It is Day 82 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.
Here we go as we reach Day 82 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff, where we pause for one of the more emotional landmarks in Cowboys history. This was not just another NFC East win. This was goodbye to the Cotton Bowl, the Cowboys’ first regular home, the place where an expansion franchise grew from a curiosity into a contender. On Monday night, October 11, 1971, Dallas beat the New York Giants 20-13 in the Cowboys’ final home game at the Cotton Bowl before moving to Texas Stadium in Irving.
Monday, October 11, 1971 — 9:00 p.m. ET
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 20, New York Giants 13
The game itself was tense, sloppy, and very 1971 Cowboys. Dallas and New York traded first-quarter field goals, with Mike Clark hitting from 42 yards and Pete Gogolak answering from 35. In the second quarter, Clark made another field goal from 41, Gogolak tied it again from 20, and then Roger Staubach found Billy Truax for a four-yard touchdown to give Dallas a 13-6 halftime lead.
The Cowboys’ biggest offensive moment came in the third quarter, and it came from the other quarterback. Craig Morton, sharing the position in what was still a very real Dallas quarterback rotation, hit Bob Hayes for a 48-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 20-6. Fran Tarkenton brought the Giants back in the fourth quarter with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Clifton McNeil, but Dallas held on for the seven-point win.
Dallas fumbled five times, committed six total turnovers, and still found a way to survive. The Cowboys also rushed for 222 yards, with Duane Thomas, Dan Reeves, Calvin Hill, Roger Staubach, Walt Garrison, Craig Morton, and Joe Williams all contributing carries. The combination of mistakes, toughness, defense, and enough offense to get by made it feel like a fitting snapshot of a team still trying to finish the climb.
That is why this game carries weight. The Cotton Bowl had seen the Cowboys’ earliest growing pains, their first winning teams, the Ice Bowl-era heartbreak, and the rise of Tom Landry’s machine. The franchise was about to move into a modern football palace with the famous hole in the roof, but before that new era began, Dallas gave the Cotton Bowl one last win under the lights.
By the end of the season, the Cowboys were Super Bowl champions for the first time. So this Giants game sits at a unique emotional intersection with the end of the Cotton Bowl chapter, the beginning of the Texas Stadium era, and the final steps toward the franchise’s first Lombardi. As for the Cotton Bowl itself, it will always be the foundational home of the Cowboys, and for that it can never be forgotten. So to the Cotton Bowl, we thank you on this episode of the BTB countdown.
Interesting Facts About the Game
The next Cowboys home game was the first regular-season game at Texas Stadium, a 44-21 win over the Patriots. Duane Thomas scored the first touchdown in the new stadium on a 56-yard run.
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