1962 Dallas Cowboys season

1962 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach	Tom Landry
Owner	Clint Murchison, Jr.
Home field	Cotton Bowl
Results
Record	5–8–1
Division place	5th NFL Eastern
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1962 Dallas Cowboys season was their third in the league. The team finished with a record of 5 wins, 8 losses, and 1 tie, placing them 5th in the NFL's Eastern Conference.

Offseason

The Cowboys traded away their first-round draft choice (fourth overall) in 1962 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns. With their first selection the Cowboys selected quarterback Sonny Gibbs from Texas Christian University in the second round (eighteenth overall). Other notable selections in the draft included defensive end George Andrie from Marquette University in the sixth round and Harold Hays from Southern Mississippi in the fourteenth round.

The team acquired several veterns prior to the 1962 season. Sam Baker, formerly of the Browns, was acquired to bring stability to the kicker position. The team traded for offensive tackle Monte Clark from the San Francisco 49ers and acquired Dale Memmelaar, an offensive lineman formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals. Jerry Norton, an eight-year veteran who had played for the Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles, was acquired to help out in the secondary. Dick Nolan, who had played defensive back for the New York Giants when Cowboys head coach Tom Landry was the defensive coach there, was hired as an assistant coach on the defensive side of the ball, but ended up actually playing safety for most of the season, in addition to coaching. Lee Folkins, who spent his rookie season with the Green Bay Packers, was the Cowboys starting tight end for most of the year.

Notable rookie free agents the Cowboys signed prior to the season included Pettis Norman, from Johnson C. Smith University, Mike Gaechter, a track and field athlete as well as a football player, from the University of Oregon, and Cornell Green, a basketball player from Utah State University.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
1	September 16, 1962	Washington Redskins	T 35–35	Cotton Bowl	0–0–1	15,730
2	September 23, 1962	Pittsburgh Steelers	L 30–28	Cotton Bowl	0–1–1	19,478
3	September 30, 1962	at Los Angeles Rams	W 27–17	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	1–1–1	26,907
4	October 7, 1962	at Cleveland Browns	L 19–10	Cleveland Stadium	1–2–1	44,040
5	October 14, 1962	Philadelphia Eagles	W 41–19	Cotton Bowl	2–2–1	18,645
6	October 21, 1962	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 42–27	Forbes Field	3–2–1	23,106
7	October 28, 1962	St. Louis Cardinals	L 28–24	Cotton Bowl	3–3–1	16,027
8	November 4, 1962	at Washington Redskins	W 38–10	D.C. Stadium	4–3–1	49,888
9	November 11, 1962	New York Giants	L 41–10	Cotton Bowl	4–4–1	45,668
10	November 18, 1962	Chicago Bears	L 34–33	Cotton Bowl	4–5–1	12,692
11	November 25, 1962	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 28–14	Franklin Field	4–6–1	58,070
12	December 2, 1962	Cleveland Browns	W 45–21	Cotton Bowl	5–6–1	24,226
13	December 9, 1962	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 52–20	Busch Stadium	5–7–1	14,102
14	December 16, 1962	at New York Giants	L 41–31	Yankee Stadium	5–8–1	62,694

Season recap

The Cowboys got off to a frustrating start to the 1962 season, as the team was unable to capitalize on opportunities to win their first two games, both played at home. Head coach Tom Landry decided to alternate between quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith on every play, and the system proved its worth from the start, as the Cowboys offense rolled up 35 points and 483 yards against the Washington Redskins. Flanker Frank Clarke caught 10 passes for 241 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in the game, but kicker Sam Baker missed a 35-yard field goal with 13 seconds left and the Cowboys had to settle for a 35–35 tie. The next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers the team saw a 99-yard touchdown pass from LeBaron to Clarke be erased due to a holding call in the end zone, which not only wiped out the touchdown but also awarded a safety to the Steelers, giving them the 2 points which turned out to be the difference in a 30–28 loss for the Cowboys. The team rebounded the next week in Los Angeles against the Rams with a 27–17 victory, highlighted by LeBaron's 85-yard touchdown pass to Amos Marsh, but lost a defensive struggle in Cleveland the next week to the Browns 19–10.

The Cowboys, leading the NFL in offense after the first four weeks, went on to score a combined 83 points in their next two games, victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Steelers. The Cowboys were unable to maintain momentum, losing to the struggling St. Louis Cardinals 28–24 in a sloppily played game, despite Don Perkins rushing for 137 yards. The following week, the Cowboys may have played their most complete game of the season against the surprising Redskins, beating them in Washington 38–10, with the Cowboys' usually inconsistent defense holding the Redskins to 293 yards and just 10 points, while the offense provided their usual assortment of big plays.

The Cowboys faced their biggest test of the season the following week against the Eastern Conference-leading New York Giants in front of a record crowd at home, but the Giants won in a rout, 41–10. Both Eddie LeBaron and Frank Clarke were injured in the game, limiting the Cowboys offense over the next few weeks, and leading to a repeat of the team's late-season tailspin of 1961. The Cowboys would go on to lose four of the last five games of the season, and while Meredith's inexperience would prove costly at times, it was the defense that was the main culprit, allowing 446 yards or more over five of the last six games. The lone bright spot of the late season was a 45–21 victory over the Browns in the team's home finale. Meredith enjoyed his finest day as a professional, throwing two touchdown passes in the first half, and the maligned defense held Browns fullback Jim Brown to just 13 yards.

