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About the series
Each week, staff writer Ray Buck takes a look at the history of the Cowboys - from a great game to a singular moment to a memorable player - in his online-exclusive offering, Old 'Boys Club.
Next Friday
"The catch" by "Bullet" Bob Hayes that turned Tom Landry’s head for the first time. Hint: The game was played in Oklahoma.
Each week, staff writer Ray Buck takes a look at the history of the Cowboys - from a great game to a singular moment to a memorable player - in his online-exclusive offering, Old 'Boys Club.
Next Friday
"The catch" by "Bullet" Bob Hayes that turned Tom Landry’s head for the first time. Hint: The game was played in Oklahoma.
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In college, Jerry Tubbs never lost a game.
Playing for Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma, Tubbs was a big-time inside linebacker on three undefeated teams (1954-56).This came during Wilkinson’s historic 47-0 run (1953-57) — still an NCAA Division I record.“I was in the middle of the streak. We went 31-0,” Tubbs said. “To be able to say you never lost a game in college.....well, that’s my greatest claim.“I was one lucky guy.”However, Tubbs’ luck quickly ran amok in the NFL.He was taken by the Chicago Cardinals in the first round of the ’57 draft — 10th overall. Suddenly, he found himself on a perennial loser, playing out of position (outside — not inside), then eventually benched, then cut near the end of his second season.Although he landed on his feet in San Francisco, where he quickly elevated his pro game, he concluded that it might be time to find a job in the real world.It was after the ’59 season. He was about to turn 25.“Coca-Cola had this job opening for a district manager in Arkansas,” said Tubbs, whose idle thoughts became real concerns of 49ers coach Red Hickey.“Jerry, I’ve got to know,” Hickey told him. “We like you. We want you. But if you’re going to retire, then I’m going to put you on that ‘Dallas Cowboys’ expansion list.”The color ran out of Jerry’s face.“I knew an expansion team wasn’t going to win,” Tubbs said. “But I was being honest. I told Red Hickey, ‘Coach, I can’t really tell you what I’m going to do yet.’ And so, he put me on the list.”As it turned out, Tubbs would spend the next 29 years in Dallas — as a player, then a player-coach, then a fulltime assistant.Playing/working for Tom Landry would prove to be heaven on earth — but Tubbs had no idea of that in 1960.He never lost a game in college. Now he would be joining an expansion team that wouldn’t win a game all season. The ’60 Cowboys ended up 0-11-1.“It looked like we were never going to win a game,” Tubbs recalled.The closest they came was a 31-31 tie at New York in the next-to-last game of that inaugural season.Little Eddie LeBaron picked apart a championship-tested Giants defense and snapped the Dallas losing streak at 10. But the non-winning streak would grow to 12 with a season-ending loss at Detroit.“But I have to tell you, it felt like we won the world championship — when we tied New York,” Tubbs said. “Of course, we didn’t hit the jackpot until the start of ’61.”“The Jackpot” came Sept. 17, 1961, against a veteran Steelers team led the legendary Bobby Layne; Hall of Fame fullback John Henry Johnson, and a grizzled defense featuring future Cowboys coach Ernie Stautner.On this day, the Cowboys would finally achieve a regular-season victory, but not without some smoke and mirrors.They would need to score 10 points in the final 56 seconds.They would need help from the most unlikely hero on the team: Rookie kicker Allen Green, who was playing in his first NFL game.But it all came together for a Cotton Bowl crowd of 23,500.The Star-Telegram reported in its Sept. 18, 1961, editions:
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