Video and Plain Dealer game story from Dec. 21, 1968. Also, video of 1967 playoff game, when star QB Meredith and the Cowboys routed Browns.
Quarterback Don Meredith in 1967, his eighth of nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.Cleveland, Ohio -- Don Meredith, who died at age 72 on Sunday night, played his last meaningful NFL game at old Cleveland Stadium against the Browns on Dec. 21, 1968.
The playoff game matched the favored Capital Division champion Cowboys (12-2 in the regular season) against the Century Division champion Browns (10-4).
It turned out to be a disaster for Meredith. An early pass was intercepted by Browns safety Mike Howell, setting up a 38-yard Don Cockroft field goal.
Cleveland linebacker Dale Lindsey picked off an errant Meredith toss early in the third quarter and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, putting the Browns ahead, 17-10.
Moments later, Meredith was intercepted by Browns cornerback Ben Davis, leading to Leroy Kelly's 35-yard touchdown sprint and a 24-10 Browns lead. Cowboys coach Tom Landry then replaced Meredith with backup Craig Morton. Meredith finished 3 of 9 for 42 yards and the three INTs.
The Browns went on to win, 31-20. They lost at home to the Baltimore Colts, 34-0, in the NFL championship game on Dec. 29. Baltimore was then the victim of Joe Namath's famous guarantee of a New York Jets' Super Bowl win over the Colts. Namath and the Jets delivered, upsetting the Colts, 16-7.
Video highlights of the Browns-Cowboys game follow and, from The Plain Dealer's Browns History Database, reporter Chuck Heaton's game story.
For Meredith and the Cowboys, the loss to the Browns was especially bitter. Dallas had lost heartbreakers to the Green Bay Packers in the 1966 and 1967 NFL title games. The Packers' wins put them in the first two Super Bowls, which they won over the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, resepctively.
Meredith, although only 30, was often hobbled by injury, and he retired soon after playing in his third Pro Bowl game. He went on to greater fame than he had enjoyed as an All-American at Southern Methodist University or as a Cowboy, when he became an original member of the Monday Night Football announcing crew in 1970.
If you look at Meredith's playing career on Pro-Football-Reference.com, ignore his rather pedestrian "quarterback rating." That statistic favors quarterbacks whose careers have been played since the West Coast Offense and other safety-first passing systems became popular.
The "quarterback rating" doesn't do justice to Meredith -- who was the NFL's Player of the Year in 1966 -- or to contemporaries of his such as the Browns' Frank Ryan, QBs who actually challenged defenses by throwing the football downfield.
Video: From the Browns 1968 highlight film, via YouTube.com, highlights of the Browns' 31-20 playoff win over Don Meredith and the Cowboys (following highlights of Browns wins over the Eagles, 47-13, the Giants, 45-10, and the Redskins, 24-21).
(VIDEO of 1967 BROWNS-COWBOYS follows Chuck Heaton's 1968 Browns-Cowboys game story)
Plain Dealer reporter Chuck Heaton's story on the Browns-Cowboys playoff game, which was Don Meredith's final NFL game, not counting his 1968-season Pro Bowl appearance:
Browns 31, Dallas Cowboys 20
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
December 21, 1968
By Chuck Heaton
Plain Dealer Reporter
Thanks to an inspired defensive performance, the Browns today are proud and very worthy champions of the National Football League's Eastern Conference.
They earned a spot in next Sunday's title battle - also to be played at the Stadium - by upsetting the favored Dallas Cowboys, 31-20, before a roaring throng of 81,497 yesterday.
The defense received a standing ovation from the huge crowd time after time as it came off the field after halting the Texas club which had led the NFL in scoring.
AND IT WAS a mad scene in the finals seconds of the game as Dallas move to a meaningless score. Thousands swarmed toward the bench to be closer to their heroes in the brown and white uniforms.
The Browns' opposition in the NFL title battle will be determined today when the Minnesota Vikings play the Baltimore Colts with the Western Conference championship at stake. Cleveland defeated the Colts earlier this season but didn't meet the Vikings.
It's the first time in the NFL title game since 1965 for Cleveland and the third since Blanton Collier took the helm in 1963. And now the Super Bowl had been added as the grand prize at the end of the trail with the NFL winner meeting the American Football League champion Jan. 12 in Miami.
MUCH CREDIT for the victory must go to Collier and his staff who had the team so well prepared mentally and physically. Howard Brinker is the mastermind of the defensive unit, aided and abetted by Dick Modzelewski and Ed Ulinski.
The defense came through with four interceptions. The steals were made by Mike Howell, Dale Lindsey, Ben Davis and Erich Barnes.
Those grabs by Howell Lindsey and Davis resulted in scores. Barnes made his theft in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys were driving and still in contention. It turned things about and the Browns moved to the two-yard dash around end by Ernie Green, the final touchdown that put the game completely out of reach of the Blue-shirted Capitol Division rulers.
