FRISCO, Texas – Thirty-eight seasons later, Roger Staubach still can’t let go of the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII.
The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in the 1970s, but lost to the Steelers twice in the NFL title games, losing Super Bowl X in 1975 as well.
“We had some good teams,” Staubach said. “Our ’75 team, we kind of overachieved but our ’77 team (which beat Denver in the Super Bowl), that was when we had Tony Dorsett and got Tony Hill and Randy White and those guys were all getting there. They were rookies in ’75, but they were veterans, so we really had a good team after we beat the Broncos. So did the Steelers and unfortunately we lost. That 35-31 loss (in Super Bowl XIII) is a tough one, yeah. I guess I’m grateful I was with the Cowboys and not the Saints or somewhere else.”
As the 2016 Cowboys get ready to play the 2016 Steelers on Sunday at Heinz Field, the storied rivalry between the two franchises gets brought up. Two of the Steelers’ greatest players visited Cowboys’ new facility, The Star, in recent weeks. Hall of Famer Joe Greene visited not too long ago, and Terry Bradshaw was at Thursday’s practice.
“The only thing I can say is when we lost to the Steelers, we lost to a really good team,” Staubach said. “We didn’t lose to a bunch of slugs.”
Staubach got his revenge of sorts when the Cowboys beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX in 1995.
“I was with my wife at that game and she told me, ‘I’ve never seen you get up and yell and scream at any game than when we were sitting there,’” Staubach said. “It was a great feeling. I was still a Cowboy.”
Staubach gave Troy Aikman a set of golf clubs as a gift after the win. Aikman bought Staubach a grandfather clock.
Staubach will be watching Sunday’s game closely, too.
“I pull for the Cowboys every week, but I even pull a little harder when it’s against the Steelers,” Staubach said. “There’s still something about the Steelers. But it’s healthy, though. It’s not horrible. I’m grateful for never having a losing season but I wish we would’ve beat the Steelers though.”
