View source for Don Meredith

{{Short description|American football player, television sportscaster (1938–2010)}}
{{For|the Canadian ordained minister and senator|Don Meredith (politician)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| image         = [[File:Don meredith cowboys.jpg|250px]]
| caption       = Meredith with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] in the 1960s
| position      = [[Quarterback]]
| number        = 17
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1938|4|10}}
| birth_place   = [[Mount Vernon, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2010|12|5|1938|4|10}}
| death_place   = [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 3
| weight_lbs    = 210
| draftyear     = 1960
| draftround    = 3
| draftpick     = 32
| afldraftyear  = 1960
| afldraftround = 1
| afldraftpick  = territorial
| high_school   = [[Mount Vernon High School (Texas)|Mount Vernon]]
| college       = [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU]]
| teams         =
* [[Dallas Cowboys]] ([[1960 NFL season|1960]]–[[1968 NFL season|1968]])
| highlights    =
* Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1966 All-Pro Team|1966]])
* 3x [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1967 Pro Bowl|1966]]–[[1969 Pro Bowl|1968]])
* [[Bert Bell Award]] (1966)
* [[Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor]]
* 2x first-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[1958 College Football All-America Team|1958]]–[[1959 College Football All-America Team|1959]])
* 2x first-team All-[[Southwest Conference|SWC]] ([[1958 All-Southwest Conference football team|1958]]–[[1959 All-Southwest Conference football team|1959]])
* Second-team All-[[Southwest Conference|SWC]] ([[1957 All-Southwest Conference football team|1957]])
* [[SMU Mustangs football#Honored jerseys|SMU Mustangs jersey number 17]] honored
* [[Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award]] (2007)
| statlabel1    = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue1    = 135–111
| statlabel2    = Passing yards
| statvalue2    = 17,199
| statlabel3    = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue3    = 74.8
| CollegeHOF    = 1766
}}

'''Joseph Donald Meredith''' (April 10, 1938 – December 5, 2010), nicknamed "'''Dandy Don'''", was an American [[American football|football]] player, [[sports commentator]], and [[actor]]. He played as a [[quarterback]] for nine seasons with the [[Dallas Cowboys]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[SMU Mustangs football|SMU Mustangs]], and was selected by the [[Chicago Bears]] in the third round of the [[1960 NFL draft]], which took place in November 1959. This draft occurred before the Dallas Cowboys were officially established in January 1960. The Cowboys later acquired Meredith's rights through a trade, allowing them to sign him. He was the second starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, following [[Eddie LeBaron]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=de la Rosa |first=Poch |date=August 23, 2022 |title=The Life And Career Of Eddie LeBaron (Story) |url=https://www.profootballhistory.com/eddie-lebaron/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=www.profootballhistory.com}}</ref> and is the first major [[Franchise player|franchise]] quarterback in Cowboys history. Under the mentorship of head coach [[Tom Landry]], Meredith led the Cowboys to three straight postseason appearances from the [[1966 NFL season|1966]] to [[1968 NFL season|1968]] seasons, including back-to-back [[NFC Championship Game|NFL Championship Game]] appearances in the 1966 and [[1967 NFL season|1967]] seasons. He was selected a [[All-Pro|second-team All-Pro]] in 1966 and made three straight [[Pro Bowl]]s from 1966 to 1968.

Meredith was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player. He subsequently became a [[color commentator|color analyst]] for NFL telecasts from 1970 to 1984. As an original member of the ''[[History of Monday Night Football|Monday Night Football]]'' broadcast team, alongside [[Howard Cosell]]. Meredith was also an actor who appeared in a dozen films and seven major television shows, some of which had him as a starring actor. He is familiar to television audiences as Bert Jameson, a recurring role he had in ''[[Police Story (1973 TV series)|Police Story]]''.

