5 Dallas Cowboys who deserved a Super Bowl ring but never got one

5. Don Meredith, Quarterback

A Texas-native, Don Meredith was a star at SMU and eventually made the College Football Hall of Fame for the job he did with the Mustangs. He was then drafted in the third round by the Chicago Bears, who took Meredith with the intention of sending him to the expansion Dallas Cowboys.

In exchange for Meredith, Chicago received a 1962 third-round pick and Dallas received a solid player who ended up becoming the full-time starter in 1963 once he was able to beat out Eddie LeBaron. By 1966, he was able to lead Dallas to the postseason, something he did from then on, until he retired following the 1968 season.

His retirement was unexpected and it came after his most successful season as the Cowboys starter. In 1968, the 30-year old Meredith was 11-2 as a starter and overall, he was 47-32-4 for Dallas. Unfortunately, he never got it done in the playoffs, finishing with a record of just 1-3 in the postseason.

Meredith was a part of two very disheartening losses for the Cowboys, each of which came at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. One was in 1966 when he threw a pick during a loss on a key fourth down. From there, he was part of their defeat in the “Ice Bowl” game in 1967.

One of the first big stars for a team full of larger than life personalities, Meredith sadly concluded his career without ever winning an NFL title.