1961 Dallas Cowboys Schedule card
The Cowboys began their 1961 season with a draft pick, something they did not get in 1960. Their first pick in an NFL draft was a defensive tackle from Texas Christian University named Bob Lilly. Lilly of course turned out to be one of the NFLs greatest players, a NFL Hall Fame inductee and a Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor member! The Cowboys all drafted future Hall of Fame Guard Billy Shaw in the 14th round but Shaw was also drafted and signed by the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and spent his entire career in Buffalo.
The Cowboys began their 2nd season by winning their first 2 games and 3 out of their first 4. After which they won only 1 of their remaining 10 games to finish with a 4-9-1 record and next to last place in the NFL Eastern Division. Despite their final record, the Cowboys improved immensely on all phases of the game. The Cowboys were led by Don Perkins who rushed for 815 yards and made the Pro Bowl. Frank Clarke was their leading receiver with 919 yards and Billy Howton caught the most passes with 56. Eddie LeBaron led the Cowboys at quarterback but Don Meredith got a lot of playing time. On Defense the Cowboys were led by Rookie TD Bob Lilly and LB Chuck Howley who they acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears
1961 Dallas Cowboys NFL draft picks
| Rnd | Pick | Pos | College/Univ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Bob Lilly HOF | DT | TCU |
| 2 | 16 | E.J. Holub | LB | Texas Tech |
| 3 | 30 | Stew Barber | T | Penn St. |
| 4 | 44 | Sonny Davis | LB | Baylor |
| 7 | 86 | Art Gilmore | B | Oregon St. |
| 8 | 100 | Don Talbert | T | Texas |
| 9 | 114 | Glynn Gregory | E | SMU |
| 11 | 142 | Norris Stevenson | B | Missouri |
| 12 | 156 | Lowndes Shingler | QB | Clemson |
| 13 | 170 | Don Goodman | B | Florida |
| 14 | 184 | Billy Shaw HOF | G | Georgia Tech |
| 15 | 198 | Julius Varnado | T | San Francisco St. |
| 16 | 212 | Jerry Steffen | B | Colorado |
| 17 | 226 | Everett Cloud | B | Maryland |
| 18 | 240 | Randy Williams | B | Indiana |
| 19 | 254 | Lynn Hoyem | G | Long Beach St. |
| 20 | 268 | Jerry Morgan | B | Iowa St. |
1961 Dallas Cowboys Roster
1961 Dallas Cowboys Roster
| Score | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Date | Opp | Tm | Opp | |
| 1 | September 17 | W | Pittsburgh Steelers | 27 | 24 |
| 2 | September 24 | W | Minnesota Vikings | 21 | 7 |
| 3 | October 1 | L | Cleveland Browns | 7 | 25 |
| 4 | October 8 | W | Minnesota Vikings | 28 | 0 |
| 5 | October 15 | L | New York Giants | 10 | 31 |
| 6 | October 22 | L | Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 43 |
| 7 | October 29 | W | New York Giants | 17 | 16 |
| 8 | November 5 | L | St. Louis Cardinals | 17 | 31 |
| 9 | November 12 | L | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 37 |
| 10 | November 19 | T | Washington Redskins | 28 | 28 |
| 11 | November 26 | L | Philadelphia Eagles | 13 | 35 |
| 12 | December 3 | L | Cleveland Browns | 17 | 38 |
| 13 | December 10 | L | St. Louis Cardinals | 13 | 31 |
| 14 | December 17 | L | Washington Redskins | 24 | 34 |
The Dallas Cowboys 1961 Roster (* designates Pro Bowl selection):
