A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1966 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Clint Murchison, Jr. |
| Head coach | Tom Landry |
| Home field | Cotton Bowl |
| Local radio | KLIF |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–3–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFL Eastern |
| Playoff finish | Lost NFL Championship (vs. Packers) 27–34 |
| Pro Bowlers | 9
|
| AP All-Pros | 4
|
The 1966 Dallas Cowboys season was the seventh for the franchise in the National Football League. The Cowboys, who had never previously finished with a winning record in their history, would improve dramatically. Dallas finished 10-3-1 and won the Eastern Conference title, their first of six consecutive division titles. They hosted the NFL Championship Game at the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers, thus missing out on the chance to play in the first Super Bowl which the Packers went on to win two weeks later.
Quarterback Don Meredith had the best season of his career throwing for 2,805 yards, 24 touchdowns (both career highs) and 12 interceptions.
NFL Draft
| 1966 Dallas Cowboys draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | John Niland * | OG | Iowa | |
| 2 | 22 | Willie Townes | DT | Tulsa | |
| 5 | 79 | Walt Garrison * | FB | Oklahoma State | |
| 6 | 86 | Bob Dunlevy | OT | West Virginia | |
| 7 | 100 | Arthur Robinson | WR | Florida A&M | |
| 8 | 116 | Don Kunit | RB | Penn State | |
| 9 | 130 | Darrell Elam | WR | West Virginia Tech | |
| 10 | 146 | Mason Mitchell | RB | Washington | |
| 11 | 160 | Austin Denney | TE | Tennessee | |
| 12 | 173 | Les Shy | DB | Long Beach State | |
| 12 | 176 | Craig Baynham | RB | Georgia Tech | |
| 13 | 190 | Ron Lamb | RB | South Carolina | |
| 14 | 206 | Lewis Turner | RB | Norfolk State | |
| 15 | 220 | Mark Gartung | OT | Oregon State | |
| 16 | 236 | Tom Piggee | RB | San Francisco State | |
| 17 | 250 | George Allen | DT | West Texas State | Signed with the AFL |
| 18 | 266 | Steve Orr | OT | Washington | |
| 19 | 280 | Byron Johnson | OT | Central Washington | |
| 20 | 296 | Lou Hudson | WR | Minnesota | Signed with the NBA |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Regular Season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bye | ||||||
| 2 | September 18 | New York Giants | W 52–7 | 1–0 | Cotton Bowl | 60,010 | Recap |
| 3 | September 25 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–17 | 2–0 | Cotton Bowl | 64,116 | Recap |
| 4 | October 2 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 47–14 | 3–0 | Atlanta Stadium | 56,990 | Recap |
| 5 | October 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 56–7 | 4–0 | Cotton Bowl | 69,372 | Recap |
| 6 | October 16 | at St. Louis Cardinals | T 10–10 | 4–0–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,673 | Recap |
| 7 | October 23 | at Cleveland Browns | L 21–30 | 4–1–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 84,721 | Recap |
| 8 | October 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 52–21 | 5–1–1 | Cotton Bowl | 58,453 | Recap |
| 9 | November 6 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–24 | 5–2–1 | Franklin Field | 60,658 | Recap |
| 10 | November 13 | at Washington Redskins | W 31–30 | 6–2–1 | D.C. Stadium | 50,927 | Recap |
| 11 | November 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 20–7 | 7–2–1 | Pitt Stadium | 42,185 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | Cleveland Browns | W 26–14 | 8–2–1 | Cotton Bowl | 80,259 | Recap |
| 13 | December 4 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 31–17 | 9–2–1 | Cotton Bowl | 76,965 | Recap |
| 14 | December 11 | Washington Redskins | L 31–34 | 9–3–1 | Cotton Bowl | 64,198 | Recap |
| 15 | December 18 | at New York Giants | W 17–7 | 10–3–1 | Yankee Stadium | 62,735 | Recap |
Conference opponents are in bold text
- A bye week was necessary in 1966, as the league expanded to an odd-number (15) of teams (Atlanta); one team was idle each week.
- This year was the first time the Dallas Cowboys played on Thanksgiving Day