When a franchise wins a league title for the first time, the victory is almost always greeted with ecstasy and celebration.

However, when Dallas polished off Miami 24-3 in Super Bowl VI, joy was not the initial reaction in the Cowboy Nation. You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from the millions of Cowboy fans throughout the Lone Star state. The NFL's perennial bridesmaid had finally traded its bouquet for a ring. After being left at the championship altar on numerous occasions, it was Dallas' turn to walk down the aisle.

Bob Lilly sacks Miami QB Bob Griese in Super Bowl VI

The team, who had earned the dubious nickname of "Next Year's Champions" had finally arrived, and in the process became the first professional sports franchise in Texas to capture a world championship. Once this soaked in, the party began in earnest.

It was a natural reaction for Cowboy to pinch themselves first to insure they weren't dreaming. After all, if you looked up the definition of "snakebit" in a dictionary back in the late 1960's, you might have found a picture of Dallas Head Coach Tom Landry. The Cowboy's first Super Bowl victory could have easily been their fourth.

A pair of gut wrenching losses to Green Bay kept the Cowboys out of Super Bowls I and II.

In 1966, trailing 34-27, Dallas drove all the way to the Packer 2-yard line in the game's closing moments, only to see Green Bay intercept a Don Meredith pass in the end zone. In 1967, the same teams played in the infamous "Ice Bowl", with Packer QB Bart Starr sneaking across the Cowboy goal line with 16 seconds left to send Green Bay back to the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys made it to Super Bowl V, where they dominated the Baltimore Colts for much of the game, only to lose 16-13 on a field goal with 9 seconds left. So as Dallas took the field for Super Bowl VI in Tulane Stadium, many wondered if the Cowboys would find a way to lose this contest as well.

Dallas put all that to rest with an impressive victory. Roger Staubach was 12-19 for 119 yards and two TD's through the air. The Cowboys had 252 yards on the ground, led by the enigmatic Duane Thomas who rushed for 95 yards on 19 carries.

As Dallas' all-pro DB Cornell Green said after the game, "The difference between the Dolphins and Cowboys was that the Dolphins were just happy to be in the game and the Cowboys came to win the game."

Staubach, who was named as the game's MVP, said "I can say that I don't think I ever felt any better as an athlete than how I felt after that game."

This was one of the greatest teams in the long and storied history of the Dallas Cowboys. It also represents one of Landry's better coaching jobs, as he made a key decision that spurred Dallas to its first title.

For the second season in a row, Dallas had a quarterback controversy. Staubach and Craig Morton took turns starting in the first half of the season. In fact, in a loss to the Bears in game 7, Morton and Staubach actually alternated plays. After a lopsided loss in Chicago dropped their record to 4-3, Landry settled on Staubach, and the Cowboys never lost again that year.

Staubach finished the regular season as the NFL's top rated passer and threw for 1,882 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. He also gained 343 yards and 2 touchdowns on 41 carries.

The Dallas defense was dominant, giving up only one touchdown in the last 25 quarters prior to the game. As a result of that, this unit was often referred to as the "Doomsday Defense". The Cowboys are still the only team in Super Bowl history to prevent its opponent from scoring a touchdown.

The Cowboys were so potent that year, even the President of the United States couldn't stop them. Richard Nixon, a rabid Redskin fan, did not want to see Washington's bitter rivals win the Super Bowl. So after Miami won the AFC title, Nixon called Dolphin coach Don Shula and suggested he run a certain pass play involving WR Paul Warfield.

Like most everything else Miami tried that day, it did not work. Shula called the play in the first quarter, and Mel Renfro denied Warfield the ball.

After the game Shula said, "My biggest disappointment was that we never challenged. They completely dominated."

While the franchise would go on to claim four other Super Bowl trophies in subsequent years, it was this initial title that established the Cowboys as an elite team. For that reason, it was a landmark moment in Texas sports history.