1978 Dallas Cowboys season

1978 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach	Tom Landry
General manager	Tex Schramm
Home field	Texas Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoff finish	Lost Super Bowl XIII (Steelers)
Timeline
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The 1978 Dallas Cowboys season was their 19th in the NFL. For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys finished in first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys scored 384 points, which ranked first in the NFC, while the defense only gave up 208 points. Twice, the Cowboys appeared on Monday Night Football.

The Cowboys became the first franchise to appear in five Super Bowls. With their loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIII, they also became the first team to lose a Super Bowl after having won it the previous year.

NFL Draft

Pick #	NFL Team	Player	Position	College
28	Dallas Cowboys	Larry Bethea	Defensive End	Michigan State

Regular season

The defending Super Bowl champions were again led by quarterback Roger Staubach. Staubach finished the season as the top rated passer in the NFL (84.9) by throwing 231 out of 413 completions for 3,190 yards and 25 touchdowns, with 16 interceptions. He also rushed for 182 yards and another touchdown. Wide receivers Drew Pearson and Tony Hill provided the deep passing threats, combining for 90 receptions, 537 yards, and 7 touchdowns. Tight end Billy Joe Dupree contributed 34 receptions for 509 yards and 9 touchdowns. Running back Tony Dorsett had another fine season, recording a total of 1703 combined rushing and receiving yards, and scoring a total of 9 touchdowns. Fullback Robert Newhouse and halfback Preston Pearson also contributed from the offensive backfield, combining for 1,326 rushing and receiving yards, while Newhouse also scored 10 touchdowns. The Cowboys also had a superb offensive line, led by Herbert Scott and 12-time Pro Bowler Rayfield Wright

The Cowboys' "Doomsday Defense" finished the season as the top ranked defense in the league against the run by only allowing 107.6 yards per game. Pro Bowl linemen Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Harvey Martin and Randy White anchored the line, while linebackers Bob Breunig, D. D. Lewis and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson provided solid support. Their secondary, led by safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters, along with cornerbacks Benny Barnes and Aaron Kyle, combined for 16 interceptions.

The Cowboys started the regular season slowly, winning only six of their first ten games. Both the offense and the defense played ineffectively, including giving up interceptions and fumbles. Dallas finished strong, winning their last six regular season games to post a 12–4 record.

In the aftermath of the season, NFL Films produced its annual highlight reel as it does for every NFL team. Notable of the highlight reel was the title, "America's Team". It would come to be a label that would define the Dallas Cowboys for the rest of their history. However, the label is most remembered for the Cowboys of this era, appearing in three Super Bowls in four years and claiming a unique spotlight in the American consciousness.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 4, 1978	Baltimore Colts	W 38–0	64,224
2	September 10, 1978	at New York Giants	W 34–24	73,265
3	September 17, 1978	at Los Angeles Rams	L 27–14	65,749
4	September 24, 1978	St. Louis Cardinals	W 21–12	62,760
5	October 2, 1978	at Washington Redskins	L 9–5	55,031
6	October 8, 1978	New York Giants	W 24–3	63,420
7	October 15, 1978	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 24–21	48,991
8	October 22, 1978	Philadelphia Eagles	W 14–7	60,525
9	October 26, 1978	Minnesota Vikings	L 21–10	61,848
10	November 5, 1978	at Miami Dolphins	L 23–16	69,414
11	November 12, 1978	at Green Bay Packers	W 42–14	55,256
12	November 19, 1978	New Orleans Saints	W 27–7	57,920
13	November 23, 1978	Washington Redskins	W 37–10	64,905
14	December 3, 1978	New England Patriots	W 17–10	63,263
15	December 10, 1978	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 31–13	64,667
16	December 17, 1978	at New York Jets	W 30–7	52,532

Game notes

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 7 14 6 7 34 Giants 0 7 10 7 24 Date: September 10 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 61°F, wind 14 mph Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 DAL DuPree 4 yard pass from Staubach (Septien kick) Cowboys 7-0 2 DAL Newhouse 2 yard run (Septien kick) Cowboys 14-0 2 NYG Dixon 4 yard pass from Pisarcik (Danelo kick) Cowboys 14-7 2 DAL Saldi 2 yard pass from Staubach (Septien kick) Cowboys 21-7 3 NYG Hammond 11 yard run (Danelo kick) Cowboys 21-14 3 NYG Danelo 42 yard field goal Cowboys 21-17 3 DAL Newhouse 1 yard run (kick failed) Cowboys 27-17 4 DAL Dorsett 3 yard run (Septien kick) Cowboys 34-17 4 NYG Doornik 1 yard run (Danelo kick) Cowboys 34-24

