Summerall & Brookshier - a football-broadcasting match made in heaven! Always an asset to any CBS telecast.

I love watching these old games. I saw this game on television as a 16 year-old kid. I never could have imagined back then that I'd be watching it again, almost 45 years later. Thanks for posting it. The game, and the way it's telecasted, have both certainly changed at lot. What a defense the Cowboys had back then! Harvey Martin, Ed Jones, Randy White, Thomas Henderson, Bob Breunig, D. D. Lewis... They really could dominate the line of scrimmage. Their defense is the reason they won the championship this year, and the reason they made it to the Super Bowl the next. It's been said Robert Newhouse had the largest thighs in the NFL. I saw him in person when I went to a Rams-Cowboys game at the Los Angeles Coliseum. I couldn't believe how big they were. Dorsett's first year. He really could hit that line at top speed, couldn't he? Hard to believe some scouts felt his small size would be a liability and affect his durability. He finished his career with 12,739 yards. Only nine other players have rushed for more than that. Loved that reference to the Cowboys Cheerleaders poster. Like a lot of fans back then, I had that poster on my bedroom wall.

I remember this game. The day after Christmas 1977. Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier andPaul Hornug RIP! They were great.

I watched this game back in high school days. Back when the NFL used to get out of the way for Christmas Day and the College Bowls on New Year's Day. Watching a game without constant replays, reviews, scrolling scores, etc. reminds me how much better the broadcasts used to be. And they'd be throwing flags for personal fouls on every play these days. Man I miss those good old days.

In my humble opinion, Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier were the best ever pro football commentator team. They worked together from 1975 through 1980. That’s five years and six seasons. Curt Gowdy and Charlie Jones were a close number two. And Howard Costell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith were / are a respectable third. While I always liked John Madden I always preferred Tom Brookshier. The guys that came along in the 1980s,1990s and this century just do not compare to the old timers that are no longer with us. But at least they are immortalized on video tape. Pro football fans under 55 have no idea what they missed out on. Both the sports commentators and the music were much better in the 1970s. LOL !!!

Even though my beloved Bears got destroyed, I enjoyed every glorious minute of watching the Bears play on Christmas break for the first time in my life!...[I don't count the '63 Bears, I was only 5 months old]

Thanks for showing this game on KZfaq awesome memories ,got to meet the great Harvey Martin at his signing back in the 90's and got the chance to congratulate him on being co MVP in Superbowl XII, he seemed to enjoyed talking about that . RIP Big Man 😢.

The 77 version of cowboys is my favorite

Thanks so much. I'm building a 60+ year Bears collection and this will help.

So weird to not see any "Fox Box" with the current score and time remaining in the quarter, etc. No yellow line to show where the first down was either! NFL in her heyday. I began watching in 1974 as a 7 year old and being so enamored with it. We had our first color TV that year and seeing the Vikings & Rams playing, the colorful helmets and uniforms had me hooked instantly. I sorely miss these times but am grateful for the memories both in my head and reliving them here on youtube. Much thanks!

Gary Fencik is the one notable player on defense in this game as he also was on the '85 team that won it all.

The Bears didn't even belong on the field with the Cowboys that day Charlie Waters was a beast in this game

Love how Brookshire keeps calling Summerall Patrick.

I watched this game and I loved it. The next week, Minnesota asked whether snow could be dumped into Texas Stadium. Snow or not, the Cowboys beat the Vikings, too (23-6).

Pat and John were legendary together but Tom Brookshire wasn't bad either...

The production had improved considerably since the late 60’s.

Always fun to see Ditka next to Landry on the Dallas sideline.

Game has changed so much.

I was there. Charlie Waters had three pickoffs.

Late in the 3rd quarter, Brookshier made a comment that the Bears "were a young team" and that next year they would play "much much better." Whoops. That didn't hold true. The Bears would only finish 7-9 the following year, fourth in their division.

God rest Tom and Pat

The Cowboys whipped the Bears' butts in this one.

My nostalgia meter just blew up

Roger Staubach and the Doomsday Defense vs Joe Montana and the 49ers with Jerry Rice and Roger Craig gives me chills. Cowboys -2 1/2 the O/U 46. Played in the Rose Bowl. 107,000 plus. Largest crowd for a football game in California. It is muddy and the weather forecast is partly cloudy, 56 F. Tom Landry vs Bill Walsh.

Great game thanks

Jack Pardees last game as Bear coach. On his way to coach the Redskins

Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen were Head and shoulders above all the rest. Enberg was exciting to listen to, for example He's all the way to the 5-yard line!!!!! If Pat Summerall even attempted to say those words it would sound like he just woke up out of bed.