==Early life==
Meredith was born on April 10, 1938, in [[Mount Vernon, Texas]], located about 100 miles east of Dallas.<ref name="danderootheap">{{cite news| title=Meredith Dies at age 72| url=https://nypost.com/2010/12/07/meredith-dies-at-age-72/| agency=[[Associated Press]]| newspaper=[[New York Post]]| date=December 6, 2010| access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> He attended [[Mount Vernon High School (Texas)|Mount Vernon High School]] in his hometown,<ref name="tcowlishawdmn">{{cite news| url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/2010/12/06/cowlishaw-memories-of-don-meredith/| last=Cowlishaw| first=Tim| title=Memories of Don Meredith| newspaper=[[The Dallas Morning News]]| date=December 7, 2010| access-date=April 26, 2022| url-access=subscription}}</ref> where he starred in football and basketball, performed in school plays, and graduated second in his class.<ref name="dmartinbcarter">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/sports/football/07meredith.html| title=Don Meredith, Cowboy's Quarterback and Cosell's Foil, Dies at 72| first1=Douglas| last1=Martin| first2=Bill| last2=Carter| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=December 7, 2010| page=A31| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==College career==
Although he was heavily recruited by [[1956 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]] head coach [[Bear Bryant]],<ref name="dmartinbcarter"/> Meredith played [[college football]] at [[Southern Methodist University]] (SMU) in [[Dallas]]. His reasoning, likely intended to be more humorous than real, was due to its being closer to home, and the acronym being easier to spell.<ref name=":0">{{cite video| title=Don Meredith: The Original Dallas Cowboy| publisher=NFL Films Presents| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLEKA6iO8gw| via=YouTube| language=en| date=January 9, 2020| access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> He led the [[Southwest Conference]] (SWC) in passing completion percentage in each of his three years as the starting [[quarterback]] ([[1957 SMU Mustangs football team|1957]]–[[1959 SMU Mustangs football team|59]]), and was an [[College Football All-America Team|All-America]] selection in [[1958 College Football All-America Team|1958]] and [[1959 College Football All-America Team|1959]].<ref name="smuathletics">{{cite press release| url=https://smumustangs.com/news/2010/12/6/Legendary_Mustang_Don_Meredith_Dies| title=Legendary Mustang Don Meredith Dies| publisher=SMU Athletics| date=December 6, 2010| access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> His fellow students jokingly referred to the school as "Southern ''Meredith'' University" due to his popularity on campus.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://blogblitz.nfl.com/dallas-cowboys/entry/appreciating_dandy_don_meredith| last=Seal| first=Brad| title=Appreciating Dandy Don Meredith| website=NFL Blog Blitz| date=December 8, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110114205256/http://blogblitz.nfl.com/dallas-cowboys/entry/appreciating_dandy_don_meredith| archive-date=January 14, 2011 }}</ref> He completed 8 of 20 passes for 156 yards in the [[Chicago College All-Star Game|College All-Stars]]' 32–7 loss to the [[1959 NFL Championship Game|defending]] NFL champion [[1960 Baltimore Colts season|Baltimore Colts]] in [[Soldier Field]] in Chicago on August 12, 1960.<ref name=cgaslif>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zxlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3uIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3928%2C1978132 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon |agency=Associated Press |last=Chamberlain |first=Charles |title=Colts give All-Stars lesson in football |date=August 13, 1960 |page=7}}</ref><ref name=swamp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I_1OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AAEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6439%2C2253885 |work=Toledo Blade |location=Ohio |agency=Associated Press |title=Colts swamp All-Stars, 32-7 |date=August 13, 1960 |page=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/The_Chicago_All-Star_Game_1960.htm |title=The 1960 College All-Star Game |date=August 12, 1960 |access-date=December 9, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312130431/http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/The_Chicago_All-Star_Game_1960.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |website=The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game}}</ref>

Meredith was honored twice by SMU in later decades; he was the recipient of the university's Distinguished Alumni Award in 1983, and his jersey number 17 was retired during halftime ceremonies at the SMU–[[2008 Houston Cougars football team|Houston]] game on October 18, [[2008 SMU Mustangs football team|2008]].<ref name="smuathletics"/> He was also inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1766 |title=Don Meredith |year=1982 |website=National Football Foundation |access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref>

