Dallas City News

We are at day 11 of our 99 day countdown until the regular season. Here is your daily fact associated with number 11.

The Cowboys have had some serious talent when it comes to the quarterback position, and yesterday’s daily countdown looked at one of the greatest. One name that doesn’t come up often, and he really should, wore number 11 for Dallas and his name is Danny White.

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Wilford Daniel White was born February 9, 1952 and signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 1976. Roger Staubach, who guided the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl championship after the 1971 season, continued as the starting quarterback while Danny White spent his initial years as Dallas’ primarily punter. White, who had experience punting in college, was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 1974.

Following Staubach’s departure, Danny White faced the formidable challenge of succeeding a player whom many Cowboys fans regard as the greatest in the franchise’s history.

In his four years with the Dallas Cowboys, White had only started a single game and had thrown a mere 103 passes. Expectations were uncertain, yet White delivered an outstanding performance. In 1980, he started all 16 games, guiding the Cowboys to a commendable 12-4 record, amassing 3,287 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, all while fulfilling his duties at punter. Following a victory over the Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, White orchestrated a thrilling comeback in the divisional round, leading the team to a 30-27 win against the Atlanta Falcons, which set the stage for a clash with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Unfortunately, the Eagles proved to be too formidable, defeating Dallas 20-7 and securing their place in the Super Bowl.

The subsequent season saw White once again bring the Dallas Cowboys close to a Super Bowl berth. After finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record, the Cowboys triumphed over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a resounding 38-0 victory in the divisional round of the playoffs, paving the way for a confrontation with the San Francisco 49ers. With less than a minute remaining and Dallas in the lead, White could only observe from the sidelines as Dwight Clark made “The Catch” from Joe Montana, shattering Dallas’ aspirations for a Super Bowl appearance.

White would guide the Dallas Cowboys to the playoffs several more times before concluding his career after the 1988 season; however, he would never return to the NFC Championship. Regrettably, White did not have the championship-caliber teammates that Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman enjoyed. As is often the case, the quarterback bears the brunt of the blame, and similar to Tony Romo and Dak Prescott in later years, he was frequently perceived as the player unable to secure the crucial victories.

White concluded his career with one Super Bowl championship, one Pro Bowl selection, and one All-Pro nomination. His total of 21,959 passing yards ranks fifth among Cowboys quarterbacks, while his 155 passing touchdowns places him fourth, surpassing Staubach. Furthermore, White’s win rate of .657 is the second highest in Dallas history, exceeding that of Troy Aikman.

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