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total Saints 7 0 0 0 7 • Cowboys 0 14 7 6 27 Date: November 19 Location: Texas Stadium, Dallas, Texas Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 53°F, wind 6 mph Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Saints Chuck Muncie 1 yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick) Saints 7-0 2 Cowboys Tony Dorsett 2 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Tie 7-7 2 Cowboys Roger Staubach 1 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 14-7 3 Cowboys Billy Joe DuPree 24 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 21-7 4 Cowboys Rafael Septien 24 yard field goal Cowboys 24-7 4 Cowboys Rafael Septien 26 yard field goal Cowboys 27-7

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 7 3 13 7 30 Jets 0 0 0 7 7 Date: December 17 Location: Shea Stadium • Flushing, New York Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 43°F, wind 23 mph

Scoring summary 1 DAL Tony Dorsett 7 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 7-0 2 DAL Rafael Septien 22 yard field goal Cowboys 10-0 3 DAL Robert Newhouse 1 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 17-0 3 DAL Tony Dorsett 54 yard fumble return (kick failed) Cowboys 23-0 4 NYJ Jerome Barkum 9 yard pass from Matt Robinson (Pat Leahy kick) Cowboys 23-7 4 DAL Larry Brinson 8 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 30-7

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA
Dallas Cowboys(2)	12	4	0	.750	7–1	9–3	384	208
Philadelphia Eagles(5)	9	7	0	.563	4–4	6–6	270	250
Washington Redskins	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	273	283
St. Louis Cardinals	6	10	0	.375	3–5	6–6	248	296
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	2–6	5–9	264	298

Roster

1978 Dallas Cowboys Team Starters

Offense

12   Roger Staubach      QB
33   Tony Dorsett        RB
44   Robert Newhouse     FB
80   Tony Hill           WR
88   Drew Pearson        WR
89   Billy Joe DuPree    TE

67   Pat Donovan         LT
68   Herbert Scott       LG
62   John Fitzgerald     C
64   Tom Rafferty        RG
70   Rayfield Wright     RT

Defense

72   "Too Tall" Jones    LDE
75   Jethro Pugh         LDT
54   Randy White         RDT
79   Harvey Martin       RDE

56   Thomas Henderson    LB
53   Bob Breunig         LB
50   D.D. Lewis          LB

31   Benny Barnes       LCB
25   Aaron Kyle         RCB
41   Charlie Waters     SS
43   Cliff Harris       FS

Kicking Team

1   Rafael Septien     K
11  Danny White        P
86  Butch Johnson      WR/PR/KR

Dallas Cowboys 1978 roster
Quarterbacks 18 Glenn Carano 12 Roger Staubach 11 Danny White P Running Backs 24 Alois Blackwell 36 Larry Brinson 33 Tony Dorsett 35 Scott Laidlaw FB 44 Robert Newhouse FB 26 Preston Pearson Wide Receivers 80 Tony Hill 86 Butch Johnson RS 88 Drew Pearson 82 Robert Steele Tight Ends 89 Billy Joe DuPree 81 Jackie Smith		Offensive Linemen 61 Jim Cooper C/T 67 Pat Donovan T 62 John Fitzgerald C 71 Andy Frederick T 66 Burton Lawless G 64 Tom Rafferty G 60 Tom Randall G 68 Herbert Scott G 70 Rayfield Wright T Defensive Linemen 76 Larry Bethea DT 63 Larry Cole DE/DT 72 Ed Jones DE 79 Harvey Martin DE 75 Jethro Pugh DT 65 Dave Stalls DE/DT 54 Randy White DT		Linebackers 53 Bob Breunig MLB 59 Guy Brown OLB 58 Mike Hegman OLB 56 Thomas Henderson OLB 57 Bruce Huther MLB 50 D. D. Lewis OLB Defensive Backs 31 Benny Barnes CB 43 Cliff Harris FS 42 Randy Hughes SS 25 Aaron Kyle CB 32 Dennis Thurman FS/CB 46 Mark Washington CB 41 Charlie Waters SS Special Teams  1 Rafael Septien K		Reserve Lists Currently vacant Rookies in italics 45 Active, 0 Inactive