==Professional career==
The Dallas Cowboys franchise was admitted to the league too late to participate in the [[1960 NFL draft]], so on November 28, 1959, two days before the draft, Meredith signed a five-year personal-services contract with Tecon Corporation, which like the Cowboys, was owned by [[Clint Murchison Jr.|Clint Murchison]]. He was intending to attend law school before the deal. This contract meant he would play for the Cowboys if and when they received an NFL franchise. He was also selected by the [[Chicago Bears]] in the third round (32nd overall) of the 1960 NFL draft, after Bears owner [[George Halas]] made the pick to help ensure that the expansion Cowboys got off to a solid start.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1960/draft.htm| title=1960 NFL Draft| website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]| access-date=February 6, 2016}}</ref> The league honored the contract, but made the Cowboys compensate the Bears with a third-round pick in the [[1962 NFL draft]]. He is considered by some to be the original Dallas Cowboy because he had come to the team even before the franchise had adopted a nickname, hired a head coach ([[Tom Landry]]) or scout ([[Gil Brandt]]), or participated in either the [[1960 NFL expansion draft]] or its first NFL draft in 1961.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nfl.com/news/meredith-was-the-original-face-of-the-cowboys-09000d5d81cb08b3| last=Brandt| first=Gil| title=Meredith was the original face of the Cowboys| website=NFL| date=December 6, 2010| quote=Brandt was the Dallas Cowboys' original vice president of player personnel from 1960 to 1989.}}</ref><ref name="btownsenddmn">{{cite news| url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2010/12/08/legendary-cowboys-smu-qb-don-meredith-dies/| last=Townsend| first=Brad| title=Legendary Cowboys, SMU QB Don Meredith dies| newspaper=The Dallas Morning News| date=December 8, 2010| url-access=subscription}}</ref> The [[Kansas City Chiefs|Texans]], their crosstown rivals in the [[American Football League]], also chose him as a "territorial selection" in their [[1960 American Football League draft|1960 draft]], but were too late to sign him.

Meredith spent two years as a backup to [[Eddie LeBaron]], eventually splitting time in 1962 before he was given the full-time starting job by Coach Landry in 1963. When statistics for sacks were counted retroactively for his era, Meredith became the first quarterback to have been sacked more than 50 times, having been sacked 58 times in the 1964 season. The team went 5-4-1 with Meredith as starter.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/pass_sacked_single_season.htm | title=NFL Sacked Single-Season Leaders (Since 1960) | website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]] }}</ref> The following year, they did even better, as he went 7–4 in games while throwing 22 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. In 1966, Meredith led the Cowboys to the NFL postseason, something he continued to do until his unexpected retirement before the 1969 season. His two most heartbreaking defeats came in NFL Championship play against the [[Green Bay Packers]], 34–27 in Dallas (1966), during which he was intercepted on a fourth-down passing play, an interception that he later claimed was due to a coaching issue, having incorrect personnel and formation on the field;<ref name=":0" /> and the famous "[[1967 NFL Championship Game|Ice Bowl]]" game, 21–17 in Green Bay (1967). Already feeling physically and mentally fatigued as a leader, he had his worst playoff outing in 1968 against the Cleveland Browns in the Eastern Conference Championship game, throwing three interceptions before being benched, which led to his retirement in 1969 at age 31. His successor Craig Morton also struggled to win a championship, until ultimately [[Roger Staubach]] proved to be the missing ingredient needed to finally help the 1971 Cowboys win their first Super Bowl.

