Before he danced with the stars, Emmitt Smith wore one on his helmet.
And it always seemed to shine bright on Monday night.
Do certain athletes possess a quality that allows them to rise to the occasion, or does their performance on Monday night resonate because we already know they are special? Does a flair for the dramatic set them apart, or do we notice because they have already been set apart?
This falls into the category of which came first, Terrell Owens or T.O.?
These and other imponderables can be debated tonight when the Cowboys host the New York Giants at Texas Stadium. But on this topic, there can be no debate: some of the most brilliant performances in Cowboys history have taken place on Monday night.
Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, picked up more than 2,400 of those yards on Monday night. Two of the top four games in his career came when no other game was on the schedule.
The longest completion of Roger Staubach's storied career came on Monday night.
Troy Aikman. Everson Walls. Tony Hill. Deion Sanders. Julius Jones. The list of Cowboys who have excelled on this stage goes on and on.
The longest run in NFL history came on Monday night. It was enough to make actress Nicollette Sheridan drop her towel.
Oh wait, that was for someone else – 21 years later.
"I was always geeked for Monday night," said Tony Dorsett, the Cowboy who ripped off the 99-yard touchdown run, a record that will never be broken. "That is the time to let the rest of the league and the whole country know what you are about.
"It's special."
It all adds up
The Cowboys are making their 67th appearance on Monday night. This is the ninth time they will face the Giants.
Every player holds a special memory or two from these games. When asked for his, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan went back to a game against the Cowboys in 1995 when Smith broke his first carry of the season for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Doesn't he have anything more Giant-centric?
"Well, I don't think we've done too great on Monday night, so I've tried to forget," Strahan said.
He has a point. The Giants are 1-7 against the Cowboys on MNF. Their lone victory came seven years ago when Tiki Barber returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown and took a screen pass 56 yards in the final seconds to set up the game-winning field goal.
It was a nice performance. But it doesn't compare with the 163 yards and four touchdowns Smith racked up in the game Strahan mentioned. Or the night in '98 when Sanders scored touchdowns on a 59-yard punt return and a 71-yard interception return.
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ERICH SCHLEGEL / DMN Emmitt Smith holds the Monday Night Football record for rushing yards with 2,434. |
Barber's performance pales in comparison to the seven field goals Billy Cundiff kicked three years ago – among them a 52-yarder as the fourth quarter expired and a 25-yarder in overtime – to beat the Giants.
No kicker has ever nailed more field goals on Monday night. But one kicker set the standard seven years earlier. That was Chris Boniol, whose seven field goals against Green Bay in '96 lifted the Cowboys to a 21-6 victory.
Smith dominates this stroll down Monday night lane.
Remember the 75-yard touchdown run against Washington in '91 before he was forced to leave the game with a stomach virus? How about the two touchdowns in a span of 18 seconds and 140 yards rushing in a quarter-and-a-half against Minnesota in November of '99?
Smith moved past Eric Dickerson into third on the all-time rushing list that night, and he was on the way to the most prolific night of his career before a fractured bone in his right hand forced him to the sideline before halftime.
There was the 86-yard fumble return for a touchdown by safety Mike Downs against Houston in '82 and the 87-yard interception return for a touchdown by defensive end Greg Ellis against Atlanta 17 years later.
Jones rushed for more yards (198) against Seattle two years ago than Smith ever managed on Monday night. Staubach's 91-yard touchdown pass to Dorsett against Baltimore in '78 was his longest.
Five years later came the run.
The Cowboys were in Minnesota when Timmy Newsome bungled a kick out of bounds at the 1-yard line. The Cowboys called their Jayhawk formation, but fullback Ron Springs failed to take the field. According to Dorsett, by the time Springs realized he was part of the formation, he got concerned about Tom Landry's reaction and decided to stay on the sideline, hoping the coach wouldn't notice.
The ball was snapped with only 10 players on the field. Dorsett took the ball off right guard behind Tom Rafferty and Herb Scott and never looked back.
"I don't think it was one of my better runs," Dorsett said. "But it opened up like the Red Sea."
A dual threat
Owens will be making his first Monday night appearance in a Cowboys uniform. History suggests he'll make a splash. Write it down.
In Sharpie.
After he beat Seattle cornerback Shawn Springs for a touchdown in October of '02, Owens pulled a Sharpie out of his sock, autographed the football and handed the ball to Greg Eastman, his financial planner. Eastman just happened to be sitting in Springs' box.
Two years later, ABC began its game between Philadelphia and Dallas with a tie-in to Desperate Housewives. Sheridan, who plays a character named Edie on the show, appeared in the Eagles locker room and asked Owens to skip the game for her. Owens initially said he couldn't. But after Sheridan dropped her towel, Owens said, "Aw, hell, the team's going to have to win without me" as Sheridan jumped into his arms.
"I was blindsided by the attention it got during the course of the game and afterwards," Owens said.
The attention didn't stop him from catching six passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns in an Eagles victory.
When Owens played for San Francisco, he caught 13 passes against Philadelphia one Monday night. He caught eight passes for 155 yards and a touchdown in another Monday night game against Pittsburgh. His 15 touchdown receptions are the second most in MNF history.
Only Jerry Rice (34) has more.
Is there something to the theory that the sport's best athletes are at their best on this night?
"Well," Owens said, not trying to hide a smile, "we'll see Monday."
We always do.
E-mail dmoore@dallasnews.com
| BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG PERFORMANCES |
| Six records on Monday night football are held by Cowboys. |
| Total | Record | Who |
| 2,434 | Most yards gained rushing, career | Emmitt Smith |
| 1,897 | Second-most rushing yards gained, career | Tony Dorsett |
| 23 | Most touchdowns rushing, career | Emmitt Smith |
| 11 | Most interceptions, career | Everson Walls |
| 99 | Longest run from scrimmage | Tony Dorsett |
| 13 | Most receptions, game | Terrell Owens * |
| 7 | Most field goals, game | Chris Boniol,
Billy Cundiff |
* with San Francisco
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