Trivia Thursday: Cowboys-49ers history, from the 1970 NFC title game to Pro Football Hall of Famers wearing both colors

The Cowboys and 49ers are meeting again with their rivalry still carrying playoff weight. The franchises have faced each other five times in the NFC Championship Game, and Dallas has won four of those conference-title showdowns, according to the Cowboys’ official “Trivia Thursday” history feature.

One early turning point came in the 1970 NFC Championship Game at San Francisco. The Cowboys player who totaled 167 yards from scrimmage in that conference title was Duane Thomas, per the team’s historical recap.

Defense also decided games in the rivalry. In the 1971 NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys’ George Andrie intercepted a 49ers pass in the second quarter, an early momentum swing the Cowboys’ recap ties to Dallas’ 14-3 win.

Playmaking swings show up later as well. In the 1992 NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys’ Alvin Harper had a 70-yard reception late in the fourth quarter that set up Dallas’ game-sealing touchdown, the Cowboys’ history notes.

The long list of shared Hall of Fame names is a major thread in this matchup. The Cowboys’ feature highlights Charles Haley, who was traded from San Francisco to Dallas just before the 1992 season and later won multiple Super Bowls with the Cowboys; it also points to Deion Sanders, whose 1994 season with the 49ers included interceptions returned for touchdowns, before Dallas signed him the following year and won a Super Bowl with him.

The Cowboys’ history also revisits how former 49ers and Cowboys stars crossed paths more than once, including Larry Allen (drafted by Dallas after coming from Sonoma State, then later finishing his career in San Francisco) and Terrell Owens, who originally starred for the 49ers in 2000 before joining Dallas six years later and surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in each of his three seasons with the team.