Meredith was always exceptionally popular with Cowboys fans, who remember him for his grit and toughness, his outgoing nature, and his leadership during the first winning seasons for the Cowboys. During his career, he had a 50.7% completion rate, throwing for 17,199 yards and 135 touchdowns with a lifetime [[passer rating]] of 74.8. He was named the NFL Player of the Year in 1966 and was named to the Pro Bowl three times. According to the NFL, the longest pass with no [[yards after catch]] <!-- (YAC) --> was his 83-yard pass to [[Bob Hayes]].  However, the NFL does not keep statistics on the distance of actual passes.
<!--encyclopedic?  Meredith, along with [[Harvey Martin]], is among the few players to play his high school (Mount Vernon), college (SMU), and pro (Dallas Cowboys) career in and around the Dallas, Texas, area.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}{{importance inline|date=May 2020}} -->

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan=2 | Year !! rowspan=2 | Team !! rowspan=2 | {{tooltip|GP|Games played}} !! rowspan=2 | {{tooltip|GS|Games started}} !! colspan=8 | Passing !! colspan=6 | Rushing
|-
! {{tooltip|Cmp|Passes completed}} !! {{tooltip|Att|Passes attempted}} !! {{tooltip|Pct|Completion percentage}} !! {{tooltip|Yds|Passing yards}} !! {{tooltip|Y/A|Yards per passing attempt}} !! {{tooltip|TD|Passing touchdowns}} !! {{tooltip|Int|Interceptions}} !! {{tooltip|Rtg|Passer rating}} !! {{tooltip|Att|Rushing attempts}} !! {{tooltip|Yds|Rushing yards}} !! {{tooltip|Avg|Yards per rushing attempt}} !! {{tooltip|TD|Rushing touchdowns}}
|-
! [[1960 NFL season|1960]] !! [[1960 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 6 || 1 || 29 || 68 || 42.6 || 281 || 4.1 || 2 || 5 || 34.0 || 3 || 4 || 1.3 || 0
|-
! [[1961 NFL season|1961]] !! [[1961 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 8 || 4 || 94 || 182 || 51.6 || 1,161 || 6.4 || 9 || 11 || 63.0 || 22 || 176 || 8.0 || 1
|-
! [[1962 NFL season|1962]] !! [[1962 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 13 || 8 || 105 || 212 || 49.5 || 1,679 || 7.9 || 15 || 8 || 84.2 || 21 || 74 || 3.5 || 0
|-
! [[1963 NFL season|1963]] !! [[1963 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 14 || 12 || 167 || 310 || 53.9 || 2,381 || 7.7 || 17 || 18 || 73.1 || 41 || 185 || 4.5 || 3
|-
! [[1964 NFL season|1964]] !! [[1964 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 12 || 10 || 158 || 323 || 48.9 || 2,143 || 6.6 || 9 || 16 || 59.1 || 32 || 81 || 2.5 || 4
|-
! [[1965 NFL season|1965]] !! [[1965 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 14 || 11 || 141 || 305 || 46.2 || 2,415 || 7.9 || 22 || 13 || 79.9 || 35 || 247 || 7.1 || 1
|-
! [[1966 NFL season|1966]] !! [[1966 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 13 || 13 || 177 || 344 || 51.5 || 2,805 || 8.2 || 24 || 12 || 87.7 || 38 || 242 || 6.4 || 5
|-
! [[1967 NFL season|1967]] !! [[1967 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 11 || 11 || 128 || 255 || 50.2 || 1,834 || 7.2 || 16 || 16 || 68.7 || 28 || 84 || 3.0 || 0
|-
! [[1968 NFL season|1968]] !! [[1968 Dallas Cowboys season|DAL]]
| 13 || 13 || 171 || 309 || 55.3 || 2,500 || 8.1 || 21 || 12 || 88.4 || 22 || 123 || 5.6 || 1
|-
! colspan="2" | Career<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MereDo00.htm |title=Don Meredith |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |access-date=November 7, 2020}}</ref> || 104 || 83 || 1,170 || 2,308 || 50.7 || 17,199 || 7.5 || 135 || 111 || 74.8 || 242 || 1,216 || 5.0 || 15
|}

