Hall of Fame
Position: Quarterback
Years: 1957-1959
Place of Birth: Mount Vernon, TX
Date of Birth: Apr 10, 1938
Place of Death: Santa Fe, NM
Date of Death: Dec 05, 2010
Jersey Number: 17
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
High School: Mount Vernon, TX (Mount Vernon HS)
"Dandy Don" Meredith started his sophomore year in 1957 as the third string quarterback, and completed only four of six passes in the first four games. Then, against favored Texas, he carried the ball 10 times for 72 yards, and, throwing short but straight, completed six of nine pass attempts including two scoring strikes for an unexpected 19-12 victory. Meredith threw so well during the rest of the year that when it had ended, he had completed 71 of 102 attempts for 912 yards, seven touchdowns and a .696 completion average. Opening the 1958 season against top-ranked Ohio State, Meredith completed 20 throws out of 27 attempts for 204 yards, but Meredith came up short 23-20. The following Saturday against Notre Dame, Meredith hit nine out of 13 for 109 yards before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the game. That season, he made United Press International's Backfield of the Week four times. Sports writers voted Meredith one of the ten most exciting players in Southwest Conference history, and he won All-America honors in 1958 and 1959. Meredith played quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys 1960-68 and then became a sports announcer with ABC-TV.
