ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Don Meredith, the ex-Cowboys quarterback who served as a folksy foil for Howard Cosell on ABC’s “Monday Night Football” and helped carve out the niche for colorful ex-athlete broadcasters, has died. “Dandy Don,” as he was known, was 72.
Meredith’s wife, Susan, told the Associated Press her husband died Sunday in Santa Fe after suffering a brain hemorrhage and lapsing into a coma.
“He was the best there was,” she said, describing him as kind, warm and funny. “We lost a good one.”
Meredith played for the Cowboys from 1960-68, becoming the starting quarterback in 1965.
While he never took the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, Meredith was one of the franchise’s first stars. He led the Cowboys to three straight division titles and to consecutive NFL Championship games in 1966 and 1967, where they lost both games to eventual champion Green Bay.
“Don Meredith was one of the most colorful characters in NFL history. He was a star on the field who became an even bigger star on television,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “He brought joy to football fans, from his play in historic NFL games like the Ice Bowl to his great personality that helped launch the success of Monday Night Football.”
Over his nine-year career, Meredith threw for 17,199 yards and 111 touchdowns. He retired unexpectedly before the 1969 season and just two years later joined Keith Jackson and Cosell in the broadcast booth as part of the “Monday Night Football” crew.
He quickly became one of the most popular broadcasters in sports with a homespun humor that played off Cosell in particular. Meredith’s signature call was singing the famous Willie Nelson song “Turn Out the Lights” when it appeared a game’s outcome had been determined.
Meredith left ABC after the 1973 season for a three-year stint at NBC. He returned to the “MNF” crew in 1977 before retiring in 1984, one year after Cosell left the team.