For a rivalry as long, memorable, rich, bad-blooded and contentious as the one between the Redskins and Cowboys, it is easy to forget that the teams’ shared gridiron history actually began with a fight over radio territory and the trademark to a song.
In 1960, Texas oil tycoon Clint Murchison proposed to bring a football team to Dallas, with the support of NFL expansion committee chairman George Halas, and needed unanimous approval by the league’s owners. All but Redskins owner George Preston Marshall approved the proposal – he didn’t want the Cowboys to encroach upon his southern radio listenership, among other qualms – but quickly realized he needed to make some sort of deal.