It is Day 96 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.
On Day 96 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff we revisit one of the biggest offensive explosions in Cowboys history. Long before Cowboys-49ers became the defining NFC rivalry of the early 1990s, Tom Landry’s team delivered one of the most lopsided results the series had ever seen, a 59-14 demolition at Texas Stadium. Dallas improved to 5-1 with the win, while San Francisco fell to 3-3.
Sunday, October 12, 1980 — 3:00 p.m. ET
Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Final Score: Dallas Cowboys 59, San Francisco 49ers 14
The Cowboys wasted no time turning this into a rout. Danny White opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson, and Ron Springs followed with a short touchdown run to give Dallas a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Rafael Septien added a field goal early in the second, then White and Pearson connected again from 22 yards out to make it 24-0.
San Francisco briefly answered when Steve DeBerg found Dwight Clark for a 52-yard touchdown, but that only delayed the avalanche. Tony Dorsett scored from two yards out, Pearson caught his third touchdown of the first half, and the Cowboys went into the locker room ahead 38-7. By then, the game was no longer competitive. It was turning into an annihilation.
Dallas didn’t take their foot off the gas and kept rolling in the third quarter. White threw another touchdown to Billy Joe DuPree, Springs broke loose for a 20-yard score, and Robert Newhouse added a fourth-quarter touchdown run to push the Cowboys to 59 points. The 49ers added a late DeBerg-to-Clark touchdown, but the final score told the real story, Dallas had overwhelmed San Francisco in every phase.
White was spectacular, finishing 16-of-22 for 239 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Pearson caught only three passes, which isn’t much, but all three of his catches went for touchdowns. Springs led Dallas with 81 rushing yards and two scores, Dorsett added 75 yards and a touchdown, and the Cowboys piled up 460 total yards.
The defense was just as important. Dallas intercepted DeBerg five times, with Anthony Dickerson grabbing two and Aaron Mitchell, Dennis Thurman, and Charlie Waters each adding one. The Cowboys also forced five San Francisco fumbles, meaning the 49ers officially finished with 10 turnovers. Dallas held the ball for over 46 minutes on offense, which explains how a good team turned a regular season game into a historic blowout.
This game belongs on the countdown because it remains one of the best examples of the Landry-era Cowboys machine at full power. Dallas threw for touchdowns, ran for touchdowns, dominated time of possession, won the turnover battle, and tied the highest point total in franchise history. It was not a last-second thriller or a postseason classic, but it was iconic for a different reason, the Cowboys nearly hit 60. And they did it against San Francisco, a rival throughout team history.
Interesting Facts About the Game
The Cowboys’ 59 points tied the franchise record for most points scored in a regular-season game. Dallas also scored 59 points in a 59-13 win over the Detroit Lions in 1968.
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