Monday Night Lights Up Texas Stadium For Last Time
Source: www.nbc5i.com
IRVING, Texas -- Light shining out through the hole in the roof, the national audience watching on television and all the history. The Dallas Cowboys' final home opener at Texas Stadium against Philadelphia also marked the last Monday night football game at the famed facility, which will be replaced next year by a gleaming new $1 billion-plus glass-faced palace.
From Craig Morton throwing three touchdown passes in the first one to Herschel Walker's NFL debut, Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders going head-to-head and Tony Romo getting his first extended playing time, there have been plenty of Monday night memories for the Cowboys at Texas Stadium.
For Romo, it was a Monday night game on Oct. 23, 2006 against the New York Giants, when the undrafted free agent from a small school replaced Drew Bledsoe after halftime. Romo has been the starter since and gone to two Pro Bowls.
Romo hasn't toured the new stadium yet. But he also isn't ready to get nostalgic about the old stadium.
"I'm definitely a nostalgic guy in the traditional sense of appreciating what was or what were great things," Romo said. "I love the history of this franchise and this organization and this stadium. I'm sure there will be a time to do that, but as of right now, I haven't done that."
Terrell Owens caught a touchdown from Romo during the quarterback's coming-out party, but Owens' most memorable Monday night at Texas Stadium came when he caught three touchdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 15, 2004.
As noticeable that Monday night, when the games were still on ABC-TV, was the cross promotion intro in which actress Nicollette Sheridan, a star of "Desperate Housewives", was dressed only in a towel and asked Owens to skip the game. She then dropped the towel and jumped into his arms.
Donovan McNabb, who threw a fourth TD in that game, also had a 14-second scramble in which he ran from one side of the field to the other before heaving a 60-yard completion.
"It was a great play. I was tired," McNabb recalled last week.
Tony Dorsett's 99-yard TD run, with only 10 Cowboys on the field, was on a Monday night, but that was at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 1983.
Dallas played only one Monday night game last year, when the Cowboys scored nine points in the final 20 seconds to win 25-24 at Buffalo. Nick Folk kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired. Romo had a career-worst six turnovers (five interceptions, one fumble).
The final Monday night game at Texas Stadium was the 29th. Here's a glance at some of the memorable moments from the first 28:
--Oct. 30, 1972: Cowboys 28, Lions 24; Morton threw for 206 yards and three TDs in the first Monday night game at year-old Texas Stadium. The stadium had opened midway through the 1971 season, after the Cowboys' final home game at the Cotton Bowl was a 20-13 victory over the Giants on a Monday night.
--Nov. 14, 1977: St. Louis Cardinals 24, Cowboys 17. Jim Hart threw two fourth-quarter TDs and the Cardinals handed Dallas its first loss after an 8-0 start. The Cowboys still went on to win their second Super Bowl title.
--Sept. 4, 1978: Cowboys 38, Baltimore Colts 0. Roger Staubach threw four TD passes in the most lopsided Monday night game at Texas Stadium. Dorsett had 147 yards rushing and 107 receiving.
--Nov. 9, 1981: Cowboys 27, Bills 14. Dorsett caught a 73-yard TD pass on the first play after halftime to break a 14-14 tie, and also ran for 117 yards.
--Sept. 9, 1986: Cowboys 31, Giants 28. Walker, who began his pro career in the USFL, ran for two touchdowns, including the winner with 1:10 left in his Cowboys debut.
--Sept. 19, 1994: Lions 20, Cowboys 17, OT. Smith had a touchdown while carrying 29 times for 143 yards, one of his eight 100-yard games in 11 Monday night games at home, and Sanders had 194 yards on 40 carries. Smith is the NFL's career rushing leader and Sanders is third on the list behind Walter Payton.
--Nov. 18, 1996: Cowboys 21, Packers 6. Chris Boniol tied an NFL record with seven field goals. (Billy Cundiff matched that record on a Monday night game Sept. 15, 2003, when his seventh in overtime gave the Cowboys a 35-32 win at the Giants.)
--Sept. 15, 1997: Cowboys 21, Eagles 20. Boniol, then kicking for Philadelphia, couldn't make a 21-yard field goal on the final play because of a botched hold.
--Sept. 19, 2005: Redskins 14, Cowboys 13. Mark Brunell threw TD passes of 39 and 70 yards to Santana Moss in the final 3:46 to ruin the night the Triplets -- Aikman, Smith and Michael Irvin -- were inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.
--Oct. 23, 2006: Giants 36, Cowboys 22. Bledsoe threw an interception at the goal line with the Cowboys poised to take the lead just before halftime. Romo took over, was intercepted on his first pass, but finished 14-of-25 for 227 yards with two TDs and three interceptions.