Golden Richards was one of the best athletes I ever saw personally. I was proud to see him succeed in the NFL.

Very rare video, in my opinion. Pre-1978 ...and not MNF. Thank you.

Saw Drew Pearson in an interview making fun of Bob Avellini, so I searched for this game. Thanks for the upload.

Back when it did not matter how big your black and white TV was to be mesmerized by the game...and you did not have to sell a kidney for a Ticket...Old School Sundays and Monday Nights

Texas Stadium and AT&T stadium always had half shade and sun in the stadium mainly with the early and late games.

Rest well Tom and Pat!

Walter Payton is the reason the Bears made the playoffs and my 9 and 5 Redskins didnt in George Allen's final year as coach. 😕

I remember watching this game when I was 11 years old. I think the Bears dramatic win the previous week (12 to 9 against the Giants in OT) could have contributed to the lopsided score. The Bears came within seconds of not making the playoffs. The game at the Meadowlands was so emotional that it could taken the sails ouf of the Bears. The Bears game against the Giants was a playoff game for Chicago before this game. Had the Bears not win against the game, the Redskins would have earned the wild card and played the Rams while the Vikings would have played Dallas in the divisional round. Dallas looked like a team of dynasty in 1977 irregardless. Had the Raiders made the Super Bowl in lieu of Denver, we prorbably would have seen a more entertaining game.

Sweetness couldn't even run against Doomsday Defense Jr.

Class, these guys are all class. Nothing Doing!

18:12 Mike Ditka' was an assistant coach with the Cowboys during this game. I'm sure he was torn watching the team he's with take apart the team who drafted him. I'm sure he was already dreaming in his head that he would come back to the Bears and bring back the glory days. He wrote a letter to George Halas saying that he wasn't ready, but he hope that coach Halas would consider him to be the Bears head coach someday and make up for his disgruntled feelings leaving the Bears back in the late 1960's.

Bob Avelleni got the Bears into the playoffs?!?! Maybe … just a guess here … it was Walter Payton. Back when RBs mattered.

Walter Payton carried that team literally by himself on offense. He deserved that NFL MVP. Still you need a QB to throw especially in the playoffs. The Bears didn't have one. All Dallas did was focus on Payton and the Bears had no shot.

Cowboys were superior in the 70's and 90's, these days they need to get back that swagger.

It was said in the begining or tge game TV at Harvey Martin had 23 sacks in 77. Sacks weren't an official stat until 81

The Bears were so over their head in this game. The final score proved it.

Tom Landry believed in running by committee. This team's committee consisted of Tony Dorsett, Preston Pearson, Robert Newhouse, Doug Denison, and Scott Laidlaw. In 1971, the RB group was Duane Thomas, Calvin Hill, Walt Garrison, and Dan Reeves. Landry's approach was probably good for the team, but statistically it hurt the individual running backs. One can only wonder how many more yards Tony Dorsett and Duana Thomas would have gained if they were the Cowboys' only feature back.

3 take aways from the game, 1. Probably the most physical game the Cowboys ever played on offense and defense. 2. Robert Newhouse, the human wrecking ball. Running downhill and punishing the defense. 3. Bob Avellini, what was this guy doing in the NFL and WHY did the Bears coach leave him in the whole game ??

Doomsday Defense: Jones, Martin, White, Harris, Waters, and last but not least the best linebacker in the NFL in ‘77 & ‘78 Hollywood Henderson!!!!

Plank and Fencik are like 2 twin protons feeding off each others detonations

I was 15 at that time and remember thinking it was odd seeing the Bears in the playoffs. They were bad for so long.

CBS flipped the names around! 0:39

Love the “Star Wars” intro theme.

1977 Dallas Cowboys greatest team in franchise history imo.

God, I don't remember the bears getting into the playoffs in the seventies

took us to the Playboy club last night," Well their weren't many places open"....................................

6:30 Harvey Martin had 23 sacks ?!?!?

RIP Bob Avellini.

I love Dorsett. Beautiful runner. But, he was a fumble machine.

15:30 Pretty much the Bears' only shot at staying close ended right here. Their D had just forced Dallas to turn the ball over on both of their first two possessions, then got Rather running free for a sure TD if Avellini hadn't overthrown him. When you're a decided underdog, you have to exploit turnovers when the other team gives them. Similar story would happen in the Super Bowl that year: Dallas fumbled 5 times in the first half, but would only lose one of them (while forcing two Denver fumbles and recovering both).

Bears an example of how bad the NFC was beneath Dallas/Minn/LA.

