Don Meredith

Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith (April 10, 1938 - December 5, 2010) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League who played 9 full seasons in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, and a football commentator and actor.

Meredith played college football at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he started at quarterback for three years, leading the Southwest Conference in passing completion percentage each year and getting selected as an All-American in 1958 and 1959. Meredith was so popular on campus that many at the time jokingly referred to the school as "Southern Meredith University."

The Chicago Bears chose Meredith in the third round of the 1960 NFL Draft, and traded him to a young Cowboys franchise for future draft picks. (Incidentally, the Cowboys' crosstown rivals in the AFL, the Texans, also picked Meredith as a "territorial selection" in their 1960 draft, though Meredith declined to play for them.) Meredith spent two years as a backup to Eddie LeBaron, eventually splitting time in 1962 before he was given the full-time starting job by head coach Tom Landry in 1963. In 1966, Meredith led the Cowboys to the NFL postseason, something he would continue to do until his unexpected retirement before the 1969 season. His two most heartbreaking defeats came in NFL Championship play against the Green Bay Packers, 34-27 in Dallas (1966), and in the famous "Ice Bowl" game, 21-17 in Green Bay (1967).

"Dandy Don", while never leading the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, was always exceptionally popular with Cowboys fans who remember him for his grit and toughness, his outgoing nature, and his leadership during the first winning seasons for the Cowboys. Meredith is also said to be the only player to play his high school (Mount Vernon), college (SMU), and pro (Dallas Cowboys) career in and around the Dallas, TX area. He never played a home game, on any level, outside of North Texas.

During his career, he had a 50.7% completion rate, throwing for 17,199 yards and 135 touchdowns with a lifetime passer rating of 74.8. He was named the NFL Player of the Year in 1966 and was named to the Pro Bowl three times.