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Quiz about 1972 Playoffs Cowboys 30 49ers 28

1972 Playoffs: Cowboys 30, 49ers 28 Quiz

The Dallas Cowboys pulled off some of the more memorable comeback wins in NFL history. This 1972 divisional playoff game is where it all started.

A multiple-choice quiz by d2407. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
d2407

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
199,816

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
596

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This was the Cowboys' seventh consecutive season making the NFL playoffs, a new record at the time. The 49ers were appearing for the third year in a row. How were they eliminated from the playoffs those two previous seasons? Hint

Lost to the Vikings in 1970 and the Cowboys in 1971

Lost to the Cowboys both years

Lost to the Cowboys in 1970 and the Vikings in 1971

Lost to the Cowboys in 1970 and the Redskins in 1971

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Question 2 of 10

2. Both teams had ample talent in their lineups. Many of the 1972 Cowboys went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the 1972 49ers listed below, who was the first one elected to the Hall? Hint

Gene Washington

John Brodie

Ken Willard

Jimmy Johnson

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Question 3 of 10

3. The Cowboys had two players on their roster who later took teams to the Super Bowl as head coach. Who were they? Hint

Bill Callahan & Sam Wyche

Bill Cowher & Forrest Gregg

Mike Ditka & Dan Reeves

Jeff Fischer & Mike Shanahan

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Question 4 of 10

4. Who were the starting quarterbacks for the two teams in this 1972 game? Hint

Roger Staubach & Steve Spurrier

Craig Morton & Steve Spurrier

Craig Morton & John Brodie

Roger Staubach & John Brodie

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Question 5 of 10

5. Who was the coach of the 49ers in 1972? Hint

Jack Christiansen

Monte Clark

Dick Nolan

Bill Walsh

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Question 6 of 10

6. What was the widest margin by which the Cowboys trailed in this game before beginning their comeback? Hint

28-16

28-13

21-3

28-7

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. San Francisco running back Larry Schreiber accounted for three of the 49ers' four touchdowns, each on a one-yard run. How did they score their other touchdown? Hint

Vic Washington caught a 17-yard pass from John Brodie

Vic Washington ran the opening kickoff back 97 yards

Gene Washington caught a 17-yard pass from John Brodie

Gene Washington caught a 17-yard option pass from Vic Washington

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. After the Cowboys scored to come within 28-23, what happened on the ensuing onside kick? Hint

The 49ers fumbled the kickoff

Both of these

The Cowboys faked kicking left, then kicked right

Neither of these

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Question 9 of 10

9. Who scored the Cowboys' winning touchdown? Hint

Calvin Hill

Lance Alworth

Walt Garrison

Ron Sellers

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Question 10 of 10

10. What other event, perhaps more notable than this game, had occurred earlier that day? Hint

Former US President Harry Truman passed away

Baseball legend Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders on the famous "Immaculate Reception"

Apollo 17, the final US lunar mission, landed on the moon

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Lost to the Cowboys both years

The 49ers lost to the Cowboys in the NFC championship both years. In the 1970 playoffs, they beat the Vikings 17-14 and lost the championship 17-10 to Dallas. The following year, they beat the Redskins 24-20 before again being eliminated by the Cowboys, 14-3.

2. Both teams had ample talent in their lineups. Many of the 1972 Cowboys went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the 1972 49ers listed below, who was the first one elected to the Hall?

Answer: Jimmy Johnson

Defensive back Johnson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994, joined in 2000 by linebacker Dave Wilcox. They were the first two members of the 1972 team to make it into the Hall.

3. The Cowboys had two players on their roster who later took teams to the Super Bowl as head coach. Who were they?

Answer: Mike Ditka & Dan Reeves

Ditka led the 1985 Bears to their win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl that season. Reeves was the losing coach in Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV, as his Broncos lost to the Giants, Redskins, and 49ers. In Super Bowl XXXIII, his Falcons lost to Mike Shanahan's Broncos.

4. Who were the starting quarterbacks for the two teams in this 1972 game?

Answer: Craig Morton & John Brodie

Although Craig Morton managed a second quarter touchdown pass, he was ineffective, and Landry replaced him with Staubach in the third quarter. Both Staubach and Brodie had difficult seasons in 1972. Staubach was injured in training camp and only played briefly during the season, ceding most of the action to Morton. San Francisco's Brodie also was injured during the season, and Steve Spurrier played most of the 49ers' games, including a 31-10 thrashing of the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

5. Who was the coach of the 49ers in 1972?

Answer: Dick Nolan

Nolan briefly helped improve the 49ers from the mediocrity of coach Jack Christiansen's teams of the mid-1960s, taking them to the playoffs in 1970-72. The Cowboys' coach in the game was a man named Tom Landry, still remembered by a few fans today.

6. What was the widest margin by which the Cowboys trailed in this game before beginning their comeback?

Answer: 21-3

The 49ers had built their lead to 21-3 in the second quarter, before the Cowboys made it 21-13 at halftime with a field goal, and a Craig Morton touchdown pass to Lance Alworth.

7. San Francisco running back Larry Schreiber accounted for three of the 49ers' four touchdowns, each on a one-yard run. How did they score their other touchdown?

Answer: Vic Washington ran the opening kickoff back 97 yards

Difficult question, unless you remember the opening kickoff being run back. It was the first time it had happened in an NFL playoff game.

8. After the Cowboys scored to come within 28-23, what happened on the ensuing onside kick?

Answer: Both of these

The 49ers' Preston Riley failed to get a good grip on the ball. It popped loose when he was hit and the Cowboys' Mel Renfro recovered. Kicker Toni Fritsch's tricky maneuver was a factor as well. He made it look like he'd be kicking the ball to his left, then at the last minute swung his kicking foot the other way and kicked it right. "They didn't know from which way come the ball", said the Austrian-born Fritsch after the game.

9. Who scored the Cowboys' winning touchdown?

Answer: Ron Sellers

Staubach's 10-yard pass to Sellers capped the incredible comeback of 17 unanswered points in the final period, and 14 in the final two minutes. SF quarterback John Brodie brought the 49ers back, but a holding penalty negated a gain that would have put them in range to win the game with a field goal.

The composed Cowboys, who rarely showed emotion on the field, dropped their masks for a moment, as Tom Landry laughed and jumped for joy, and several of the players turned cartwheels in celebration.

10. What other event, perhaps more notable than this game, had occurred earlier that day?

Answer: The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders on the famous "Immaculate Reception"

This NFC contest was the late playoff game that day. It started less than an hour after the AFC game, in which Franco Harris' miraculous and improbable touchdown lifted the Steelers over the Raiders. The Cowboys' comeback over the 49ers was easily one of the most exciting games in history!

Source: Author d2407

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