It is the final day of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
Welcome to the final day of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. Super Bowl VI was the afternoon the Dallas Cowboys finally became champions. Years of playoff heartbreak, two championship-game losses to Green Bay and defeat in Super Bowl V had created the unwanted label of being a team that could never win it all the way. Dallas erased it permanently by dominating Miami and lifting the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. There’s no better way to end a countdown than right here.
Sunday, January 16, 1972
Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3
The Cowboys entered New Orleans on a nine-game winning streak, but Miami presented a serious challenge. Don Shula’s Dolphins had gone 10-3-1 and featured Bob Griese, Larry Csonka and Paul Warfield. On this day, though, Dallas made them look ordinary.
The defense created the first breakthrough. Csonka lost his first fumble of the season and Chuck Howley recovered it, allowing Dallas to move into position for Mike Clark’s nine-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. It was an early indication of how completely the Cowboys defense would control the game.
Then came perhaps the defining defensive image of the first Cowboys championship. With Miami facing third-and-nine and Dallas still leading 3-0, Griese scrambled desperately away from pressure. Bob Lilly pursued him across the field before finally dragging him down for a 29-yard loss. More than half a century later, it still stands as the longest negative play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history.
Dallas turned its control into a touchdown during the second quarter. Roger Staubach directed a 76-yard drive and finished it with a seven-yard touchdown pass to veteran Lance Alworth, increasing the advantage to 10-0. Miami finally responded just before halftime when Garo Yepremian converted a 31-yard field goal, leaving the Cowboys ahead 10-3 at the break.
Any hope Miami had of changing the game disappeared immediately after halftime. Dallas took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and travelled 71 yards in eight plays, leaning heavily on its powerful ground attack. Duane Thomas completed the drive with a three-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 17-3.
From there, the Doomsday Defense tightened its grip. Miami could not establish its running game, Griese was under constant pressure and the Dolphins never reached the end zone. Early in the fourth quarter, Howley intercepted Griese at midfield and returned the ball 41 yards to the Miami nine. Three plays later, Staubach found Mike Ditka for a seven-yard touchdown that completed the scoring at 24-3.
Staubach was named Super Bowl MVP after completing 12 of 19 passes for 119 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The numbers were not huge because they did not need to be. Dallas controlled the game on the ground, protected the football and allowed Staubach to play the efficient, composed football that became one of his trademarks.
The Cowboys rushed for a then Super Bowl record of 252 yards. Thomas led the way with 95 yards on 19 carries, while Walt Garrison added 74. Miami knew Dallas wanted to run and still could not stop it. The combination of that ground attack and the Doomsday Defense meant the Dolphins spent almost the entire afternoon playing on Dallas’ terms.
The defensive numbers were even more impressive. Miami managed only 185 total yards and three points, while Dallas became the first team in Super Bowl history to prevent its opponent from scoring a touchdown. The Dolphins turned the ball over three times, and their only points came from Yepremian’s field goal.
This game takes the number one spot because everything that followed was built upon it. The Cowboys would eventually win five Super Bowls, become one of the NFL’s most recognizable franchises and earn the “America’s Team” identity during the Landry era. But there could be no second, third, fourth or fifth Lombardi without the first. Super Bowl VI was the moment Dallas stopped being the team that nearly won and became the Dallas Cowboys, champions of the NFL.
Interesting Facts About the Game
Dallas became the first defense in Super Bowl history to hold an opponent without a touchdown. Miami’s three points remain tied for the fewest ever scored by a team in a Super Bowl.
Countdown to kickoff
100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 91, 90, 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68, 67, 66, 65, 64, 63, 62, 61, 60, 59, 58, 57,56, 55, 54, 53, 52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
Now we reach the end of the countdown, we would like to thank everyone that joined us here on BTB during these 100-days and commented daily during the series. It shows the passion and love every fan has in Cowboys Nation and for the team’s rich history. Make sure to continue that dedication for the team as the regular season now gets ready to hit the airwaves, and a whole lot of content coming your way, right here on BTB.