==Post-football career==
[[File:Don Meredith Police Story 1976.JPG|thumb|right|170px|Meredith as Bert Jameson on ''Police Story'', 1976]]
Following his football career, Meredith helped market [[Docutel]] [[automated teller machine]]s; his brother B.J. was president of the Dallas-area company.<ref name="bevis20220306">{{cite news |last=Bevis |first=Spencer |date=2022-03-06 |title=The rise and fall of Docutel, the Dallas-area company that created the first ATMs |language=en |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/from-the-archives/2022/03/06/the-rise-and-fall-of-docutel-the-dallas-area-company-that-created-the-first-atms/ |access-date=2023-03-30}}</ref> Meredith became a [[color commentator]] for ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' beginning in 1970. He left for three seasons ([[1974 NFL season|1974]]–[[1976 NFL season|1976]]) to work with [[Curt Gowdy]] at ''[[NFL on NBC]]'', then returned to ''MNF'' partners [[Frank Gifford]] and [[Howard Cosell]]. His approach to color commentary was light-hearted and folksy in contrast to Cosell's scholarly, professorial observations and Gifford's straightforward, technical play-by-play analyses. He was known for singing "Turn out the lights, the party's over" (a line from a [[Willie Nelson]] song "[[The Party's Over (Willie Nelson song)|The Party's Over]]") at [[garbage time]].

Meredith's broadcasting career was also not without a few incidents of minor controversy, including referring to then-[[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]] as "Tricky Dick", announcing that he was "mile-high" before a game in [[Mile High Stadium|Denver]], and turning the name of [[Cleveland Browns]] receiver [[Fair Hooker]] into a double entendre (saying "Fair [[Sex worker|Hooker]]...well, I haven't met one yet!"). He retired from sportscasting after the [[1984 NFL season|1984 season]], a year after Cosell's retirement. His final broadcast was [[Super Bowl XIX]] with Frank Gifford and [[Joe Theismann]], which was the first Super Bowl broadcast by [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. He moved to [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], where he lived in seclusion as a painter until his death.

In 1976, Meredith was inducted into the [[Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor]] at [[Texas Stadium]] with former running back [[Don Perkins]].

The novel ''[[North Dallas Forty]]'', written by former Dallas Cowboy wide receiver and Meredith teammate [[Peter Gent]], is a fictional account of life in the NFL during the 1960s, featuring quarterback Seth Maxwell, a character widely believed to be based on Meredith, and receiver Phil Elliot, believed to be based on Gent. Maxwell and Elliot are characterized as boozing, womanizing, aging stars in the twilight of their careers, held together by pills and alcohol. Of the story, Meredith said, "If I'd known Gent was as good as he says he was, I would have thrown to him more."<ref>{{cite news| magazine=[[D Magazine]]| title=The 35 Biggest Pop Culture Moments in Modern Dallas History| url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2010/january/the-35-biggest-pop-culture-moments-in-modern-dallas-history/| date=December 16, 2009| access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref>

Meredith was selected as the 2007 recipient of the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]'s [[Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award]]. He received the award at the Enshrinee's Dinner on August 3, 2007.

==Acting career==
Meredith also had an acting career, appearing in multiple movies and television shows.<ref name=Credits>{{cite web| website=[[IMDb]]| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580575/?ref_=tt_cl_t_3| title=Don Meredith| access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> From the mid-1970s through the early '80s, he was in a series of commercials for [[Lipton Tea]]. He voiced himself in an episode of ''[[King of the Hill]]''
("[[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 4: 1999–2000|A Beer Can Named Desire]]"), in which he misses a throw that would have won the main character, [[Hank Hill]], [[United States dollar|$]]100,000. He was also part of an ensemble cast in his son [[Michael Meredith (film director)|Michael Meredith]]'s ''[[Three Days of Rain (film)|Three Days of Rain]]'' with [[Blythe Danner]], [[Peter Falk]], and [[Jason Patric]].

