THE RIVALRY

Yankees v. Sox

Bulls v. Knicks

Manchester United v. Manchester City

Buckeyes v. Wolverines


Some of sports greatest rivalries. Outside of the obvious theme of Cowboys and Indians you ever wondered why these two teams hate each other? Well read here:

Prior to the formation of the Dallas Cowboys, there was not an NFL team south of Washington DC. Oilman Clint Murchison Jr had been trying to get an NFL expansion team in Dallas but George Preston Marshall owner of the Washington Redskins had a monopoly in the south.

Murchison had tried to purchase the Washington Redskins from Marshall in 1958. An agreement was struck, but as the deal was about to be finalized, Marshall called for a change in terms. This infuriated Murchison and he called off the deal. Marshall then opposed any franchise for Murchison in Dallas. Since NFL expansion needed unanimous approval from team owners at that time, Marshall's position would prevent Murchison from joining the league.

Marshall had a falling out with the Redskins band leader Barnee Breeskin. Breeskin had written the music to the Redskins fight song "Hail to the Redskins" and Marshall’s wife had penned the lyrics. Breeskin owned the rights to the song and was aware of Murchison’s plight to get an NFL franchise. Angry with Marshall, Breeskin approached Murchison’s attorney to sell him the rights to the song before the expansion vote in 1959. Murchison purchased "Hail to the Redskins" for $2,500. Before the vote to award franchises in 1959, Murchison revealed to Marshall that he owned the song and Marshall could not play it during games. After a few Marshall expletives, Murchison gave the rights to "Hail to the Redskins" to Marshall for his vote, the lone one against Murchison getting a franchise at that time, and a rivalry was born.

In December 1961, an unknown number of Cowboys fans sneaked into D. C. Stadium, armed with bags of chicken feed. When Alaskan snow dogs were to drag Santa Claus onto the field during the halftime show, the pranksters would unleash dozens of hungry chickens onto the field - 75 white, one black. The significance of the black chicken was to symbolize how Marshall was the only owner in the league who would not recruit an African-American football player; Marshall stating, "We'll start signing Negroes when the Harlem Globetrotters start signing whites."

In 1972 the Washington Redskins were 11-1 and had clinched the NFC East title. It was the first time since the NFL went to a divisional format in 1967 that the Cowboys had not won their division.


NFC Championship Game against the Cowboys who entered the playoffs as a wild-card entry. The Cowboys, who had been runner-up to the Redskins in the regular season defeated the NFC West champions, the San Francisco 49ers. However Washington would win this battle and then lose to the most famous team in history, the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins.

Jan. 22, 1983, NFC Championship Game at RFK Stadium, the Redskins defeated the Cowboys to earn a trip to Super Bowl XVII. The game is best remembered because prior to the game the stadium physically shook as a capacity crowd of 54,000 chanted "We Want Dallas!"



On December 11, 1988, the Cowboys upset the reigning Super Bowl champion Redskins at RFK stadium, 24-17, ending any shot the Redskins had of making the playoffs. This game would prove to be the final victory for legendary Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry.

The Cowboys lone victory of their woeful 1-15 season in 1989 would come on November 5 against the Redskins at RFK Stadium, 13–3. Ultimately this loss coupled with a last second loss to the Philadelphia Eagles where Gerald Riggs fumbled the football at the Eagles' goal line with less than a minute remaining in the game prevented the 10–6 Redskins from making the playoffs for the second straight year.

On December 22, 1996, the Redskins defeated the Cowboys 37–10 in the final game played at RFK Stadium, the Redskins home for the last 36 years.

In the first game of the 1999 season, the Redskins opened a 35–14 lead. Then Dallas scored three touchdowns during the final 11 minutes of regulation time. This game took place during the middle of a 10 game win streak in the series by the Cowboys, the longest by either team during the tenure of this rivalry.

December 10, 2000
Troy Aikman ends his 12-year Hall of Fame career enduring a brain-rattling sack courtesy of LaVar Arrington.

In the 2002 regular season finale, Washington finally ended an 11-game losing streak to the Cowboys, defeating them 20-14.

On November 18, 2007, the Cowboys beat the Redskins 28–23 with Terrell Owens gaining 173 yards on eight catches and four touchdowns. In the final game of that same season with the Cowboys already owning the NFC #1 seed, rested several key players due to injury including Owens, and limited Tony Romo to only one series into the second half in order to prevent possible injury before the playoffs. The Redskins held Marion Barber to -1 rushing yards and the Cowboys to a collective one yard rushing , while defeating the Cowboys 27–6 at FedEx Field, earning Washington the NFC's final playoff spot. Also my FIRST trip to Dallas.

December 27, 2009, the Cowboys shutout the Redskins 17-0. This marked the third time the Cowboys have blanked the Redskins. Washington has never shutout Dallas. 2009 would also be the 15th time the Cowboys have swept the two-game regular season series. Washington has swept the Cowboys only four times.

The Cowboys and Redskins have met 15 times on Monday Night Football, second only to the Raiders & Broncos (matched up 17 times as of September 27, 2011 season); The teams met last in 2011. The series has been played eight times at Washington's home field (five times at RFK Stadium and three times at FedEx Field) and seven times at Dallas' home field (six at Texas Stadium and one at Cowboys Stadium). The Cowboys hold a 8-7 (no ties) lead in this rivalry on Monday Night Football.


All time series has the Cowboys with 62 wins and only 40 losses and 2 tie games..





THE RIVALRY THE RIVALRY Reviewed by Mr. DCStands4 on 1:14:00 PM Rating: 5

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