Don Meredith Dead: 5 Facts About the Cowboys Quarterback and Commentator

(Dec. 6) -- Legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback and color commentator Don Meredith died Sunday in Santa Fe, N.M., after suffering a brain hemorrhage and lapsing into a coma. He was 72.

Born Joseph Don Meredith in Mount Vernon, Texas, he became an original Cowboy in 1959, signing on just two months before the team was officially admitted to the NFL, according to the Dallas Morning News. He played nine seasons before retiring unexpectedly at age 31.

"I tried to talk him out of it," the also-legendary Dallas coach Tom Landry said at the time. "But when you lose your desire in this game, that's it," The Associated Press reported.

Though he never led his team to the Super Bowl, he was one of its biggest stars. Two years after leaving the franchise, he joined Keith Jackson and Howard Cosell as commentators on ABC's "Monday Night Football," according to the AP.

He quickly became even more popular, beloved for his on-air folksy witticisms and for bursting into song when it appeared the game had been decided. He stepped down in 1984, not long after Cosell's retirement.

Surge Desk rounded up some other facts about the popular sports figure.

1. He had a nickname:

Meredith was called "Dandy Don" for his outgoing personality and affable good looks.

2. He was popular long before he joined the Cowboys:

As the star quarterback at Southern Methodist University, he was so well-known that the campus was referred to as "Southern Meredith University," where the All-American regularly drew crowds of 50,000 to the Cotton Bowl, according to KXAS TV in Dallas.

3. He liked to sing:

It wasn't just his country charm that endeared him to viewers. When it became obvious that a team was going down, Meredith would start crooning Willie Nelson's "Turn Out the Lights." He also recorded a 45 rpm record, "Travelin' Man," in 1966.

4. His on-air humor was sometimes off-color:

During the "Monday Night" trio's first show, Cleveland receiver Fair Hooker caught a pass. "Isn't Fair Hooker a great name?" Meredith asked on live television. When his colleagues refused to take the bait, Meredith added, "Fair Hooker ... I haven't met one yet," the Los Angeles Times reported.

5. He was also an actor ... and a TV pitchman:

Among several acting jobs, Meredith had a recurring role in the 1970s series "Police Story," appeared in a 1999 episode of "King of the Hill" and was the 1980s commercial spokesman for Lipton iced tea, according to the online Internet Movie Database.

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