How the Fans Got Involved

Back in the early days of the rivalry the fans acted like college fans do- crazy- and none better than the Cowboys Chicken Club.

December 1961 Cowboy fans sneaked into D.C. Stadium with bags of chicken feed. The idea was that during the Redskins’ half time show when Santa Claus would arrive by a sled the pranksters would release dozens of chickens on the field – 75 white and one black because the Marshall was the only owner in the league who wouldn’t put African-American players on the field.

The CCC actually got the chickens into the stadium the morning of the game and was unspotted until halftime when an official from the Redskins noticed the crates and sounds of chickens. The CCC tried to bribe the official but the official was actually Redskin general manager Dick McCann. The CCC members were arrested and the chicken confiscated.

The next year the CCC got into Marshall’s hotel room and put a large turkey in the bathroom the night before the game. Marshall fled the hotel room. Minutes before kickoff four banners reading “CHICKENS” in both end zones and on both sides of the 50 yard line were shown in the upper decks while “Hail to the Redskins” played in the stadium. Then acrobats hired by the CCC rushed onto the field in chicken costumes and started throwing eggs. One was caught but another one released a chicken during the National Anthem. By the time the players went onto the field the acrobat escaped.

The Cowboys would win that game 38-10 and the Dallas News reported that the attendance was 49,888 and one chicken.

Other memorable moments in the Rivalry

Jan 22, 1983- NFC Championship Game at RFK- Redskins defeated Cowboys to earn a trip to Super Bowl XVII and the Redskins first Super Bowl win.

The 1983 NFL season opener on MNF the Redskins were wining 23-3 at the half. Then Dallas came back and won 31-30.

December 9, 1984, down 21-6 at halftime Redskins scored 17 unanswered points on turnovers to get a 23-21 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Redskins won that game 30-28 and it was the first time in the rivalry when the Redskins swept the Cowboys.

September 9, 1985, Redskins QB Joe Thesimann celebrated his birthday at Texas Stadium with a performance including five interceptions and a benching by Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. The Dallas fans started to sing Happy Birthday to Thesimann and the Cowboys won 44-14.

1987 Scab Game- the Cowboys had more players cross the picket line during the 1987 strike than any other team. The Redskins had replacement players considered of less caliber but still pulled out a victory. This game is considered the inspiration for the 2000 movie The Replacements. The Redskins also won the Super Bowl that season.

1989 was not a good year for the Cowboys- except for the November 5 game against the Redskins- the one victory that whole season.

In the early 1990s both teams were at the top of the NFL ranks thanks largely to the Dallas big three of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irving.

1991- Redskins were undefeated going into the game and the Cowboys gave the Redskins their only loss for the season- the Redskins would win the Super Bowl that year.

1992- Emmitt Smith had a career performance with a 140 rushing yards in a win against the Super Bowl champs. The Cowboys won the Super Bowl that year but the Redskins got a bit of revenge with a win of their own.

1993- the Redskins embarrass the Cowboys- notice a pattern- with a win. This was only four wins for the Redskins that season that would add another Super Bowl win for the Cowboys.

1996- the Redskins would close out the home stand at RFK Stadium with a win against the Cowboys.

After 1996 the years have not been kind to either team- in fact in 2001 both teams came into their MNF game with an 0-4 record. Dallas won both games that year.

2002- the Redskins broke a 11-game losing streak to Dallas with a win 20-14 and both teams had losing records

2005- during the game when Aikman, Smith, and Irvin were inducted into the Cowboys “Ring of Honor” the Redskins won the game.

Despite the history the Cowboys have owned the rivalry- 62-40-2. Today they meet for the Thanksgiving game– and it is sure to be exciting.

Related articles

• Final Word: Redskins-Cowboys (espn.go.com)
• Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins rivalry (truebluenation.wordpress.com)
• Washington vs. Dallas: Cowboys Have Thanked Redskins for Giving in the Past (bleacherreport.com)

Water Cooler Talk: Gambling over Youth Football

Betting on Youth Football- have people no shame? (Photo credit: jvh33)

Sometimes the stupidity and greed of grownups really muck up sports. A great example is the escapade in Texas for Southern Methodist University in the 1980s that was featured in the very well done 30 for 30 ESPN film The Pony Excess. That is one of the more glaring examples of amateur athletes being used and exploited. But even that doesn’t compare to this because at least the athletes involved were older. Now the stupidity has spread to youth football.

This week the Sheriff’s Office in Broward County, Fl arrested nine men and charged them with felony bookmaking for betting on games within one youth league. The bets got as high as $100,000 on a single game.

Thankfully it appears that the players were unaware- but kids are smart and perceptive and some knew- they had to know. This league has 22 teams with over 6,000 players and according to CBS News many of the players come from “impoverished neighborhoods.” The age range for these players is 5-15 years old.

The Sheriff’s Office found out about the ring through ESPN- after producers sent them footage in 2011 showing money being exchanged between spectators at youth games during critical plays. ESPN was doing some reporting about the growing trend of gambling in youth sports.

The ringleader for this group, Brandon Bivins is known as Coach B and was the president of the Ft Lauderdale Hurricanes team while also running the two local business fronts for the gambling ring.

According to investigators, coaches- yes I said coaches- met before games and set point spreads. At this time it is not known if players were asked to throw games or underperform- but in my opinion when bets run $20,000 for an average game, you can’t tell me that a coach didn’t set things in favor for a certain better.

Things get even more interesting when it was discovered that six of the nine men arrested have previous records of being convicts- yep role models indeed. Now, I will say that I know there are men and women who have done time and turn their lives around- these cowards making money off the backs of children are not such men.