Postseason

NFC Divisional Playoff

Dallas Cowboys 27, Atlanta Falcons 20 1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 7 13 0 0 20 Cowboys 10 3 7 7 27 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Date: December 30, 1978 Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 60,338 Referee: Cal Lepore TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Game information Scoring DAL - field goal Septien 34 DAL 3-0 ATL - Bean 14 run (Mazzetti kick) ATL 7-3 DAL - Laidlaw 13 run (Septien kick) DAL 10-7 ATL - field goal Mazzetti 42 10-10 DAL - field goal Septien 48 DAL 13-10 ATL - Francis 17 pass from Bartkowski (Mazzetti kick) ATL 17-13 ATL - field goal Mazzetti 22 ATL 20-13 DAL - Smith 2 pass from D. White (Septien kick) 20-20 DAL - Laidlaw 1 run (Septien kick) DAL 27-20

Dallas' "Doomsday Defense" limited Atlanta quarterback Steve Bartkowski to only 8 completions in 23 attempts and intercepted him 3 times en route to victory. After the Falcons led 20–13 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points in the second half.

NFC Championship Game

Dallas Cowboys 28, Los Angeles Rams 0 1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 0 7 21 28 Rams 0 0 0 0 0 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Date: January 7, 1979 Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 67,470 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier Game information Scoring DAL - Dorsett 5 run (Septien kick) DAL 7-0 DAL - Laidlaw 4 pass from Staubach (Septien kick) DAL 14-0 DAL - DuPree 11 pass from Staubach (Septien kick) DAL 21-0 DAL - Henderson 68 interception return (Septien kick) DAL 28-0

Super Bowl XIII

Dallas Cowboys 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 35 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers (AFC) 7 14 0 14 35 Cowboys (NFC) 7 7 3 14 31 at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida Date: January 21, 1979 Game attendance: 79,484 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy, Merlin Olsen and John Brodie Game information Scoring PIT – TD: John Stallworth 28 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) 7–0 PIT DAL – TD: Tony Hill 39 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) 7–7 tie DAL – TD: Mike Hegman 37 yard fumble return (Rafael Septien kick) 14–7 DAL PIT – TD: John Stallworth 75 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) 14–14 tie PIT – TD: Rocky Bleier 7 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) 21–14 PIT DAL – FG: Rafael Septien 27 yards 21–17 PIT PIT – TD: Franco Harris 22 yard run (Roy Gerela kick) 28–17 PIT PIT – TD: Lynn Swann 18 yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Roy Gerela kick) 35–17 PIT DAL – TD: Billy Joe DuPree 7 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) 35–24 PIT DAL – TD: Butch Johnson 4 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) 35–31 PIT

Super Bowl XIII can arguably be called the greatest collection of NFL talent ever to gather for a game. In additions to Coaches Noll and Landry, 14 players would go on to enshrinement in the Hall of Fame: 9 from Pittsburgh (Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Stallworth, Webster, Greene, Lambert, Ham, and Blount), and 5 from Dallas (Staubach, Dorsett, White, Wright, and Jackie Smith).

Much of the pregame hype surrounding Super Bowl XIII centered around Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Henderson caused quite a stir before the NFC Championship Game by claiming that the Rams had "no class" and the Cowboys would shut them out. His prediction turned out to be very accurate; the Cowboys did shut them out, aided by Henderson's 68-yard interception return for a touchdown.

In the days leading up the Super Bowl, Henderson began talking about the Steelers in the same manner. He predicted another shutout and then made unfriendly comments about several Pittsburgh players. He put down the talent and the intelligence of Bradshaw, proclaiming "Bradshaw couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'". But the Steelers refused to get into a war of words with Henderson. Greene responded by saying the Steelers didn't need to say they were the best, they would just go out on the field and "get the job done".

Awards and records

• Led NFL in Sacks
• Led NFL, Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed (1,721)
• Led NFL, Most Rushing Yards (2,783)
• Led NFL, Points Scored (384)
• Roger Staubach, NFL Passing Leader
• Roger Staubach, NFC Leader, Touchdown Passes (25)

Milestones

• Tony Dorsett, Second Consecutive 1,000 Yard Rushing Season, (Finished season with 1,325 yards, third in NFL)

References

• Cowboys on Pro Football Reference
• Cowboys on jt-sw.com
• Dallas Cowboys 1978 Highlight Film 1 of 2; "America's Team" [1]
• Dallas Cowboys 1978 Highlight Film 2 of 2; "America's Team" [2]