One of his early film roles was as Kelly Freeman in the 1974 film ''Terror on the 40th Floor'', which starred [[John Forsythe]], [[Joseph Campanella]], and [[Lynn Carlin]].<ref>{{cite web| website=[[Turner Classic Movies]]| url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/478325/terror-on-the-40th-floor| title=Terror on the 40th Floor(1974)| access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref>

One of his recurring starring roles was as Detective Bert Jameson in ''[[Police Story (1973 TV series)|Police Story]]''. [[Tony Lo Bianco]] also had an ongoing role as Det. Calabrese in the same lot of episodes as Meredith. They also appeared as their characters separately in later episodes.<ref name=Credits/><ref>{{cite book| title=Emmy Award Winning Nighttime Television Shows, 1948 - 2004| first=Wesley| last=Hyatt| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SrmJCgAAQBAJ&dq=Don+Meredith+Bert+Jameson&pg=PA278| page=278| date=September 11, 2015| publisher=McFarland| isbn=978-1-4766-0874-7}}</ref> One episode, "The Witness", features a picture of Meredith in his Dallas uniform hanging on a wall in Delaney's bar, while Bert interviews witnesses to a robbery below his picture.

==Family==
Meredith was married three times. His first wife was former SMU cheerleader Lynne Shamburger; they were married from 1959 to 1963 and had one daughter, Mary. From 1965 to 1971, he was married to the former Cheryl King, with whom he had son [[Michael Meredith (film director)|Michael]] and daughter Heather. He met his third wife, the former Susan Lessons Dullea (ex-wife of actor [[Keir Dullea]]), as they were both walking on Third Avenue in New York City. They married in 1972.

==Death==
Meredith died on December 5, 2010, at [[CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center|St. Vincent Regional Medical Center]] in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 72 years old.<ref name="btownsenddmn"/> He was laid to rest in his hometown of Mount Vernon, Texas.

==Filmography==

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Television shows
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Episode
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" | Director
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes #
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Police Story (1973 TV series)|Police Story]]''
| "Requiem for an Informer "
| Officer Bert Jameson
| [[Marvin J. Chomsky|Marvin Chomsky]]
| 1973
| aired October 9, 1973
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "The Hunters"
| Bert Jameson
| [[Richard Benedict]]
| 1974
| aired February 26, 1974
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "Glamour Boy"
| Det. Sgt. Bert Jameson
| Virgil W. Vogel
| 1974
| aired October 29, 1974
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "Explosion"
| Bert Jameson
| Alex March
| 1974
| aired December 3, 1974
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "The Witness"
| Detective Bert Jameson
| [[Edward M. Abroms|Edward Abroms]]
| 1975
| aired March 11, 1975
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]''
| "The Loner"
| 'Turk' Allison
| [[John Newland]]
| 1975
| aired March 14, 1975
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]''
| "Showdown at Times Square"
| Linus Morton 
| Ron Satlof
| 1975
| aired October 19, 1975
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "Face for a Shadow "
| John Kowalski 
| Alex March
| 1975
| aired November 7, 1975
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Quest (1976 TV series)|The Quest]]''
| "Shanklin"
| Shanklin
| [[Corey Allen]]
| 1976
| aired October 13, 1976
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "The Jar: Part 1"
|  Sgt. Ed Hagen  
| [[Michael O'Herlihy]]
| 1976
| aired December 14, 1976
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story''
| "The Jar: Part 2"
| Ed Hagen 
| Michael O'Herlihy
| 1976
| aired December 21, 1976
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Supertrain]]''
| "Express to Terror"
| Rick Prince
| Dan Curtis
| 1979
| aired February 7, 1979
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Midnight Caller]] ''
| "Sale Away: Part 2"
| Foster Castleman
| Rob Bowman
|1990
| aired October 26, 1990
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Evening Shade]]''
| "No Pain, No Gain"
| Billy Clyde Crawford
| [[Burt Reynolds]]
| 1992
| aired May 18, 1992
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[King of the Hill]]''
| "A Beer Can Named Desire"
| Himself
| [[Chris Moeller and Chuck Austen]]
| 1999
| aired November 19, 1999
|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Film
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" | Director
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes #
|-
! scope="row" | ''Terror on the 40th Floor''
| Kelly Freeman
| Jerry Jameson
| 1974
| TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''Sky Heist''
| Sergeant Doug Trumbell
| Lee H. Katzin
| 1975
| Main role<br />TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Banjo Hackett: Roamin’ Free]]''
| Banjo Hackett
| Andrew V. McLaglen
| 1976
| Main role<br />TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Mayday at 40,000 Feet!]]''
| Mike Fuller
| [[Robert Butler (director)|Robert Butler]]
| 1976
| Co-star<br />TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid]]''
| Clint Allison
| [[Burt Kennedy]]
| 1978
| Co-star<br />TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''The Courage and the Passion''
| Col. Jim Gardner
| John Llewellyn Moxey
| 1978
| TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Undercover with the KKK]]''
| [[Gary Thomas Rowe Jr.]]
| [[Barry Shear]]
| 1979
| Main role<br />TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''The Night the City Screamed''
| Captain Donald Wiacek
| Harry Falk
| 1980
| TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Terror Among Us]]''
| Sgt. Tom Stockwell
| [[Paul Krasny]]
| 1981
| Main role<br />TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''Police Story: The Freeway Killings''
| Detective Foley
| [[William A. Graham (director)|William A. Graham]]
| 1987
| TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Wyatt Earp: Return to Tombstone]]''
| Clay the Bartender
| [[Paul Landres]]<br />[[Frank McDonald (director)|Frank McDonald]]
| 1994
| TV movie
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Three Days of Rain (film)|Three Days of Rain]]''
| John Horton
| [[Michael Meredith (film director)|Michael Meredith]]
| 2002
|
|-
|}
<ref name=Credits/>

