It's not you. It's me.
Really. If you are a Green Bay or Pittsburgh fan coming to Dallas this week for Super Bowl XLV and feel an eery feeling coming over you like someone is looking at you strange, you're not imagining things.
The feeling you are having is most likely being caused by a "pioneer" Dallas Cowboys fan who really hates your teams guts. Seriously. Any Cowboys fan born in the 1960's most likely is staring you down with laser beam hatred. It's nothing personal. It's just that your team, Packers or Steelers, shares equally-earned animosity within every "pioneer" Dallas Cowboys fan. Those fans are the ones who came of age during the Cowboys formative years when Dallas earned the moniker "Next Years Champions." You see those fans feelings are deep-rooted inside and evoke painful memories unlike any other for one very real reason.
Your team stole our childhood.
I know. That sounds serious but it is. Just ask any 40-something Dallas Cowboys fan about the "Ice Bowl" or the "Terrible Towel" and it will evoke instant pain and agony.
You see those are the "pioneer" Cowboys fans who fell in love with the Dallas teams who struggled early to just win a playoff game let alone a Super Bowl. Then, just when it seemed our beloved Cowboys would finally get over the hump, thud. Your team bitch-slapped us back into reality.
So while we may look friendly on the outside and glad you are in Texas, we are dying inside by the very sight of your garish gold, green and black.
Dave Robinson started it all in the 1966 NFL Championship game in Dallas. You see he ignored Coach Vince Lombardi's coaching instructions and crashed down on Dallas quarterback Don Meredith on fourth and goal from the one yard line jumping on his back forcing a game-ending endzone interception ending our Super Bowl hopes. Robinson admitted recently that had he missed Meredith with his rushing angle, he would have scored and tied the game and Coach Lombardi would not have been happy with him.
Bart Starr was the Cowboys-killer the next year in the same game in Green Bay. Trailing 17-14 without any timeouts remaining, Starr convinced Coach Lombardi to let him sneak the third and goal play with just :17-seconds remaining in the "Ice Bowl." Jerry Kramer's block on Cowboys tackle Jethro Pugh is one for the ages and is replayed just about this time every year.
Green Bay would go on to win its' second straight Super Bowl. If not for two yards and two final season-endzone-ending plays the Dallas Cowboys would have played in the first two Super Bowls. Ouch.
Pittsburgh's animosity was earned later in 1975 after the Cowboys had won Super Bowl VI in 1972. The Cowboys were coming off their first non-playoff season in eight years with a rejuvenated youth movement. Pittsburgh had just won their first Super Bowl in 1974 against Minnesota and was looking for a repeat.
The Cowboys seemed destined to win their second Super Bowl in five years when some kid by the name of Lynn Swann decided to have his breakout game. Swann only caught 4 passes that day but gained 161 yards as the Steelers beat Dallas 21-17.
Dallas would win the Super Bowl again in 1977 against Denver and was going for a repeat in 1978 against the hated Steelers in the first rematch in Super Bowl history. Dallas had added the #1 draft choice and Pennsylvania-native Tony Dorsett in the 1977 draft and felt they had the missing piece to beat the Steelers. And, if not for Jackie Smith's infamous drop of a Roger Staubach touchdown pass late in the game as the Cowboys rallied, they just might have pulled it off.
But just like in 1975, the Steelers rebounded this time behind little-known running back Rocky Bleier and scored 14 unanswered fourth quarter points to defeat Dallas 35-31.
So you see Packers and Steelers fans, if not for your two teams our Dallas Cowboys would have won the first two Super Bowls and two more in the 70's to cement their name in NFL annals as one of the greatest dynasties ever.
If not for Dave Robinson, Bart Starr, Lynn Swann and Rocky Bleier, Cowboys players like Don Meredith, Chuck Howley, Lee Roy Jordan, Cliff Harris, Charlie Waters and Drew Pearson all would be in the NFL Hall of Fame.
And, instead of just having the highway leading to the Cowboys Stadium named after him, the trophy your two teams are playing for next Sunday would be called the "Landry Trophy" not the Lombardi Trophy.
Good luck next weekend Packers and Steelers fans and welcome to Dallas. Enjoy your visit but when you see us Cowboys fans take it easy on us. We maybe smiling on the outside but on the inside we're still hurting.
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