Sooooo many inside jokes these 2 guys were making non stop I didnt get at 12

It's weird seeing Mike Ditka on the Dallas sideline next to Landry, helping beat the Bears.

Bears first postseason in the NFL merger

Bully beat down. bears never had a chance

I think it was "BuPHONE" Pat, not "BuFFOON"..

I dig the disco Star Wars. CBS should use it now.

Theme from “Dallas”

I remember this game..it was Christmas break eight grade....it was boring because everyone knew the bears had no chance...

I’ve never realized how much Dorsett fumbled until I started watching these old games. It seems like he fumbles once a game.

The Broncos NO DOUBT deserved to be in SB 12 but wouldn't have the Cowboys vs Raiders been a more classic matchup??? Idk...just my op...

These 2 were doing nfl highlights in the early 70s

The Cowboys lost Mel Renfro and Bill Gregory on defense to retirement and Ralph Neely on offense to retirement going into the '78 season but still remained a dominant force on both sides of the ball.

The Bears had no chance against that Cowboys team! The Bears were lucky to make the playoffs anyway… Walter Payton had probably the greatest season of any player in history. He carried that team! Cowboys were too much!

too freaking funny// WAY TO GO CBS Sports graphics department!! check out the names under the wrong dudes in the very beginning..... i probably didn't even notice that when i was 17 years old watching the damn game!!

I wonder why Fencik didn't run with the ball on that fumble recovery? He wasn't touched by a Dallas player.

@18:08 nice shot of Iron Mike, possibly dreaming about his future job? Also, Bears had all the momentum in first quarter, but QB blows a wide open WR for a TD. you have to make them pay on the road in these types of playoff games.

Commentators: Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshier

Charlie waters had a brilliant day

1:29 They didn't retire Butkus' number 51 until 1994. In the meantime, I wouldn't have taken that number for anything!

it's interested that the bears used sweetness to return kicks. maybe the bears should have used him in a music city miracle play where someone else catches the kick and then throws the ball to an open sweetness

Just shows u how great that Cowboys 77 team was...the Broncos beat the Raiders and the Steelers and should've been more finely tuned than the cakewalk the Boys had against the Bears and Vikes. I'll never forget when Cam Newton and the Panthers went 15-1 and were destroyed by the Broncos ...that was mostly ( not all ) b cuz the Panthers had one if not the easiest schedule in the NFL. THE SB has alot to do simply how a team plays that particular day.... obviously

Not sure why the Bears punt and not go for it in the last minute. You know the Cowboys are just going to run out the clock.

1:52:22 Paul Hornung commentation. 2:02:50

Bob Avellini? LOL.

0:39 Interesting Tom looks different than what I remembered.

Bob Avellini turned out to be quite an upstanding citizen, didn't he ?

Roger Staubach per Tom Brookshire would walk off the street unannounced to visit children's hospitals across the country...

Mike Ditka at 18:12

How that SB team was ranked #12 by NFL Network is disgusting. Do u know of the 40 or so guys who suited up every Sunday 23 of them were rookies!!!!! They were also the best offensive and defensive team in the league...Oh and the 92 Cowboys team ..don't even get me started. Just one simple fact...they were the youngest team in the NFL...and they didn't play a fugazi team like the Chargers....good job there 49ers...we owned dat azz.

Typical Bears: great defense, great running game. No QB 😞…

17:45-number 86 punting to number 86.

With a run first attack and an average QB-at best-the Bears were doomed here from the start. Until truly bid beef became the order of the day in the later 80’s, there was simply no consistent running to be had against Landry’s Flex Defense. (Especially if you ran on first down predictably.)

They were looking at the Dallas Girls and said,"So many formations" "Indeed!" They were like a coked out Robin Williams

Stau-bach!

15:35 My god did Bob Avellini SUCK!

How in gods name is anyone wearing #51 for the Bears other than Butkus. LB Mel Rodgers is wearing the #51 in this game for the Bears. That just makes no sense. That number should of been retired even back then.

Leave the ads in. Period ads can be extremely entertaining.

The 1977 cowboys had the easiest SB run ever. The Chicago bears with Bob Avellini at QB, the bears hadn't been in a playoff game since 1963, a Minnesota Vikings team that was old & without fran tarkenton & a Denver Broncos team that was makyits 1st post season appearance ever.. Oakland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh even LA Would have given them a better game..

33:07 Dupree

No one was beating my beloved cowboys in 77 not even the Steelers or raiders

17-0 shortly b4 the half, and something different was expected later? Gimme an effin break! The LSM has never favored those who won in any arena. The arena is for spectacle not truth.

Disco Star Wars???