Expectations were high for the 1970 Dallas Cowboys but recent playoff failures seemed to loom over the team. The Cowboys won their division for the 4th year in a row with a 10-4 record. The Cowboys finished 10th in total offense and 4th in total defense. The Cowboys won their first 2 games of the year but then slumped by loosing 4 of their next 6 games. After a 38-0 Monday Night loss to the Cardinals, the Cowboys were only 5-4. The Cowboys finished strong by winning the final 5 regular season games and entered the NFL Playoffs on a hot streak. The 1970 Dallas Cowboys were led by QB Craig Morton who passed for 15 TDs. Rookie RB Duane Thomas led the team in rushing with 803 yards. Calvin Hill and Walt Garrison chipped in 500 each to give the Cowboy a potent 3 headed rushing attack. Bob Hayes continued to stretch the defense with his world class speed catching 10 TD passes. The Cowboys defense was led by All Pro Bob Lilly at DT. Chuck Howley at LB and Mel Renfro at cornerback.
The Cowboys entered the 1970 NFL Playoffs as one of the favorites to advance to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys faced the Detoit Lions in the first round at home in Dallas. The Cowboys got an early field goal from Mike Clark but didn’t score again until a safety in the 4th quarter. The Lions failed to score the entire game resulting an ugly 5-0 Cowboys victory. This was only the 2nd Cowboys playoff win in their short history.
The Cowboys faced the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game the following week in San Francisco. The 49ers scored first but the Cowboys scored the next 17 points to take a 17-3 lead. The 49ers scored just before the start of the 4th quarter to make it a close 17-10 ball game but neither scored in the 4th which gave the Cowboys a 17-10 win and the NFC Championship title. With this win, the Cowboys were advancing to their first Super Bowl.
The Cowboys faced off against the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V on Jan 17, 1971 in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. The Cowboys scored the first 6 points off Mike Clark Field Goals. The Colts got a 75 yard pass from Johnny Unitas to John Mackey to take a 7-6 lead. The Cowboys Duane Thomas scored just before half to give the Cowboys a 13-7 lead at half. The Colts scored the only points in the 2nd half, the last being a 32 yard field goal with seconds remaining to give the Colts the win. The loss was even more disappointing to Cowboy fans because they had plenty of chances to win the game but turnovers at crucial times ended up costing them. For the 5th year in a row the Cowboys were sent home as next Years Champions.
The Cowboys found several key contributors in the 1970 NFL Draft. Their first pick Duane Thomas was a stud but only stared for the Cowboys for 2 seasons before being traded away. Charlie Waters in the 3rd round was eventually moved to safety where he helped anchor the secondary for the next decade. John Fitzgerald helped solidly the offense line for years to come and Pat Toomay added depth to the Doomsday Defense. A late pick, Mark Washington, was a backup in the Cowboys secondary for the next 10 years as well.
1970 Dallas Cowboys draft picks
| Rnd | Pos | College/Univ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duane Thomas | RB | West Texas A&M |
| 2 | Bob Asher | T | Vanderbilt |
| 2 | Margene Adkins | WR | |
| 3 | Charlie Waters | DB | Clemson |
| 3 | Steve Kiner | LB | Tennessee |
| 3 | Denton Fox | DB | Texas Tech |
| 4 | John Fitzgerald | C | Boston Col. |
| 6 | Pat Toomay | DE | Vanderbilt |
| 7 | Don Abbey | LB | Penn St. |
| 8 | Jerry Dossey | G | Arkansas |
| 9 | Zenon Andrusyshyn | P | UCLA |
| 10 | Pete Athas | DB | Tennessee |
| 11 | Ivan Southerland | T | Clemson |
| 12 | Joe Williams | RB | Wyoming |
| 13 | Mark Washington | DB | Morgan St. |
| 14 | Julian Martin | WR | North Carolina Central |
| 15 | Ken DeLong | TE | Tennessee |
| 16 | Seabern Hill | DB | Arizona St. |
| 17 | Glenn Patterson | C | Nebraska |
1970 Dallas Cowboys schedule and results
| Score | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Date | Opp | Tm | Opp | |
| 1 | September 20 | W | Philadelphia Eagles | 17 | 7 |
| 2 | September 27 | W | New York Giants | 28 | 10 |
| 3 | October 4 | L | St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 20 |
| 4 | October 11 | W | Atlanta Falcons | 13 | 0 |
| 5 | October 18 | L | Minnesota Vikings | 13 | 54 |
| 6 | October 25 | W | Kansas City Chiefs | 27 | 16 |
| 7 | November 1 | W | Philadelphia Eagles | 21 | 17 |
| 8 | November 8 | L | New York Giants | 20 | 23 |
| 9 | November 16 | L | St. Louis Cardinals | 0 | 38 |
| 10 | November 22 | W | Washington Redskins | 45 | 21 |
| 11 | November 26 | W | Green Bay Packers | 16 | 3 |
| 12 | December 6 | W | Washington Redskins | 34 | 0 |
| 13 | December 12 | W | Cleveland Browns | 6 | 2 |
| 14 | December 20 | W | Houston Oilers | 52 | 10 |
| Playoffs | |||||
| Division | December 26 | W | Detroit Lions | 5 | 0 |
| ConfChamp | January 3 | W | San Francisco 49ers | 17 | 10 |
| SuperBowl | January 17 | L | Baltimore Colts | 13 | 16 |
1970 Dallas Cowboys roster