IRVING, Texas -- Light shining out through the hole in the roof, the national audience watching on television and all the history. The Dallas Cowboys' final home opener at Texas Stadium against Philadelphia also marked the last Monday night football game at the famed facility, which will be replaced next year by a gleaming new $1 billion-plus glass-faced palace.
From Craig Morton throwing three touchdown passes in the first one to Herschel Walker's NFL debut, Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders going head-to-head and Tony Romo getting his first extended playing time, there have been plenty of Monday night memories for the Cowboys at Texas Stadium.
For Romo, it was a Monday night game on Oct. 23, 2006 against the New York Giants, when the undrafted free agent from a small school replaced Drew Bledsoe after halftime. Romo has been the starter since and gone to two Pro Bowls.
Romo hasn't toured the new stadium yet. But he also isn't ready to get nostalgic about the old stadium.
"I'm definitely a nostalgic guy in the traditional sense of appreciating what was or what were great things," Romo said. "I love the history of this franchise and this organization and this stadium. I'm sure there will be a time to do that, but as of right now, I haven't done that."
Terrell Owens caught a touchdown from Romo during the quarterback's coming-out party, but Owens' most memorable Monday night at Texas Stadium came when he caught three touchdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 15, 2004.
As noticeable that Monday night, when the games were still on ABC-TV, was the cross promotion intro in which actress Nicollette Sheridan, a star of "Desperate Housewives", was dressed only in a towel and asked Owens to skip the game. She then dropped the towel and jumped into his arms.
Donovan McNabb, who threw a fourth TD in that game, also had a 14-second scramble in which he ran from one side of the field to the other before heaving a 60-yard completion.
"It was a great play. I was tired," McNabb recalled last week.
Tony Dorsett's 99-yard TD run, with only 10 Cowboys on the field, was on a Monday night, but that was at Minnesota on Jan. 3, 1983.
Dallas played only one Monday night game last year, when the Cowboys scored nine points in the final 20 seconds to win 25-24 at Buffalo. Nick Folk kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired. Romo had a career-worst six turnovers (five interceptions, one fumble).
The final Monday night game at Texas Stadium was the 29th. Here's a glance at some of the memorable moments from the first 28:
--Oct. 30, 1972: Cowboys 28, Lions 24; Morton threw for 206 yards and three TDs in the first Monday night game at year-old Texas Stadium. The stadium had opened midway through the 1971 season, after the Cowboys' final home game at the Cotton Bowl was a 20-13 victory over the Giants on a Monday night.
--Nov. 14, 1977: St. Louis Cardinals 24, Cowboys 17. Jim Hart threw two fourth-quarter TDs and the Cardinals handed Dallas its first loss after an 8-0 start. The Cowboys still went on to win their second Super Bowl title.
--Sept. 4, 1978: Cowboys 38, Baltimore Colts 0. Roger Staubach threw four TD passes in the most lopsided Monday night game at Texas Stadium. Dorsett had 147 yards rushing and 107 receiving.
--Nov. 9, 1981: Cowboys 27, Bills 14. Dorsett caught a 73-yard TD pass on the first play after halftime to break a 14-14 tie, and also ran for 117 yards.
--Sept. 9, 1986: Cowboys 31, Giants 28. Walker, who began his pro career in the USFL, ran for two touchdowns, including the winner with 1:10 left in his Cowboys debut.
--Sept. 19, 1994: Lions 20, Cowboys 17, OT. Smith had a touchdown while carrying 29 times for 143 yards, one of his eight 100-yard games in 11 Monday night games at home, and Sanders had 194 yards on 40 carries. Smith is the NFL's career rushing leader and Sanders is third on the list behind Walter Payton.
--Nov. 18, 1996: Cowboys 21, Packers 6. Chris Boniol tied an NFL record with seven field goals. (Billy Cundiff matched that record on a Monday night game Sept. 15, 2003, when his seventh in overtime gave the Cowboys a 35-32 win at the Giants.)
--Sept. 15, 1997: Cowboys 21, Eagles 20. Boniol, then kicking for Philadelphia, couldn't make a 21-yard field goal on the final play because of a botched hold.
--Sept. 19, 2005: Redskins 14, Cowboys 13. Mark Brunell threw TD passes of 39 and 70 yards to Santana Moss in the final 3:46 to ruin the night the Triplets -- Aikman, Smith and Michael Irvin -- were inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.
--Oct. 23, 2006: Giants 36, Cowboys 22. Bledsoe threw an interception at the goal line with the Cowboys poised to take the lead just before halftime. Romo took over, was intercepted on his first pass, but finished 14-of-25 for 227 yards with two TDs and three interceptions.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:37 PM
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