Well, since this is the second time around for the Cowboys and the Redskins and since it's Christmas and everyone should feel giddy with joy and laughter on Christmas, I'm going to keep this one short and fun.
Does anyone remember the Cowboy Chicken Club? No? (Even if you said yes, I'm going to ignore you and you can just read this story and LIKE IT.) Well, good. I'll tell you all about it.
The first year these two rivals ever met was in 1960, and just one year later, in December of 1961, the Cowboy Chicken Club was born.
Basically, several Cowboys fans snuck into D.C. Stadium (now RFK Stadium) and scattered chicken feed all over the field the night before the Cowboys and the Redskins were supposed to play each other. The plan was to unleash dozens of chickens onto the field at halftime when snow dogs were supposed to pull Santa around the field on a sled. There was 75 white chickens and one black one (note: the black chicken was representative of the fact that Redskins owner George Marshall refused to sign African-American football players.
The chickens were (miraculously) smuggled into the stadium in two big crates. But I mean, seriously. How did the pranksters get two huge, clucking crates into that stadium? Were there no security guards? Or did those security guards just think, "Huh. SEEMS HARMLESS ENOUGH!" There could have been anything in there! There could have been man-eating lions or thousands of tarantulas (my personal nightmare) inside those things.
I'll get off my soapbox. ANYWAY. They smuggled the crates inside, and apparently almost got away with the whole thing. Right before halftime, a guard (or someone) spotted one of the pranksters guarding the crates and, shockingly, they were making clucking noises. Weird. Guess no one noticed that before. So, then-Redskins GM Dick McCann swooped in and foiled the whole plan! RATS.
Maybe that's what started the rivalry, since, at that point, there was no real reason for the two teams to hate each other. The Redskins had won the first game the year before, but didn't win another game that season; Washington won two of the first four times the teams played, and the other two games were a tie. Not THAT exciting. So, thanks to the Cowboy Chicken Club! (I guess?)
MERRY CHRISTMAS COWBOYS FANS! And see you Sunday in your silver and blue!
