1965 Dallas Cowboys season

1965 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach	Tom Landry
Owner	Clint Murchison, Jr.
Home field	Cotton Bowl
Results
Record	7–7
Division place	2nd NFL Eastern (tie)
Playoff finish	Lost Playoff Bowl[1]

The 1965 Dallas Cowboys season was their sixth in the National Football League and their best record to date, at 7–7.^[2] After five consecutive losses, Dallas was 2–5 halfway through the season. They won five of the final seven games and finished in a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference, with the New York Giants, four games behind the defending NFL champion Cleveland Browns (11–3).

The Cowboys defeated the Giants twice and earned the berth in the third place Playoff Bowl in Miami,^[3][4] held three weeks after the regular season, but lost 35–3 to the Baltimore Colts, runners-up of the Western Conference.^[5]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 19, 1965	New York Giants	W, 31–2	59,366
2	September 26, 1965	Washington Redskins	W, 27–7	61,577
3	October 4, 1965	at St. Louis Cardinals	L, 20–13	32,034
4	October 10, 1965	Philadelphia Eagles	L 35–24	56,249
5	October 17, 1965	at Cleveland Browns	L, 23–17	80,451
6	October 24, 1965	at Green Bay Packers	L, 13–3	48,311
7	October 31, 1965	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L, 22–13	37,804
8	November 7, 1965	San Francisco 49ers	W, 39–31	39,677
9	November 14, 1965	Pittsburgh Steelers	W, 24–17	57,293
10	November 21, 1965	Cleveland Browns	L, 24–17	76,251
11	November 28, 1965	at Washington Redskins	L, 34–31	50,205
12	December 5, 1965	at Philadelphia Eagles	W, 21–19	54,714
13	December 11, 1965	St. Louis Cardinals	W, 27–13	38,499
14	December 19, 1965	at New York Giants	W, 38–20	62,871

Postseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance
Playoff Bowl	January 9, 1966	Baltimore Colts	Orange Bowl	L, 35–3	65,569

Standings

NFL Eastern Conference
	W	L	T	PCT	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cleveland Browns	11	3	0	.786	11–1	363	325	W1
Dallas Cowboys	7	7	0	.500	6–6	325	280	W3
New York Giants	7	7	0	.500	7–5	270	338	L1
Washington Redskins	6	8	0	.429	6–6	257	301	W1
Philadelphia Eagles	5	9	0	.357	5–7	363	359	L1
St. Louis Cardinals	5	9	0	.357	5–7	296	309	L6
Pittsburgh Steelers	2	12	0	.143	2–10	202	397	L7

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1965 roster
Quarterbacks 17 Don Meredith 14 Craig Morton 13 Jerry Rhome Running Backs 37 Perry Lee Dunn 43 Don Perkins FB 30 Dan Reeves 24 J. D. Smith Wide Receivers 26 Buddy Dial 35 Pete Gent 22 Bob Hayes Tight Ends 82 Frank Clarke WR 84 Pettis Norman		Offensive Linemen 68 Jim Boeke T 53 Mike Connelly C/G 62 Leon Donohue G 64 Mitch Johnson G/T 67 Jake Kupp G 72 Tony Liscio T/G 51 Dave Manders C/G 73 Ralph Neely T 71 Don Talbert T Defensive Linemen 66 George Andrie DE 77 Jim Colvin DT 74 Bob Lilly DT/DE 75 Jethro Pugh DT 79 Larry Stephens DE 78 Maury Youmans DE/DT		Linebackers 52 Dave Edwards OLB 56 Harold Hays OLB 54 Chuck Howley OLB 55 Lee Roy Jordan MLB 50 Jerry Tubbs MLB 33 Russell Wayt OLB Defensive Backs 44 Don Bishop CB 27 Mike Gaechter SS/CB 34 Cornell Green CB 41 Warren Livingston CB/FS 25 Obert Logan SS 20 Mel Renfro FS/CB/RS Special Teams 11 Danny Villanueva K/P		Reserve Lists 23 Jimmy Sidle RB (IR) 57 Malcolm Walker C (IR) Rookies in italics 40 Active, 0 Inactive

References

1. http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/history_year.cfm?yr=1965
2. 1965 Dallas Cowboys
3. "Dallas clips Giants, lands Playoff Bowl". Victoria Advocate (Texas). Associated Press. December 20, 1965. p. 12.
4. "Cowboys jar Giants for ticket to Playoff Bowl". Schenectady Gazette (New York). Associated Press. December 20, 1965. p. 27.
5. "'Instant quarterback' Matte leads 35-3 rout of Dallas". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 10, 1966. p. 8.