Thinking about the 44-6 drubbing the Eagles put on the Cowboys to end Romo and friends season reminded me of the “Bounty Bowl”. Sports writer Ray Didinger recounts the “Bounty Bowl” and a certain Cowboys kicker who had a star turn with the Eagles:
It was Thanksgiving Day in Dallas, but Luis Zendejas wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. The game ended and Zendejas, the Cowboys’ kicker, walked towards the Eagles’ bench. He was looking for Buddy Ryan.
“I wanted to deck him,” Zendejas said. “If I could’ve found him, I would have. He’s the biggest S.O.B. in the league.”
The date was Nov. 24, 1989. The Eagles crushed the Cowboys, 27-0, but that wasn’t the big story. The real headline was Zendejas’ claim that Ryan put a $200 bounty on his head. A bounty? On a kicker? What?
Zendejas swore it was true. He said before the game that Eagles special teams coach Al Roberts warned him that Ryan posted a cash reward for any player who could knock Zendejas out of the game. When Zendejas kicked off to start the second half, rookie linebacker Jessie Small leveled him a full 20 yards away from the play.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Zendejas was knocked silly by the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Small. The kicker staggered to his feet and shouted a few words in the direction of the Eagles’ bench before he was helped from the field.
Zendejas should have known Buddy Ryan was watching him from his star turn in “Buddy’s Watching You”: