DALLAS —
Oct. 13 is Jerry Jones' birthday. To celebrate his 77th birthday on Sunday, here are 25 facts about the third owner in Dallas Cowboys history.
1. Like his predecessors, Clint Murchison, Jr. (Sept. 12, 1923), and H.R. "Bum" Bright (Oct. 6, 1920), Jerry's birthday occurs during the regular season.
2. With a 4-1 record, Jerry has the best birthday winning percentage of any owner in Cowboys history spanning multiple games. Bright technically has the highest, though it was just one contest: Murchison: 1-1 (1964 — 16-6 loss vs. Cardinals; 1976 — 27-7 win vs. Eagles)
Bright: 1-0 (1985 — 30-29 win at Giants)
3. The most common opponent for Jerry on his birthday is Washington:
- 1991 — CIN, 35-23 — W
- 1996 — AZ, 17-3 — W
- 1997 — @WAS, 16-21 — L
- 2002 — CAR, 14-13 — W
- 2013 — WAS, 31-16 — W
4. Jerry is one of nine current owners whose birthdays occur during the season.
The other owners are Virginia Halas McCaskey (Bears), Dan Snyder (Washington), Arthur Blank (Falcons), Jeff Lurie (Eagles), John Mara (Giants), David Tepper (Panthers), Michael Bidwill (Cardinals), and Jody Allen (Seahawks), Gayle Benson (Saints).
However, Benson's falls in between the week of conference championship Sunday and the Pro Bowl, so it will take some tinkering for her to have a consequential game played on her birthday.
5. Here is how Jerry's record stacks with the rest of the current NFL ownership who have had games on their birthdays:
- Jerry Jones (Cowboys): 4-1
- Virginia Halas McCaskey (Bears): 1-1
- Dan Snyder (Redskins): 2-2
- Michael Bidwill (Cardinals): 2-0
- Arthur Blank (Falcons): 1-1
- Jeff Lurie (Eagles): 1-2
- John Mara (Giants): 1-3
6. Jerry's birthday falls on the same day of the week as Lurie and Mara's unless either one of their birthday games gets switched to a Monday night or Thursday night (e.g. Jerry's '97 birthday being a Monday night game).
7. With Jerry's birthday falling during the regular season, all four NFC East owners can have games on their birthdays.
8. Troy Aikman has the best performance on Jerry's birthday with when he completed 17-of-31 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, while posting an 84.5 rating at Washington in 1997.
9. Quincy Carter holds the longest pass play from scrimmage on Jerry's
birthday when he threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway in 2002 vs. the Panthers.
10. Emmitt Smith has the best rushing performance on Jerry's birthday when he rushed 21 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns against the Cardinals in 1996.
11. Washington running back Alfred Morris has the longest rushing play from scrimmage on Jerry's birthday with a 45-yard touchdown (2013).
12. Michael Irvin's six catches for 148 yards vs. the Bengals in 1991 is the best receiving effort on Jerry's birthday.
13. Galloway's 80-yard touchdown vs. the Panthers in 2002 is the longest scoring play and reception on Jerry's birthday.
14. DE Tony Tolbert (Cardinals, 1996) and DT Jason Hatcher (Washington, 2013) are tied for the most sacks on Jerry's birthday with two apiece.
15. A pick-six (LB Dixon Edwards, 1991) and a fumble recovery for a touchdown (LB Dexter Coakley, 1997) have both been scored on Jerry's birthday.
16. No Cowboys kicker has missed on Jerry's birthday.
17. Two opposing kickers have missed on Jerry's birthday. Carolina's Shayne Graham missed a 44-yarder in 2002 and Washington's Kai Forbath missed a 49-yarder in 2013.
18. Chris Boniol, Richie Cunningham, and Dan Bailey share the lead for most field goals booted on Jerry's birthday with one apiece.
19. Quincy Carter is the only Cowboys quarterback to complete a fourth quarter comeback on Jerry's birthday.
20. Emmitt Smith has played in the most games on Jerry's birthday with four.
21. Jason Garrett will tie Barry Switzer as having coached the most games on Jerry's birthday with two apiece. Switzer owned a 1-1 record.
22. Former Cowboys OT Ralph Neely (1965-77) and Quincy Carter (2001-03) are the only Cowboys players to have shared a birthday with the current owner and played a game on those dates (Neely, 1976; Carter, 2002).
23. Sunday will mark the second time in Jerry's ownership the team will wear their navy jerseys on his birthday. The last time was in Washington in 1997.
24. Here is a sample of historical events that occurred on Jerry's birthday:
- 54, A.D. – Roman Emperor Claudius is dubiously poisoned to death and his 17 year old stepson Nero ascends to the Roman throne.
- 1792 – The cornerstone for the White House in Washington, D.C. is laid.
- 1845 – Voters in the Republic of Texas approve a constitution that will make them a U.S. state.
- 1967 – The Oakland Oaks defeat the Anaheim Amigos 134-129 in the first game of the American Basketball Association.
- 1974 – Television icon Ed Sullivan passes away at age 73.
- 1983 – Ameritech Mobile Communications (now AT&T, Inc.) launches first US cellular network in Chicago.
25. Jerry shares birthdays with notable figures including:
- Comedian Lenny Bruce (1925)
- Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925)
- Singer Marie Osmond (1959)
- Basketball player and coach Doc Rivers (1961)
- Wide receiver Jerry Rice (1962)
- Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan (1969)
- Safety Brian Dawkins (1973)
- Basketball player Paul Pierce (1977)
If you could get Jerry Jones one present for his birthday, what would you choose? Share your gift ideas with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
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