The matchup featured Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach against Craig Morton, the team's previous quarterback. Dallas went to their fourth Super Bowl with a 12-2 regular season record and home playoff triumphs over the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, led by Staubach and the Doomsday Defense. The Cowboys lost that game, 23-19, to the Baltimore Colts.
Staubach was the star of the show: he passed for 2,854 yards and 26 touchdowns and ran for 766 more scores. He also helped the Cowboys to nine winning seasons and two National Football Conference (NFL) championships. After his retirement in 1995, he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Morton played under head coach Tom Landry during their final three seasons together (1987-1989). As a Cowboy, he started eight games before being replaced by Staubach after he suffered a broken collarbone. With him out, Morton completed 55.3 percent of his passes for 3,046 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
After graduating from Texas A&M University, where he starred as a player, Morton was selected by the New York Giants in the first round of the 1969 NFL draft. He spent seven seasons with the Giants, including five as their starting quarterback, before being traded to the Cowboys for a second-round pick in the 1973 draft.
The Cowboys made their last playoffs appearance under Tom Landry, but were defeated in the divisional playoff game by the Los Angeles Rams. With 20 consecutive winning seasons, the team holds the record. In the 1985-86 NFC Divisional Playoff Game, the Cowboys' defense attempted to stop Rams running back Eric Dickerson (29). Dickerson had season-highs with two touchdowns and 105 yards from scrimmage.
Dickerson's success came as a surprise to many because he was not used as a runner in season's past. He also missed three games due to injury. However, when you consider that these were not regular season games, it shows how much faith Landry had in him. Dickerson proved himself worthy of this trust by producing 908 total yards and nine touchdowns.
Although he only played eight games due to injury, Tony Dorsett had one of the best all-around seasons by a running back in NFL history. He recorded 5,037 total yards from scrimmage and 50 touchdowns. These numbers have never been broken. During his career, Dorsett played in 150 games and had 1,711 carries for 78,071 yards and 91 touchdowns. He also caught 462 passes for 3,505 yards and six touchdowns.
After being drafted ninth overall in 1973, Dorsett left after three seasons to play baseball. He returned in 1976 and had another stellar year before retiring for good at the end of the 1977 season.
Norton Jr. was the undisputed head of the Dallas Cowboys' #1-ranked defense, which won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994. When he joined as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, he became the first player in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row. He returned to the Cowboys in 1996 and continued to lead the team's defense until just before his retirement after the 2000 season. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Norton Jr.'s son, Jerry, now leads the team. Jerry Norton was named defensive coordinator by former coach Bill Parcells following their father's death in 2013. Before becoming the full-time coach, he served as the club's secondary coach for five seasons (2007-2011). From 1999 to 2007, he also served as his father's backup on special teams.
Jerry Norton replaced Rod Marinelli who had been serving as the Cowboys' defense coach since 2011. Under Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys defense improved greatly, culminating with them being ranked No. 1 overall in scoring defense in 2014. However, due to several injuries on that side of the ball, they fell to seventh last year.
In January 2015, it was reported that the Oakland Raiders were interested in hiring Jerry Norton for their defensive coordinator position. However, he ended up staying in Dallas and taking over for his dad full time.
Roger Staubach, who had led Dallas to a Super Bowl victory after the 1971 season, remained the starter, and White spent his first few years in the NFL as a punter. White punted in college and was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 1974 draft for his punting abilities. He replaced Ray Miller, who had been traded to the New York Giants, as the team's punter.
In his rookie season, White averaged 42 yards per punt and had three kicks land inside the 20-yard line. In 1975, his average rose to 49 yards per punt and he had four kicks land within the 20-yard line. That year the Cowboys went 11-5 and made it to the NFC Championship Game before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that game, White kicked two 50-plus yarders.
In 1976, his final season with the Cowboys, White averaged 46 yards per punt and had five kicks land inside the 20-yard line. That year the Cowboys finished with a 10-4 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks. White had three punts land inside the 20-yard line and one kick return for 19 yards in that game.
After leaving the Cowboys as a free agent following the 1976 season, White played one more season for the Chicago Bears. In 1977, he averaged 44 yards per punt and had four kicks land inside the 20-yard line.
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