This entire story is disgusting and one of the reasons sports in America has serious problems. As a mom I believe it is important for my children to participate in organized sports. Their involvement with youth baseball and soccer will help teach team work, good sportsmanship, and develop hand/eye coordination. Learning about how to bet on the point spread is not one of those things. And had one of my babies been involved boy would these cowards have an angry mama bear on their hands.

I am curious how the Gal Pal nation feels about this story? Are you as disgusted as I am about it- or do you just shrug your head?

Related articles

• Youth football coaches charged (espn.go.com)
• Nine Men Arrested for Gambling on Pee Wee Football Games (blogs.browardpalmbeach.com)
• Nine men charged in Florida youth football gambling ring (foxnews.com)

Water Cooler: College Football Edition

The Geno Smith show is good on the Road

After yesterday’s win there is no contest- WVU‘s quarterback Geno Smith is your Heisman candidate. This year he has 1,996 passing yards, 204 attempts and the best stat ever no interceptions.

The game was a close one, all really coming down on a 41-yard field goal that Texas kicker Anthony Fera missed late in the fourth quarter. This is the same kicker who transferred from Penn St– and whose absence was most notable in the Penn St loss to UVa.

Also I must mention the WVU receiving duo Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin- wow. Bailey had three touchdowns and Austin another one plus 111 yards on kick returns.

What this game signifies is that WVU is the top dog in the Big12- nice for your first year.

Oklahoma bounces back

Keeping with the Big 12- OU came up with an impressive win against Texas Tech- 41-20. Landry Jones had 25 of 40 catches for 259 yards and two touch downs. Tech did have 271 passing yards but only 89 rushing yards.

Penn State comes from behind in the 4th to beat N’western

Trailing 11 going into the fourth quarter the Nittany Lions had to pull up their boot straps. They scores three times in the final 10 minutes of the game.

This happened after N’western has a 75 yard punt return for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

Stanford gets overtime victory

Andrew Luck who?

Stanford qb Josh Nunes had a career high 360 yards, threw two touchdowns and ran in for three more.

He was a scoring machine.

But Arizona looked good- they did get over 400 passing yards against Stanford something that hasn’t happened since 2007. But the defense couldn’t hang on.

Florida defends its Swamp for the Win

Oh my- now this was a football game. None of these basketball, let the quarterbacks throw until their arms give out. This was fought on the ground- and the Gators win.

Mike Gillislee ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns giving the Tigers their first regular season loss in 19 games.

South Carolina makes it an ugly day for UGA

Wow- 35-7 victory for the Gamecocks (try saying that name without a giggle- I bet you can’t). They not only got the win but stopped a Georgia team that had a league-leading 48.2 points and 536 yards a game offense.

Notre Dame easily withstands the Hurricanes

Back in the 1980s this was a great rivalry- and if you’re interested a wonderful book called “Perfect Rivals” by Jeff Carroll is an excellent read. This time the Irish has 587 yards total and 376 yards rushing.

This wasn’t even close- Miami only scored once a field goal in the first quarter and then the Irish led for three quarters without a single Miami score.

Did I mention the Irish are undefeated?

The Triangle is Evil and Should be Destroyed

Perhaps next week I won’t write about UVa and Va Tech and then maybe those team will win.

Of course actually playing defense would help as well.

UVa is a mess- but looking I should have expected this with the loss of Kris Bird and Chase Minnifield– it’s just hard to go from your first good season in so many years to a now four game losing streak. And to lose where you score no points in the second half. Grrrr

On the other hand we could be the Hokies who right now need to have a hotline set up to calm fans down. Seriously I was looking at the fan message boards and a scream of S.O.S messages make me wonder- what are y’all thinking? Calm down folks.

I guess when you’re used to winning consistently one bad season is a shock.

On the other hand let’s look at Duke and UNC- obviously Virginia and VT forgot it was football season and went straight to basketball season. I’m not going to look at the numbers- I don’t want to its too painful. Both teams were impressive- especially Duke’s defense. And UNC found many holes in VT coverage- I was shocked.

And no 4 FSU lost in the Triangle as well to NC State makes the Triangle and evil place for ACC football- evil.

So maybe there should never be all three teams having home football games because it caused a great disturbance in the force.

Related articles

• Week Six College Football Preview (sportsgalpal.wordpress.com)

Oh those crazy Mountaineers

Oh the campaign to save couches in Morgantown is on.  Maybe it was because of joining the Big 12, maybe it was because there is a shortage of quality seating, or perhaps the couches are terrified at the end of a Mountaineers victory.

The Student Government of West Virginia University has creates a PSA video urging Mountaineers to lay off the lighting fluid and use that couch for napping.

Burning of couches after big wins is tradition- one of those who outsiders are like huh? It is so engrained in their culture that there is even a WVU site called We Must Ignite This Couch.  It got so bad that according to GQ magazine  between 1997 and 2003 there were over 1,100 couch burnings.

I’m not sure what the WVU student body has against comfortable furniture or maybe part of the application process is an essay entitled “What are you preferred methods for starting a couch fire?”

And couch burning is also good for weddings, and assassinations of terrorists.  I mean nothing says Go USA better than a couch on fire.

So Mountaineers for the sake of all furniture everywhere please put down your pitchforks and lighter fluid… after all what did that couch do to you?

 

Related articles

• West Virginia Would Like You to Please Stop Lighting Your Couches on Fire (bleacherreport.com)
• Big 12 Commissioner to Lead WVU Homecoming Parade (wsaz.com)