In the past we have featured NFL preseason games on Throwback Thursday, mainly because in the 1960s after the merger, the exhibition contests between NFL and AFL teams were battles for pride. We are featuring another preseason contest this week, played on August 5, 1961, but for another reason. It was a match between the second year expansion Dallas Cowboys and the shiny new expansion Minnesota Vikings, 2 franchises who meet this week. This was the first time the Minnesota franchise took the field in their history, and the game was played in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was common in that era for NFL teams to play their exhibition games in non-NFL cities, as the league was still fighting for as much exposure as they could get. South Dakota was not necessarily a good choice however, as the game drew a little less than 5,000 fans, causing the promoters to lose money.The established NFL teams did the new expansion teams no favors in those days, as both the Cowboys in 1960 and Vikings in ’61 were forced to stock their rosters with aging castoffs from the other clubs. The rise of the AFL in 1960 drained the talent pool even more.
Game program from Vikings’ first ever contest
With a year’s head start on their opponent, Dallas was superior, scoring first on a touchdown run of 15 yards by L.G. Dupre, then adding another in the second quarter on a pass from Eddie LeBaron of 14 yards to flanker Frank Clarke. The Vikings then countered with an 80 yard drive culminating in the first touchdown (albeit a preseason one) in team history as a pair of castoff vets connected on a 14 yard pass, with George Shaw finding back Hugh McElhenny. A 36 yard pass from Shaw to Paul Winslow highlighted the drive. Minnesota’s special teams apparently hadn’t been prepared yet, as the extra point try was blocked. As is common in exhibition contests, a second Cowboy quarterback, Don Meredith, took over and after a fumbled punt drove his team to another score, this time a 1 yard run by Amos Marsh. This gave Dallas a 21-6 halftime lead. Another lost Viking fumble set up the only score of the third quarter, a 15 yard field goal by Allen Green. Norris Stevenson caught a 32 yard touchdown pass from Meredith to open the final quarter, upping Dallas’ lead to 31-6.
A bright ray of hope for Minnesota’s future entered the game after that, as rookie QB Fran Tarkenton took the field. The scrambling signal caller produced immediate results, as he hit Don Ellersick for a 36 yard score. A Meredith to Clarke 7 yard TD toss ended the scoring, giving the Cowboys the win by the final 38-13 count. The Vikings, on opening day of the regular season that year, shocked the gridiron world by trouncing the Chicago Bears 37-13, but would lose to the Cowboys twice in the first 4 weeks on their way to a final record of 3-11. Dallas finished the year at 4-9-1, moving another year closer to respectability under coach Tom Landry.
Vikings’ Paul Winslow swarmed by Dallas defenders