Remembering the first Eagles-Cowboys meeting in 1960

Going into the 1960 NFL season, there were high hopes for the Eagles. But no sooner had the season begun than they were beaten by the Cleveland Browns at Franklin Field and found themselves in an unexpected war against the expansion Dallas Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl. It was the first of what on Sunday night will be the 100th meeting between the teams, the beginning of a rivalry that has crackled with intensity for generations.

Up against a Dallas team that would go winless that year, the Eagles edged the Cowboys, 27-25, in a game that featured eight interceptions and two blocked extra points. It was played on a hot Friday evening before an announced attendance of 18,500. But the crowd on hand was far less than that, according to Gil Brandt, the Cowboys' onetime director of player personnel. Brandt said the game had been held in conjunction with the Texas State Fair, and the hope had been to sell tickets to fans who had come in for the event from across the state. Even the "Buy 1 $5 Ticket, Get 5 Kids in for Free" promotion flopped.

The big stars that night for the Eagles were running back Billy Ray Barnes and defensive back/running back Bobby Freeman.

Barnes rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns - one for 10 yards and one for 23 yards.

And Freeman blocked two extra points.

"The Cowboys were an expansion team, so we just thought we were going to go down there and wipe them out," Barnes said. "We had just taken a whipping by the Browns the week before, and we were in a mood to take it out on somebody. But they caught us by surprise."

The temperature was around 100 degrees during the day, and was still 85 degrees or so by kickoff, according to Brandt. End Pete Retzlaff remembers being surprised that "the playing surface was very rough."

"Grass had grown up over the divots, so it was beautiful until you had to walk out on it," he said. But just as uneven was the play of the two quarterbacks. Both Eagles quarterback Norm Van Brocklin and Cowboys quarterback Eddie LaBaron threw the ball away.

Van Brocklin had three interceptions.

LaBaron had five.

"Good gracious," said Eagles defensive tackle Eddie Khayat. "But we always knew Van Brocklin could win a ballgame for us, the interceptions notwithstanding. With him in there, the offense played better, the defense played better. He was a leader."