Cowboys earn a Super victory.

Read along with the #1 hit from the second week of January,1968 –Green Tambourine.

Miami,Jan. 14,1968 –Nine seasons ago,a nationally televised NFL Championship Game carried into overtime and lifted professional football into the national spotlight. The championship game between the NFL Champion Dallas Cowboys and AFL Champion Oakland Raiders has similarly lifted this “Super Bowl”into equal prominence overnight. The Cowboys defeated the Raiders,16-10,in sudden death overtime for the World’s Championship. The clubs played like freshman at the senior prom. Each had opportunities to seize control of the game,but instead the game played out as a marathon walk on a tightrope.

Oakland made the first mistake as Cowboy LB Lee Roy Jordan intercepted Daryle Lamonica’s pass intended for Fred Biletnikoff. Jordan rumbled 31 yards down the sideline to set up Don Meredith’s troops at the Oakland 41. After two ineffective gadget plays,Meredith found Lance Rentzel downfield for a completion to the Oakland 9. The Raider defense pushed the Cowboys backward from there,and forced Dallas to settle for a 23 yard field goal attempt by Danny Villanueva. The butterflies were evident as Villanueva missed the attempt. However,Mike Johnson picked off another Lamonica pass on the subsequent drive,and Villanueva converted a 27 yard attempt for the game’s initial score.

As the first quarter drew to a close,Lamonica settled down and drove the Raiders into Cowboy territory. An offensive  pass interference penalty stalled the drive,and George Blanda came on the field for a 37 yard field goal attempt. The attempt was blocked,and the ball recovered by Willie Townes of the Cowboys. Meredith sought a quick strike and launched a bomb in the direction of Rentzel. However,Warren Powers battled Rentzel for the ball,and came down with the interception at the Oakland 19 with Cowboys’first turnover. Lamonica drove the Raiders again within field goal range,but LB Dave Edwards stepped in front of a pass intended for Biletnikoff at the 19. Lamonica again guided the Raiders down field on their next possession,but Cornell Green grabbed Lamonica’s fourth interception of the half at the Cowboy 6 to halt the Raiders’advance. In the half’s final minute,Lee Roy Jordan recovered a fumble by Lamonica after a sack to set Dallas up with another scoring chance. But clock mismanagement allowed time to slip pass Tom Landry,and the half ended on an incomplete pass instead of a Villanueva field goal attempt. With four interceptions,a fumble and blocked field goal under their belt in the half,Dallas managed only a mere 3-0 lead.

Lamonica and the Raiders exited the locker room for the second half with a renewed spirit. Disaster had been averted in the first half,and the game was still theirs for the taking. On their first possession,the Raiders marched down field with a mix of rushes by Hewritt Dixon and Clem Daniels. Dixon bulled through the middle for a two-yard touchdown run,and Oakland led 7-3. The teams traded possessions for the remainder of the quarter. As the fourth quarter began,the Cowboys maintained possession at the Oakland 36. Landry reached again into his bag of tricks,but this time the gadgets worked. TE Frank Clarke sprung free for a 39 yard run on an end-around play into Oakland territory. Meredith followed with a pass to Hayes running a post pattern,and Oakland was called for pass interference. FB Don Perkins plunged ahead from a yard out to retake the lead,10-7.

Midway through the quarter,the Raiders broke through on the ground. Pete Banaszak broke free for a 24 yard gain which set up Blanda for a game-tying 25 yard field goal attempt. Blanda’s kick was true,and the game was tied at ten with five and a half minutes remaining. The Cowboys were unable to gain a first down on their possession,and were forced to punt. Villanueva drilled a 54 yard punt that pushed Lamonica and the Raiders deep to their own 16 yard line. with 4:21 on the clock. Lamonica hit Dixon for a 25 yard pass,and with two minutes left,he found speedster Warren Wells for a 27 yard pass to the Dallas 25. Lamonica completed a seven yard out pattern to TE Billy Cannon. With Blanda warming up his leg on the sidelines for the championship-winning field goal attempt,A false start penalty pushed Oakland back. Lamonica dumped the ball off to Clem Daniels for a seven yard gain,but the Cowboys pushed Daniels out of bounds to stop the clock. Lamonica ran a quarter back sneak for a yard,forcing Dallas to call their first timeout. The strategy was clear. This game would be decided on Blanda’s foot. Lamonica handed the ball off to FB Hewitt Dixon. Bob Lilly was ready and stuffed Dixon at the line,and the ball squirted free. Lee Roy Jordan fell on the ball first,and the Cowboy prayers were answered. The 1967 championship would not be decided in four quarters.

Oakland won the toss for overtime,and started their first possession at their own 20 after a touchback. On third down,Mel Renfro blitzed and blindsided Lamonica who dropped the ball. The fumble was recovered by Jethro Pugh at the 9 yard line. An offensive pass interference penalty pushed Dallas back,and Villanueva was brought in for a 20-yard chip shot for the victory. Villanueva pushed the ball too much,and it sailed wide right. Oakland prayers were answered,but it appeared to a neutral party that neither team was capable of victory. Lamonica failed to advance the Raiders,but a 67 yard punt by Mike Eischeid pushed return man Bob Hayes to the 9. Hayes worked his way to the 20,but Meredith and the Cowboys could not convert a first down. Villanueva’s punt sailed 46 yards,and Warren Powers signaled for a fair catch. Lamonica found Dixon across the middle,and the Raider fullback  found the sideline for 35 yards before being pushed out of bounds. Raider coach John Rauch went to Dixon again with a counter trap. Dixon sprung free up the middle,but Johnson reach in to strip the ball free. Johnson recovered for Dallas,and the Raiders were denied again. Dixon was the game’s leading rusher and receiver with 88 rushing yards and 102 receiving yards. But his legacy will be the two fumbles,one under two minutes in the fourth quarter and the other in overtime.

It appeared Meredith would be unable to convert another Raider miscue after a sack put the Cowboys in a third and thirteen situation. But,Meredith finally found Hayes for a key completion,a 38 yard fly pattern to the Oakland 37.  Rentzel caught a 14 yard pass to the Oakland 23. Dan Reeves gained five to the 18. Suddenly,Don Perkins busted up the middle and ran into the end zone to end the game. It seems unlikely a team with eight turnovers would believe they had a chance to win again,but that was precisely the belief in the Oakland locker room after this game. The Dallas Cowboys breathed a sigh of relief as they were champions of the world after 70 minutes of football,16-10.