The Dallas Cowboys were expected to slip back in the pack in 1969 when their 2 offense stars, Don Perkins and Don Meredith, retired before the season began. The Cowboys sytem as it would become to be known as simply replaced the retired stars with new stars and continued to dominate at least in the regular season. The Cowboys easily won their division for the 3rd year in a row with an 11-2-1 record. The Cowboys finished 2nd in total offense and 2nd in total defense. The Cowboys once again got out of the gate fast which became a trademark for the Cowboys under Tom Landry. They won their 6 games of the season before hitting a mid season slump. They lost 2 and tied 1 of their next 5 games before winning their remaining 3 games. The Cowboys offense was led by QB Craig Morton, Rookie RB Calvin Hill, and Offensive Lineman Ralph Neely and John Niland. The defense was led by All Pros Bob Lilly DT, George Andrie DE, Lee Roy Jordan MLB, Chuck Howley LB, Cornelll Green CB and Mel Renfro at safety.
Once again the Dallas Cowboys entered the NFL Playoffs as one of the favorites to advance to the Super Bowl and once again they were disappointed. The Cleveland Browns became the Cowboys newest nemesis by spoiling the Cowboys dreams for the second season in a row. The Cowboys faced the Browns in the first round of the 1969 NFL Playoffs in Dallas but were never in the game. At one time the Cowboys trailed the Browns 38-7 late in the 4th qrt. Rookie QB Roger Staubach replaced a struggling Craig Morton late in the game and threw a TD pass to complete the scoring at 38-14. The Cowboys were beginning to wear the lable of Next Year’s Champions. Because of their inability to win the big game.
The Dallas Cowboys hit paydirt with their first pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. Calvin Hill became an All Star and was the first Cowboy RB to rush for over 1,000 yards in one season. The final 16 picks for the Cowboys in the 1969 NFL draft either never played or were non impacts for the Cowboys.
1969 Dallas Cowboys NFL Draft picks
| Rnd | Pos | College/Univ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calvin Hill | RB | Yale |
| 2 | Richmond Flowers | DB | Tennessee |
| 3 | Thomas Stincic | LB | Michigan |
| 3 | Halvor Hagen | G | Weber St. |
| 5 | Chuck Kyle | LB | Purdue |
| 6 | Rick Shaw | FL | Arizona St. |
| 7 | Larry Bales | FL | Emory & Henry |
| 8 | Elmer Benhardt | LB | Missouri |
| 9 | Claxton Welch | RB | Oregon |
| 10 | Stuart Gottlieb | T | Weber St. |
| 11 | Sweeny Williams | DE | Prairie View |
| 12 | Bob Belden | QB | Notre Dame |
| 13 | Rene Matison | FL | New Mexico |
| 14 | Gerald Lutri | T | Northern Michigan |
| 15 | Bill Justus | DB | Tennessee |
| 16 | Floyd Kerr | DB | Colorado St. |
| 17 | Bill Bailey | DT | Lewis & Clark |
1969 Dallas Cowboys schedule and results
| Score | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Date | Opp | Tm | Opp | |
| 1 | September 21 | W | St. Louis Cardinals | 24 | 3 |
| 2 | September 28 | W | New Orleans Saints | 21 | 17 |
| 3 | October 5 | W | Philadelphia Eagles | 38 | 7 |
| 4 | October 12 | W | Atlanta Falcons | 24 | 17 |
| 5 | October 19 | W | Philadelphia Eagles | 49 | 14 |
| 6 | October 27 | W | New York Giants | 25 | 3 |
| 7 | November 2 | L | Cleveland Browns | 10 | 42 |
| 8 | November 9 | W | New Orleans Saints | 33 | 17 |
| 9 | November 16 | W | Washington Redskins | 41 | 28 |
| 10 | November 23 | L | Los Angeles Rams | 23 | 24 |
| 11 | November 27 | T | San Francisco 49ers | 24 | 24 |
| 12 | December 7 | W | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 | 7 |
| 13 | December 13 | W | Baltimore Colts | 27 | 10 |
| 14 | December 21 | W | Washington Redskins | 20 | 10 |
| Playoffs | |||||
| Division | December 28 | L | Cleveland Browns | 14 | 38 |
1969 Dallas Cowboys roster
