Quarterback who led Dallas Cowboys to their first Super Bowl dies at 83
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton, one of only four QBs to start for two franchises in a Super Bowl, died Saturday in Mill Valley, California, at age 83.
The Cowboys and Denver Broncos — the two teams he led to the Super Bowl — confirmed his death.
Morton threw the first touchdown pass by a Cowboy in a Super Bowl in Dallas’ 16-13 loss to Baltimore in Super Bowl 5 in January 1971.
After losing his job to Roger Staubach the next season, Morton eventually took over in Denver and led the Broncos to Super Bowl 12 — where they lost to Staubach and the Cowboys 27-10 in January 1978.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner are the only other quarterbacks to start for two franchises in Super Bowls.
“We are saddened to learn of Craig’s passing,” the Cowboys said on social media. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The Cowboys selected Morton with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft out of California, and he backed up Don Meredith for his first four seasons.
After Meredith retired, Morton took over as the starter in 1969 over the rookie Staubach and led Dallas to a 10-2-1 record before losing to Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs.
In 1970, Morton started the vast majority of the season, leading the Cowboys to a 10-4 record. They earned defensive-minded playoff victories over Detroit (5-0) and San Francisco (17-10) before losing to the Colts in the Super Bowl.
The competition between Morton and Staubach came to a head in 1971 after both started games and even alternated snaps at one point. Staubach ultimately won the job, and the Cowboys claimed the first Super Bowl title in franchise history, beating Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl 6.
Morton got one last season as Dallas’ starter when Staubach suffered an injury in the preseason in 1972. The Cowboys went 10-4, but Staubach relieved Morton in the divisional playoffs and rallied Dallas to a 30-28 victory over San Francisco.
Morton never started another game for the Cowboys and was traded to the New York Giants midway through the 1974 season for a first-round pick that turned out to be future Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White.
The Giants traded Morton to the Broncos before the 1977 season, setting up arguably his finest moment in the NFL. Morton earned AFC Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Comeback Player of the Year in taking the Broncos to their first playoff berth and ultimately their first Super Bowl appearance.
However, there was no storybook ending for Morton. He threw four interceptions and completed only 4 of 15 passes for 39 yards under relentless pressure from the Dallas defense.
Morton spent the rest of his career with Denver and retired after the 1982 season. For his career, he threw for 27,908 yards and 183 touchdowns with 187 interceptions.
A College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Morton received the Davey O’Brien Legends Award in Fort Worth in 2016 and joked at the ceremony about his career being intertwined with Staubach, also an O’Brien Legends honoree.
“I guess since Roger’s in it, I ought to be a part of it somehow,” he said.
This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 8:42 PM.
