Remembering The Bounty Bowl Games

1989: Eagles 27, Dallas 0

Philly’s shutout of the woeful Cowboys is better remembered as the “Bounty Bowl.” It was Jimmy Johnson’s first year as coach, and Eagles coach Buddy Ryan welcomed him to the NFL with a pasting that included alleged bounties on two Cowboys, quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas. Johnson claimed the Eagles had put $500 on Aikman’s head and $200 on that of Zendejas, who Philly released a couple of weeks prior to the game. Zendejas got on the field just once — the opening kickoff, when one of the Eagles special teamers clearly went straight at him and blasted the diminutive kicker.Johnson said after the game he wanted to confront Ryan, but the Eagles coach had “ran his fat ass off the field.” Buddy laughed it off. “Why would I place a bounty on a kicker who can’t kick worth a damn?” he asked.Two weeks later, the teams squared off again in “Bounty Bowl II.” That game was marred by drunken Eagles fans, who hurled ice balls at everyone and everything, including CBS announcer Verne Lundquist. The Game was played on Thanksgiving day with the Eagles dominating the Cowboys with a 27-0 win.