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Archive for the ‘Profiles of Old Guys’ Category

Among the many records that Troy Aikman set in his career was the most number of games in which he passed for at least 300 yards (regular season only). Aikman accomplished this 13 times in his career, breaking the old mark of 10 that was set by Danny White.

Table: 300-Yard Passing Games, Career (Regular Season)

A poster named coinsmr posted a clip of Tony Dorsett’s 99-yard run against the Minnesota Vikings in the Cowboys’ regular season finale in 1982. This has been posted on other blogs, but here it is for anyone who may not have seen it.

Some other interesting tidbits about this game, as well as the run:

* Dorsett’s run helped the Cowboys to overcome a 24-13 fourth quarter deficit, only to see the Vikings score the winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
* Had the Cowboys won, they would have played Minnesota again the following week, this time at Texas Stadium. Instead, the Cowboys faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom the Cowboys defeated 30-17.
* This loss resulted in the Cowboys losing back-to-back games to end the season. That had not happened since 1962.
* Dorsett finished with 745 rushing yards in the strike-shortened 1982 season, enough to give him the title as NFC rushing champion. Though it was the first time he had not gained 1,000 yards in a season during his career, it was the only time that he had won a rushing title.
* Dorsett’s run from scrimmage broke the previous record of 97 yards, set by Bob Gage of Pittsburgh in 1949 and Andy Uram of Green Bay in 1939.

Technorati Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Danny White, Trivia

Melonball made a good point in the comments to yesterday’s post, noting that Danny White is “incredibly underrated and underappreciated by Cowboys fans.” I agree entirely. Here is what I wrote a few weeks ago about White:

I don’t think any player in team history has been under more pressure to perform than White. Few players are more underappreciated. Meredith had to survive criticism, but he wound up in the Ring of Honor, and most of the negativity surrounding him has long since vanished. White is still criticized for not taking the team to the Super Bowl, even though White’s accomplishments compare quite favorably to Meredith’s (not to take anything away from what Meredith did, mind you).

Consider White’s record as a starter– in five full seasons as a starter, White led the team to the playoffs five times and to the NFC Championship Game three times. Prior to his injury in 1986, his record as a full-time starter beginning in 1980 was 62-24 (the team went 5-6 in games that he did not start during that time period). The team’s record for the remainder of the decade after he suffered his injury was 11-36, with no winning seasons. There were, of course, other factors involved, but the sharp contrast of the team before his injury compared to what happened afterward shows his value.

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Here are some trivia questions for today:

1. In 1991, the Cowboys beat Washington 24-21 in a game that sparked a five-game winning streak and sent the Cowboys to the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Some questions: (1) During that game, Michael Irvin made a juggling catch on a pass from Steve Beuerlein and got past Darrell Green for a 23-yard touchdown. What was the score at the time that Irvin scored? (2) What milestones did Irvin and Emmitt Smith accomplish for the first time in this game? (3) Which skill player on offense missed this game due to an injury?

2. In which game (year and opponent) did the Cowboys first have a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher, and a 100-yard receiver?

3. Which player was the first in team history to gain more than 100 rushing and 100 yards receiving in a single game? What year? Who was the opponent?