WASHINGTON — Coming off a brutal division loss to the New York Giants, the Washington Commanders are looking to put Sunday in the rearview mirror and gear-up for the Thanksgiving rivalry game against their nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys.
But this isn't your parents’ or grandparents’ rivalry anymore. Dallas week used to evoke such intense emotion in friends, families and the entire burgundy and gold fan base. But the franchise's lack of winning has contributed to a dulling of the matchup. Still, as the game grows near, no matter each team’s record, the senses heighten.
Origin of the rivalry
Texas oil tycoon Clinton Murchison Jr. wanted to bring an NFL team to Dallas in the late 50s. He had a deal done with George Preston Marshall, the then-owner of Washington's team, to purchase the team. With the sale just about done, Marshall changed the terms. Murchison was ticked off and nixed the deal.
At the same time, Marshall’s relationship with Washington’s band director, Barnee Breeskin, had soured. Breeskin had written the music to a fight song, "Hail to the Redskins,” which is still sung today with modified lyrics. Breeskin wanted revenge after the failed negotiations with Marshall and ended up selling the rights to the song to none other than Clint Murchison for $2,500.
When Murchison decided to create his own team, he needed unanimous approval. The only owner against it was Marshall.
However, when Marshall found out that Murchison owned the rights to Washington's fight song, a deal was struck -- if Marshall approved the Dallas franchise, Murchison would return the song. The Cowboys were then founded and began playing in Dallas in 1960.
Most people, however, believe the true essence of the rivalry was born in 1970 when George Allen was hired as head coach in Washington. Allen had a known, unapologetic hatred for the Cowboys. Allen was a high-energy, extra-intense coach who ramped up his mania when it came to the Cowboys.
On the other sideline was Dallas head coach Tom Landry, the man who wore the fedora and never seemed to lose his cool, even with chaos surrounding him.
The rivalry has been filled with tremendous games, from the 1972 NFC championship where Washington dominated – to the shocking Monday Night Football 14-13 win Washington eked out in 2005. Sometimes for either side, no matter how bad their teams were doing, if they beat Dallas/Washington, it was a salvaged season.
There have been several nail-biting last-second victories, and the characters that played/coached in them are still hailed as heroes today, including Billy Kilmer, Ken Houston, Roger Staubach, Drew Pearson, Landry, Joe Gibbs and more.
Currently, Dallas owns the edge in the running tally, 76-48-2. The teams have faced each other 10 times on Thanksgiving over the years, with the Cowboys firmly in the lead with an 8-2 record of turkey day games. The last matchup, though, was a decisive victory for Washington in 2020 with a 41-16 blowout.
Washington is also 2-0 vs Dallas in the postseason. Of course, there will be no post-season for Washington this year. But, and it’s a big but, how much better would the turkey taste if the Commanders could pull off another stunner in the series and go down to Big D and stomp them "boys"?
As anyone who was ever present for a rocking RFK game knows... We want Dallas!