Don Meredith, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Monday Night Football broadcaster, died Sunday evening in Santa Fe, N.M. He was 72.
Meredith was the original Dallas Cowboy, signing a personal services contract on Nov. 28, 1959, two months before the franchise officially gained admittance into the NFL.
Meredith was a two-time All-American at SMU and played for the Cowboys from 1960 to 1968. He led the Cowboys to the 1966 and 1967 NFL title games, both defeats to the Green Bay Packers, but he abruptly retired from pro football at age 31.
Meredith went on to join ABC's Monday Night Football team. Viewers waited for Meredith to sing "The Party's Over" to viewers when he determined that the game was out of reach.
His career with the Cowboys came after Meredith had been a two-time All-America quarterback at SMU. He chose the Mustangs after narrowly opting to turn down Bear Bryant's scholarship offer to attend Texas A&M.