The Dallas Cowboys are yearning to add another Super Bowl to their trophy case — a goal Jerry Jones has been chasing the Lombardi Trophy since he was able to lure Deion Sanders away from San Francisco in 1995 and Primetime helped them win it all that year under head coach Barry Switzer.
Both the Cowboys and 49ers are tied for second in the NFL in terms of Super Bowl wins with five each. The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers both have six. No team is leading the pack with seven, but Jerry would love to lead his team to a 6th before he leaves this earth.
Back before Jones had full control of the team. Dallas finished off the 1977 season with a (12-2) record and was seeking the second Super Bowl victory in the history of the franchise despite three previous visits to the big game. Behind the arm of Roger Staubach with legendary head coach Tom Landry leading the Dallas Cowboys against the Denver Broncos in the Super Dome in New Orleans, Dallas came out victorious.
But it wasn’t Staubach that got credit for the dominating 27-10 over the Broncos who were known for their stifling “Orange Crush” defense after also finishing the regular season at (12-2). Instead, it was the Dallas defense that stole the show.
The Cowboys defense dubbed “the Doomsday Defense” dominated Super Bowl XII, forcing eight turnovers and allowing only eight pass completions by the Broncos for 61 yards. Two interceptions led to 10 first-quarter points. Denver’s longest play of the game was 21 yards, which occurred on their opening drive.
The Dallas Cowboys extended its lead to 20–3 in the third quarter after wide receiver Butch Johnson made a diving catch in the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown reception. An ineffective Morton was replaced by Norris Weese late in the third quarter. He drove the Broncos downfield to score a touchdown to close the gap on the lead to 20–10, capped by a Rob Lytle one-yard touchdown run.
But when Dallas needed to seal the deal and put the game out of reach, Landry and his offensive staff drew up a play that has gone down in history.
In the fourth quarter, fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option play to receiver Golden Richards.
That sealed the deal.
For the first and only time, two players won Super Bowl MVP honors: defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin. This was also the first time that a defensive lineman was named Super Bowl MVP.
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Legend Golden Richards Passed Away On Friday
Golden Richards, the former Dallas Cowboys receiver known for his flowing blond hair who famously caught a touchdown pass off a gadget play in the 1978 Super Bowl, died Friday of congestive heart failure at his home, according to a report from NFL.com.. He was 73.
Richards’ nephew, Lance Richards, confirmed the death in a Facebook post.
“My uncle Golden passed away peacefully this morning,” Lance Richards wrote. “I will forever remember going hunting and talking Dallas Cowboys football. He was a kind and sweet soul and I’m so happy he’s not suffering anymore.”
The former BYU star spent seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas, Chicago and Denver, and is best known for his five-plus seasons as a deep-play threat with the Cowboys. He averaged more than 21 yards per catch in two of his seasons with the Cowboys, which was a major feat during that era of football.
Richards finished his career with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards and 17 TDs before injuries prompted him to retire in 1980.
A Salt Lake City native, he starred at Granite High School, then at nearby BYU, where he was a receiver and punt returner, leading the nation as a junior with four returns for TDs.
Golden Richards played his final college season at Hawaii, catching 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. That caught the eye of the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in the second round in 1973.
The Deseret News said Richards struggled with health problems and drug addiction after retiring, but was sober over his final 10 years.
“Seven or eight years of wear and tear on the football field for a 175-pound wide receiver who was concussed several times, too,” brother Doug Richards, a former BYU basketball player, told the newspaper. “That obviously took its toll.”
Golden Richards will forever be remembered by Dallas Cowboys fans and will remain a major part of the team’s history.
8 Comments
I’m a lifetime cowboys fan and I watched the Superbowl with the : trick play: it was an awesome day to witness the game. That cowboy team was a special one. Many great players and teammates who had heart and intestinal fortitude. God bless the Dallas cowboys!!!
sorry to see him go. he did great w his team, followed his passion football. what more is there, but to remember and follow his example, mayb.
Yet another player used up and spit out by the NFL.
Not much for free speech, typical Texas rednecks.
That is so sad to hear someone pass away on the cowboys team 🙁
Rest in peace Richards you will be remembered forever on the Hall of Fame of the NFL as the Most Valuable Player. May your Soul be at Peace and Blessed forever. You were a very good Team Player and will be remembered as a good person. Your good deeds outside of Football will be forever remebered. Rest in Peace
Isaac Hayon
A big Fan
May your Soul be Blessed.
Amen
We Miss You A
Bunch, with ( No Exception )
Survivors be blessed. !!!
Federal. Republic. Of Germany
R.I.P. , Mr. RICHARDS..
YOU was a True Dallas Cowboy and will be sorely missed .