==See also==
* [[Most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (NFL)#All-time consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes|Most consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{Footballstats |nfl=Don-Meredith
|espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=M/MereDo00 |rotoworld=}}
* {{College Football HoF|id=1766|name=Don Meredith}}
* {{IMDb name|580575}}
* {{Find a Grave|62616695|Don Meredith}}

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{{succession box| title=''[[NFL on NBC]]'' lead analyst| before=[[Al DeRogatis]]| years=[[1974 NFL season|1974]]–[[1976 NFL season|1976]]| after=[[John Brodie]]}}
{{succession box | before=[[Al DeRogatis]] | title=[[List of Super Bowl broadcasters|Super Bowl television]] color commentator ([[American Football Conference|AFC package carrier]]) | years=[[Super Bowl IX|1974]]-[[Super Bowl X|1976]]| after=[[John Brodie]] and [[Merlin Olsen]]}}
{{succession box | before=First| title=[[Monday Night Football|''Monday Night Football'' color commentator]] | years=[[1970 NFL season|1970]]–[[1973 NFL season|1973]]<br />[[1977 NFL season|1977]]–[[1984 NFL season|1984]]<br />(with [[Howard Cosell]] from [[1970 NFL season|1970]]–[[1973 NFL season|1973]], [[1977 NFL season|1977]]–[[1983 NFL season|1983]] and [[O. J. Simpson]] in [[1984 NFL season|1984]]) | after=[[Alex Karras]]<br />[[Joe Namath]]}}
{{Succession box | before=First| title=[[List of Super Bowl broadcasters|Super Bowl television]] color commentator<br />([[Monday Night Football|non-cable prime-time package carrier]])  | years=[[Super Bowl XIX|1984]] (with [[Joe Theismann]]) | after=[[Frank Gifford]] and [[Dan Dierdorf]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{SMU Mustangs quarterback navbox}}
{{Bert Bell Award}}
{{Chicago Bears 1960 NFL draft picks}}
{{Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor}}
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{{1960 Dallas Cowboys}}
{{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Host}}
{{Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meredith, Don}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:College football announcers]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys players]]
[[Category:Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:People from Mount Vernon, Texas]]
[[Category:Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award recipients]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Texas]]
[[Category:SMU Mustangs football players]]
[[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:Phi Delta Theta members]]