With live sports on the back burner as the world is in the midst of COVID-19, some sports stations like ESPN are filling time by running back great games from various sports.
It can be hit or miss if you have no interest in said sport or game being replayed.
Fortunately, for those wanting control over what memories they want to watch, the NFL has uploaded more than 100 classic games on its official Youtube channel.
With this being Dallas Cowboy territory, along with the Cowboys having been involved in some classic games, I’ll be going through some of the games you can watch on Youtube with nothing more than a decent internet connection.
I will start with the oldest Dallas game on the channel, the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory in 1972 in Super Bowl VI against the Miami Dolphins. Not only was it the first big win for the Cowboys, but it excised a lot of demons for players and fans since the team had started in 1960.
With Hall of Fame Coach Tom Landry turning the expansion team into contenders in record time, Dallas suffered losses to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967 NFL championship games, back before the Super Bowl was considered the official league championship that it is today and was considered a fun exhibition.
The year before in 1971 the Cowboys suffered another heartbreaker, losing Super Bowl V on a field goal as time expired to the Baltimore Colts 16-13 in one of the worst played Super Bowls of all time as both teams combined to commit 13 turnovers.
Dallas, the franchise not any one person, was thought of as a team, “never able to win the big one” or “next year’s champions.” That changed in 1971 as Landry finally gave the keys to the offense in week eight to 29-year-old quarterback Roger Staubach after much back and forth with the other quarterback Craig Morton. The team would not lose again that season as it made its way to its second straight Super Bowl.
This Cowboys team was different than the ones they would become known for during the 1970s as they became one of the most beloved franchises not just in the NFL, but in the sports world. America’s Team they were called.
Many players were great players from the 1960s who either finally wanted to win or who were holding on for one last great ride with the esteemed Landry as their coach.
While future Hall of Famers and Dallas lifers like Mr. Cowboy himself Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro and Bob Hayes were on the team, other Hall of Fame players playing the last few years of their careers included Mike Ditka, Lance Alworth, Forrest Gregg and Herb Adderley. Cowboy’s Ring of Honor players from the 60s also included Lee Roy Jordan and Chuck Howley.
Future Hall of Fame players, that would go on to make the Cowboy’s franchise what it was in the ‘70s, included of course Staubach as well as Rayfield Wright and Cliff Harris.
The Dolphins team Dallas was meeting was at the start of a three year run of dominance. Despite being an expansion team as recently as 1966, Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula quickly turned the team into contenders with as the team had six Hall of Fame players on its team.
Miami would go on to win Super Bowls the following two years, including the league’s only perfect season during the 1972 season thanks to a dominant rushing attack that included a big play passing offense and the memorable No-Name defense.
But on Jan. 16, 1972 it would be the Cowboy’s day in one of the most one-sided performances in Super Bowl history to this day, winning 24-3.
The three points is still the fewest amount of points a defense has given up to this day, tied as recently as last year in Super Bowl LIII. The Doomsday defense lived up to its name that day. What is your favorite memory from watching this game or watching the Cowboys growing up?

To read my observations about the game, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.