Dandy Don is gone!!!!

[YTBulldogs]

Don Meredith passes away at age 72.

[eagles_victory]

Originally posted by YTBulldogs
Don Meredith passes away at age 72. Sad day he was a very good friend to my grandma as they grew up together my family had the upmost respect for Don.

This is insensitive and I hate how my mind works but the first thing I thought when I saw this was "turn out the lights... the party's over.''

[Heffelfinger]

Turn out the lights, the party's over.

[Txbroadcaster]

So very sad..I had the pleasure of meeting him and talking with him once for 3 hours..all he asked was what we discussed not be recorded for an interview( he was very private)...

[OldNavy]

It was a pretty good party. Don't know if he did anything that wasn't done better than most. He and Howard put Monday Night Football on the map. I liked him because he seemed to have a little humility and never came across as being more important than the game.

RIP Dandy Don!

[Phil C]

:(

[Txbroadcaster]

The first in the lines of Him, Danny White and now Romo..fans did not realize their strengths and only worried about theor percieved weaknesses

[Bullaholic]

A good QB and an even better memorable character. Dandy Don was one of those rare people who everybody liked and wanted to be around. One of the local radio stations told this Dandy Don story a lttle while ago:

Several years ago during Don's playing days, the Cowboys charter flight had some bad trouble and lost altitude in a hurry. Many of the Cowboys players were almost crying during this trouble, and the story goes that Dandy Don just sat in his seat, lifted his glass and said--"Boys---It's been a good un'". What a personality...He will be missed....RIP Dandy Don.

[YTBulldogs]

He played at Mt. Vernon High, right? If so, were they any good?

[eagles_victory]

Originally posted by YTBulldogs
He played at Mt. Vernon High, right? If so, were they any good? Yea he did I can't remember if they were good I'll ask my dad he is a Mt. Vernon native.

[Phil C]

Besides being an outstanding football player and announcer he was also in several good movies and was a good actor. One of his best ones which I hope TCM or someone will show again was the 1981 TV movie Terror Among Us where Don plays police Sgt. Tom Stockwell and Don does a good job in this movie was well as the rest of the cast. I haven't seen it in years but it was a good one. Ted Shackleford as the criminal Delbert Ramsey is terrific in this. He isn't the nice Gary in Knot''s Landing. He does a great job as the criminal and even though you hate him for what he does he does bring sympathy to the character with the way that his wife and employer treat him.

[trojandad]

i've always believed the only reason monday night football made it over the years was the start don gave it.....the way he fed howard his lunch completely won the southern audience over to the show......

my favorite was late in the 4th, oakland vs houston and the score was, like, 48 - 0 oakland.........camera zooms in on a single guy sitting up in the large section up high in the dome.......when they get zoomed in the guy shoots the camera the bird.....don, without skipping a beat, says "now theres a guy who STILL believes his team is number 1"........i fell off my top bunk in the dorm........

bless you, mr meredith.......and yes, i remember mr meredith is your dad :( :( :(

[Phil C]

Originally posted by trojandad
i've always believed the only reason monday night football made it over the years was the start don gave it.....the way he fed howard his lunch completely won the southern audience over to the show......

my favorite was late in the 4th, oakland vs houston and the score was, like, 48 - 0 oakland.........camera zooms in on a single guy sitting up in the large section up high in the dome.......when they get zoomed in the guy shoots the camera the bird.....don, without skipping a beat, says "now theres a guy who STILL believes his team is number 1"........i fell off my top bunk in the dorm........

bless you, mr meredith.......and yes, i remember mr meredith is your dad :( :( :(

I remember that one. It was fantastic. He was always great on that and his jabs with Howard Cossell were great. He credited Coach Tom Landry with the quote "You Can't Smile and Think at the Same Time."

[lulu]

What a great influence for the great ones coming up behind him. He was always upstanding as well as outstanding. Rest his sole.
Hope he meets up with LEDad.

[Aesculus gilmus]

My favorite Cowboys quarterback, by far.

He played against Gilmer in football and basketball. My dad, who saw him play Gilmer numerous times in high school, said he was actually even better at basketball.

There'll never be another Dandy Don. The man just oozed class and charisma. All other QBs Dallas has had since seem wooden to me. Fortunately, I don't follow the NFL anymore. I gave that up around the same time Jerry Jones immigrated here from Arkansas. I can still remember the disgust I felt the first time I heard the goober interviewed by the Dallas media.

[trojandad]

Originally posted by Aesculus gilmus
My favorite Cowboys quarterback, by far.

He played against Gilmer in football and basketball. My dad, who saw him play Gilmer numerous times in high school, said he was actually even better at basketball.

There'll never be another Dandy Don. The man just oozed class and charisma. All other QBs Dallas has had since seem wooden to me. Fortunately, I don't follow the NFL anymore. I gave that up around the same time Jerry Jones immigrated here from Arkansas. I can still remember the disgust I felt the first time I heard the goober interviewed by the Dallas media.

when they dismissed tom the way they did, i never watched them again either.......landry took a job selling insurance in the beginning to afford the head coaching job with dallas, so jerry wouldnt have had a team to buy if not for landry's sacrifice in many more ways than on the field......and thanks, bum bright, for getting in financial trouble and selling to jj.....(yea, my wife is an aggie, but bum's sale to jj is the biggest aggie joke of all eternity).......

[Phil C]

In 1956 he was recruited out of Mount Vernon. TCU Coach Abe Martin tried to talk him into coming to TCU and told him "Don't go to SMU where you have to wear coats and ties. Come to TCU where you can wear jeans and t-shirts." Don who may have then had a vision of the swinger he was to become said "I have been wearing jeans and t-shirts all my life. That is what I am going to college to get away from." :)

Unfortunately even though he had great individual statistics at SMU he didn't have team help and I don't think he ever had a winning season at SMU but the style there got him ready for the pros.

Another recruiting story was that then A&M Coach Paul Bryant recruited him and it is said that Don really liked him and would have loved to have played for him but he said "Coach if it was other place in the world but A&M - any other place in the world."
Had they both known that Coach Bryant would be going to Alabama in 2 years Don might have signed on with Bama.

[lbjacj]

I grew up watchin him play in the 'boys early years then listening to him and howard go at it!
I'll never forget the first time I heard this...

"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a merry Christmas!"

R.I.P Dandy Don.:(

[Eagle 1]

Originally posted by Heffelfinger
Turn out the lights, the party's over.

Yep, the same thing I said. :(

[zebrablue2]

As sad day indeed!! Loved that guy!!!

[bobcat1]

Originally posted by Aesculus gilmus
My favorite Cowboys quarterback, by far. There'll never be another Dandy Don. The man just oozed class and charisma. :iagree: I loved Monday Night Football when he and Cosell were doing it. He was a great entertainer. Rest in Peace Don Meredith #17.:(

[upper20]

He was great on MNF - kept you around even when the game was in hand just to hear what he might say to Howard.

[gobblerfan34]

he was one of the many reasons i became a cowboy fan

Dandy Don was one of my childhood heroes

my sympathy to his family

[Heffelfinger]

Great early memories for me of Don Meredith. He was the first QB I was aware of, for my first pro team. I learned about and fell in love with football from those Dallas Cowboys.

[unclebeebeep]

R.I.P.

[LH Panther Mom]

:(

[LIONS#1]

LOved that guy!!