The Cowboys offense was among the league's best in 1962, finishing second in both yards gained and points scored. The passing offense finished seventh, and quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron and Don Meredith combined for 31 touchdown passes, second in the league. LeBaron earned a trip to the Pro Bowl for his stellar season, his 8.7 yards per pass attempt ranking second overall among quarterbacks. Frank Clarke emerged as one of the league's top receivers, catching 47 passes for 1043 yards and a league best 14 touchdown receptions, while veteran Billy Howton led the team in receptions with 49. The rushing game finished second overall with Don Perkins and Amos Marsh combining for 1747 of the Cowboys 2040 rushing yards. Perkins earned all-pro recognition for his season.

The defense struggled for much of the season, finishing 13th in both yards allowed and points allowed, as the relatively inexperienced players on defense struggled with injuries and the intricacies of Tom Landry's defense. The team showed improvement from the previous two seasons against the run however, finishing fourth overall and allowing only 3.9 yards per carry. Against the pass the defense finished last in passing yards allowed, and allowed a league high 16.8 yards per completion. The pass rush was too often a non-factor, and the defense didn't force as many turnovers as the previous season. Despite these struggles, the Cowboys did get some strong performances from individual performers such as second-year defensive lineman Bob Lilly, who was named to his first pro bowl, and cornerback Don Bishop, who finished with six interceptions. Middle linebacker Jerry Tubbs also earned pro bowl recognition.

Veteran Sam Baker improved the team's kicking game from the previous season, averaging 45.4 yards per punt, and converting 14 field goals out of 27 attempts. Amos Marsh had a solid season returning kickoffs, averaging 25.0 yards per kick return, and returning a kickoff for a score in a victory against the Eagles. The team struggled covering kickoff returns, allowing 25.5 yards per kick return, and finding a reliable punt returner was becoming an annual problem.

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1962 roster

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

83 Lee Folkins
84 Pettis Norman

Offensive Linemen

77 Clyde Brock T
73 Monte Clark T
53 Mike Connelly C/G
62 Andy Cvercko G
75 Bob Fry T
67 John Houser G/C
51 Lynn Hoyem C/G
60 Joe Isbell G
70 Dale Memmelaar G
71 Don Talbert T

Defensive Linemen

66 George Andrie DE
79 Ken Frost DT
74 Bob Lilly DE/DT
78 John Meyers DT
68 Guy Reese DT

Linebackers

30 Mike Dowdle OLB
52 Dave Edwards OLB
54 Chuck Howley OLB
56 Bob Long MLB
50 Jerry Tubbs MLB

Defensive Backs

44 Don Bishop CB
27 Mike Gaechter CB
34 Cornell Green CB
21 Glynn Gregory CB/FS/WR
41 Warren Livingston FS/CB
23 Dick Nolan FS
25 Jerry Norton SS

Special Teams

38 Sam Baker K/P

Reserve Lists

76 Ed Nutting T (IR)

Rookies in italics
40 Active, 1 Inactive

Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
New York Giants	12	2	0	.857	10–2	398	283	W9
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	5	0	.643	8–4	312	363	W3
Cleveland Browns	7	6	1	.538	6–5–1	291	257	W1
Washington Redskins	5	7	2	.417	4–6–2	305	376	L1
Dallas Cowboys	5	8	1	.385	4–7–1	398	402	L2
St. Louis Cardinals	4	9	1	.308	4–7–1	287	356	W2
Philadelphia Eagles	3	10	1	.231	3–8–1	282	356	L2

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Publications

The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys

Founded in 1960 Based in Arlington, Texas Headquartered in Frisco, Texas

Franchise	Franchise History Coaches Players Seasons Expansion draft Draft history Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks The Ford Center at The Star

Stadiums	Cotton Bowl Texas Stadium AT&T Stadium

Culture	NFL on Thanksgiving Day America's Team Cheerleaders Doomsday Defense Crazy Ray Rowdy Jerry Jones Black Sunday (film) King of the Hill

Lore	Tom Landry Tex Schramm Captain Comeback Ice Bowl Hail Mary The Catch Herschel Walker trade Dirty Dozen Ring of Honor Bounty Bowl series

Rivalries	New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins San Francisco 49ers Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Oilers/Texans

Division championships (22)	1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1985 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 2007 2009 2014

Conference championships (10)	1966 1967 1970 1971 1975 1977 1978 1992 1993 1995

League Championships (5)	1971 (VI) 1977 (XII) 1992 (XXVII) 1993 (XXVIII) 1995 (XXX)

Ring of Honor	Bob Lilly Don Meredith Don Perkins Chuck Howley Mel Renfro Roger Staubach Lee Roy Jordan Tom Landry Tony Dorsett Randy White Bob Hayes Tex Schramm Cliff Harris Rayfield Wright Troy Aikman Michael Irvin Emmitt Smith Drew Pearson Charles Haley Larry Allen Darren Woodson

Media	Broadcasters Radio network KRLD-FM Brad Sham Babe Laufenberg

Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: East Division

Seasons (56)	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Championship seasons in bold

Dallas Cowboys seasons

1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

1962 NFL season

Eastern Conference	Cleveland	Pittsburgh	Baltimore	Los Angeles	Western Conference
	Dallas	St. Louis	Chicago	Minnesota
	New York	Washington	Detroit	San Francisco
	Philadelphia		Green Bay

Related: 1962 AFL Season

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