Sandwiched between two giants of Dallas Cowboys quarterbacking lore–Don Meredith, who abruptly retired at age 30 in the midst of three straight Pro Bowl selections, and Hall of Famer Roger Staubach–it’s easy to overlook the contributions of Craig Morton, the quarterback who led Dallas to its first-ever Super Bowl in 1970. That went down as a 16-13 loss to the Colts in which Morton, after going 8-3 as the starter that season, threw for just 127 yards and registered three interceptions against an imposing Baltimore defense.
Morton went on to make NFL history, after he was nudged out of town amid Staubach’s rise. That’s because he eventually caught on with the Broncos and, seven years after he took the Cowboys to the Big Game, he took Denver there, too, at age 34, facing the Cowboys of all teams. Morton could not muster up enough to push his surprise Broncos team to a win and some sweet revenge, though, as the Cowboys won, 27-10.
Still, in doing so, Morton went down in NFL history as the first quarterback to take two different teams to a Super Bowl. Only three quarterbacks have repeated that feat: Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Craig Morton Death Announced
On Monday, the NFL announced that Morton had died: “Craig Morton, the first quarterback to start Super Bowls for two separate teams, died Saturday at the age of 83, the Denver Broncos announced after Morton’s family confirmed the news.”
The Cowboys added their own message, posting on Twitter/X, “We are saddened to learn of Craig’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Cowboys 1st-Round Pick in 1965
Morton was originally a first-round pick for the NFL’s Cowboys in 1965, when he was also a first-rounder for the AFL’s Oakland Raiders, back when the two leagues were at the crescendo of their pre-merger war. Despite concerns about persistent knee injuries that hampered his career at Cal, the Cowboys shelled out a significant $150,000 bonus for Morton after an impressive performance in leading the West to an 11-7 win in the East-West Shrine Game.
Morton threw a touchdown pass with less than two minutes to play, beating the East, which was led by Navy quarterback Roger Staubach.
That game would prove to be a foreshadow, because both Morton and Staubach would wind up on the Cowboys together. Staubach was a collegiate star, and was drafted by the Cowboys in 1964, but not until the 10th round because of concerns about his commitment to the Navy during wartime. Indeed, Staubach did not join the Cowboys until he was 27 years old, in 1969.
Craig Morton Battled Roger Staubach for Cowboys Starting Job
By then, Morton had secured the Cowboys’ starting job following the surprise retirement of Meredith, who wanted out of the pressure cooker that quarterbacking the Cowboys had proven to be. Morton handled the job well, but struggled with injuries, leaving Staubach an opening for playing time, and he proved worthy, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 1971. Coach Tom Landry struggled to pick a starter, and wound up making the controversial decision to keep both QBs and alternate them.
That was not sustainable, of course, and in 1974, the Cowboys stuck with Staubach and finally traded Morton to the Giants. Unfortunately for Morton, the pick they got from New York was used to select Hall of Fame defensive end Randy White, who terrorized Morton in that 1977 Super Bowl.
Craig Morton Did Not ‘Hang Around Feeling Bad’ About NFL Career
Still, his stint with Denver in 1977 was validation for Morton, and he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award that season. In all, he played 10 years with the Cowboys, three years with the Giants and six year with the Broncos, finishing with an 81-62 record as a starter and 27,908 yards passing.
He did not win the Super Bowl for either the Cowboys or the Broncos, but Morton did start 10 playoff games, with a 5-5 record, and ended up with a fine career.
As Morton said back in 2014, “I wish it could’ve been better. But over an 18-year span, there were a lot of great things that happened – put yourself in all the playoff games I was in and the Super Bowls, and I was on a world championship team. I think about some of the bad things that happened, but how do you feel bad when you have that kind of career? I’m not hanging around the house feeling bad about any part of it.”
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