THERE WERE A number of key plays in the very exciting duel in which the Browns ended a string of four straight losses to the Cowboys. Only a year back they took a 52-14 thumping in the similar playoff in the Cotton Bowl.
First of the big ones came for Cleveland late in the second quarter. Dallas had a 10-3 lead and the Browns couldn't seem to get their attack going.
The Browns moved from their 15 to the Dallas 45 with just over a minute left. Bill Nelsen, under extreme pressure, managed to get his pass off to Leroy Kelly, all lone about the 15. Nobody came close to touching the halfback as he moved into the end zone.
DON COCKROFT, who started Cleveland scoring with a 38-yard field goal, was wide with his extra point try. He connected the second time after Dallas was called for an infraction and it was a tie game at the half.
The thefts that put the Browns two touchdowns ahead and sent Don Meredith, second leading passer in the NFL, to the sidelines for the remainder of the game, came right after the intermission.
Dallas received the second half kickoff and Meredith started from his own 30 yard line. He threw on first down and Lindsey, the right side linebacker, stepped in front of the pigskin.
Dale juggled the ball for a second or two and then started toward the goal line. That brief hesitation gave the blockers time to form and he had an escort to the end zone.
THREE PLAYS after the next kickoff, Meredith, a 30-year old veteran, again went to the air on third down. The throw was intended for swift Lance Rentzel, but Davis, second year cornerback from Defiance College, grabbed the football and returned three yards to the Dallas 36.
Kelly, who finished with 87 yards on 20 carries, made one yard off tackle. Then Nelsen called the sweep which had not been working at all.
Leroy, the NFL's leading rusher, broke a tackle to get around end. As he headed downfield the blocking formed but it was center Fred Hoaglin who put the key squeeze on Dick Daniels the free safety.
SO WITH ONLY 2:31 elapsed, the Browns had a 14-point bulge. Dallas was out of it but Tom Landry admitted it wasn't a field particularly suited to catch-up football.
That finished the third period scoring except for a 47-yard field goal by the Cowboys' Mike Clark, who missed from the 37 and the 22 earlier.
That ended the third quarter scoring but the Cowboys, an explosive team, were only 11 points behind. They also were moving goalward earlier in the last period with backup passer Craig Morton at quarterback.
They traveled to a third-and-eight situation at the Cleveland 30. Morton, a roll-out thrower for the most part, tired to hit Rentzel. Barnes came up fast to make the steal.
SO CLEVELAND had a first down on its own 23. Nelsen clicked to Warfield in a third-down situation to get the club moving but the big maneuver came three plays later.
It was third and one at midfield when Nelsen made like Bart Starr. He faked Kelly into the line and then dropped back and passed to Warfield; who had beaten Mel Renfro, the cornerback.
The gain was good for 39 yards to the Dallas 11. It took the last of the starch out of the visitors.
Three plays late, Green, who has replaced Charley Harraway at fullback romped around his right end for two yards and the score as the Dallas line converged on Kelly.
IT WAS ALL OVER then although the Cowboys did get a late second score on a two-yard pass from Morton to Walt Garrison.
The Cowboys' other touchdown came in the first quarter when linebacker Chuck Howley hit Nelsen, causing a fumble, Howley recovered the ball and went 44 yards for a touchdown. That put Dallas ahead after Cleveland had put the first points on the board with Cockroft's 18-yard field goal.
Nelsen who wound up with 13 completions in 25 throws for 203 yards had a somewhat typical day. He had problems part of the time but managed to come through with many big third down efforts. He had one pass intercepted.
THE COWBOYS kept Cleveland pretty well bottled up on the ground. The Browns wound up with only 102 net yards. The soggy field probably hindered both attacks.
Meredith the target of boos in Dallas over the years and even this season hit only three of nine before departing. And of Dandy Don, who must be feeling mighty low today, and Morton his successor, wound up with a total of 12 for 32 and 205 yards.
Five receivers made catches for the Browns with Morin and Warfield taking four apiece. Collins, making his first start since being sidelined with a shoulder separation, caught two and both were very important.
NEITHER TEAM was able to establish ball control in this battle of the defenses. The Cowboys has a 63-57 edge in offensive plays but some of the edge was mounted in the last few minutes when the decision already had been made.
The Browns rousing victory was comparable to the 1964 upset of Baltimore in the NFL title game. It was more impressive than the victory over the Colts earlier this season in that the Browns performed better and were playing a more finely tuned team.
And now only two victories lie between the Browns and coronation as world champions. There is considerable money involved, too.
Chuck Heaton was in Dallas for The Plain Dealer on Dec. 24, 1967, when Meredith and the Cowboys rolled to a 52-14 playoff game win over the Browns, as Heaton reported in his game story, and as featured in the following video.
Video: From the Browns' 1967 highlight film, via YouTube.com, highlights of Meredith and the Cowboys' 52-14 win over the Browns, following highlights of Browns' wins over the Giants, 24-14, and Cardinals, 20-16.