Rest in Peace, Don Meredith

[Tom Winship]

One of the icons of my lifetime has passed. It seems like Monday Night Football was never the same without him. He was a good football player for the Cowboys but mostly was an outstanding color guy.

Never will forget the night when someone was trouncing the old Houston Oilers on MNF. Most fans had left and the camera panned in on a guy who was sitting dejectedly in the stands. He gave his middle finger to the camera, and Don said, "There's at least one fan in Houston who still thinks they are number one." Typical of Don.

Rest in Peace, Don Meredith.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

RIP Dandy Don!

I read several articles about him this morning.

According to one article he was the "original Dallas Cowboy" the first player signed to a "personal services contract" before the AFL licensed the franchise.

His "country boy style" was such a contrast to Howard Cosell's style. He and Howard always gigged and teased each other in the course of their broadcasting games. They never seemed to take their pokes in the ribs from the other guy seriously.

One article quoted Tom Landry as saying Dandy Don never achieved the greatness for which he was capable because he always took an almost glib attitude towards playing football. He took a lot of heat from the emotional fans and former teammate Leroy Jordan later lamented it was a shame the rest of the team didn't take on some of that burden and share the heat for failing to win a championship under Don's quarterbacking.

It was said that he would sometimes in the course of a game come into the huddle with a joke or break out singing a song.

I have to appreciate that type of an attitude towards life.

Don't turn out the lights. The party ain't over....it's just switched residences.

RIP Dandy Don.

[bob svoboda]

My favorite. "If Ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas" Also loved it when he told Frank Gifford-"You're so good lookin' you look good in cheap clothes". RIP Dandy Don

[Tom Winship]

He used to always say hi to "Jeff and Hazel over in Mt. Vernon". Most of us in Texas didn't even know where Mt. Vernon was. I think Jeff and Hazel were his parents.

[Jim Rimmer]

As Don often said, "Turn out the lights. The party's over." He was a peach.

[Jim O'Dell]

Yeah, I head that at lunch today. Didn't know he was sick (emphysema?) but he did smoke cigs, at least early in life. Monday Night Football has never been the same since he left the show. Jim.

[Van Huskey]

Although he was a bit to old for me to see play (plus I hated the C-boys) he was the voice of my young years on MNF, Frank, Howard and Don molded how I saw football as I reached my teens.

I have watched a lot of his film over the years probably most of it centering around his "greatest defeat" in the 1967 "Ice Bowl".

RIP Dandy Don

[Neal Clayton]

don was a bit before my time, but i do remember a couple of games from when i was a kid. the one that stands out in my mind was a cowboys game where they were being blown out by who knows who, and when cosell called the clock hitting zero don said..

"best thing to happen for the cowboys all night".

i also remember seeing a film of some MNF outtakes awhile back and right before the broadcast starts the producer calls for microphone checks and cosell/gifford say a few tests while don breaks out into singing "rednecks, white socks, and blue ribbon beer".

football sometimes becomes too serious these days. back in those days before it was worth billions of dollars the desire to make something that wasn't necessarily popular a circus type spectacle made a niche for people like don, and another recently departed albeit local and lesser known character back home in new orleans, buddy diliberto.

it's great that my hometown team is winning super bowls, but then again, it was great listening to people like buddy d and don and archie manning in his post-playing radio days make fun of bad teams too. monday night football is sorely missing that. chris collinsworth is the closest thing they have in the broadcast booth.

[Jim Rimmer]

Yeah, I head that at lunch today. Didn't know he was sick (emphysema?) but he did smoke cigs, at least early in life. Monday Night Football has never been the same since he left the show. Jim.
The news last night said it was a brain hemorrhage
(stroke?).