Dallas Cowboys

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Dallas Cowboys
Year founded: 1960
Image:Dallas Cowboys helmet rightface.png
Image:DallasCowboys 100.png
Helmet Logo
City Irving, Texas
Other nicknames The 'Boys, America's Team
Team colors Royal Blue, Navy Blue, Silver-Green, Silver, and White
Head Coach Bill Parcells
Owner Jerry Jones
General manager Jerry Jones
Mascot Rowdy [1]
League/Conference affiliations

National Football League (1960–present)

Team history
  • Dallas Cowboys (1960–present)
Championships
League Championships (5)

Conference Championships (10)
  • NFL Eastern: 1966, 1967
  • NFC: 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1995
Division Championships (18)
  • NFL Capitol: 1967, 1968, 1969
  • NFC East: 1970, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
Home fields

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area in North Texas. The team currently plays their home games in Irving, but they are scheduled to move to a new stadium in nearby Arlington in 2009.[2] The Cowboys are members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League, and joined the NFL as a 1960 expansion team. The team is sometimes referred to colloquially as America's Team due to its having a large fan base that lives outside its immediate local area. (The term itself is derived from the title of the team's 1979 NFL Films highlight film.) The team's national following might best be represented by its NFL record of consecutive games in front of sold out stadiums. The streak of 160 sold-out regular and post-season games began in 1990 and included 79 straight sellouts at Texas Stadium and 81 straight sell-outs on the road.

According to Forbes Magazine, the Cowboys are one of the most valuable sports teams in North America, with an estimated value of approximately $1.173 billion, behind the Washington Redskins ($1.423 billion) and the New England Patriots {$1.176 billion}. They are also one of the wealthiest teams in the NFL, generating almost $250 million in annual revenue.

The Cowboys are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NFL, holding the league records for most consecutive winning seasons (20, from 1966 to 1985) and most seasons with at least 10 wins (24). The team has earned the most postseason appearances (27, as of 2004, which includes another league record of 54 postseason games, winning 32 of them), the most appearances in the NFC Championship Game (14), and the most Super Bowl appearances (8), two more than any other NFL team. The Cowboys also played in 2 NFL championship games before the NFL-AFL merger. The Cowboys became the first team in NFL history to win 3 Super Bowls in just 4 years (a feat that has been matched only once since, by the New England Patriots). They are also tied with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers for having the most Super Bowl wins (5).

Most of the team's success occurred during a 30-year period from 1966 to 1996 when they qualified for the playoffs 24 times (80%), played in 14 NFC Championship Games (over half of all of the conference title games played), won 18 division titles, and took the field for 8 Super Bowls (over one quarter of all of the Super Bowl games held).

Contents

[edit] Franchise history

[edit] 1960s

Originally, the formation of an NFL expansion team in Texas was met with strong opposition by Washington Redskins owner, George Preston Marshall. Despite being located in the nation's capital, Marshall's Redskins had enjoyed a monopoly as the only NFL team to represent the Southern States of the US for several decades, so a new team in Texas was unwanted competition.[citation needed] This came as little surprise to would-be team owners, Clint Murchison, Jr. and Bedford Wynne, so to ensure the birth of their expansion team, the men bought the rights to the Redskins fight song, "Hail to the Redskins" and threatened to refuse to allow Marshall to play the song at games. Needing the song, which had become a staple for his "professional football team of Dixie", Marshall changed his mind, and the city of Dallas, Texas, was granted an NFL franchise on January 28 1960. This early confrontation between the two franchises no doubt triggered what would become one of the more significant rivalries in the NFL, which continues even to this day.

The team was first known as the Dallas Steers, then the Dallas Rangers before settling on the nickname the Cowboys for the 1960 season. The new Dallas owners, Murchison and Wynne, immediately hired Tex Schramm to be the general manager and Tom Landry to be the head coach. In the Cowboys' first season, they finished winless with a 0-11-1 record. The following year, the Cowboys made their first NFL draft selection, selecting Bob Lilly with the 13th pick in the draft. The year 1961 also saw the Cowboys' first victory, a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 17.

During the 1960s, the Cowboys continued to improve their team. Quarterback Don Meredith and running back Don Perkins joined the team and by 1966, the Cowboys had their first winning season (10-3-1; which began a record-setting streak of 20 straight winning seasons, unmatched by any other NFL team) and their first playoff appearance. Although the playoff game was a 34-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it marked the start of a record-setting eight consecutive playoff appearances. (The Cowboys would later match and extend that record, raising the bar to an NFL record 9 straight playoff appearances in 1983.) By the mid-60s, the Cowboys had become a powerful force in the NFL, sending eight players to the Pro Bowl including Cowboy legends: Bob Hayes, Chuck Howley, "Dandy" Don Meredith, Don Perkins, and future Pro Football Hall of Famers, Bob Lilly and Mel Renfro.

Similarly, the Cowboys were becoming an important part of the people of Dallas. The Cowboys competed for the affections of the people of Dallas with Lamar Hunt's Dallas Texans of the AFL. Although the Dallas Texans (in the AFL) had a far better record than the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, in 1963 the popularity of the Cowboys drove the Texans out of Dallas to Kansas City where they became the Kansas City Chiefs. By 1969, ground was being broken on a new stadium for the Cowboys to replace the Cotton Bowl. Texas Stadium in Irving, a Dallas County suburb, would be completed for the 1971 season.

Dallas' first appearance in the postseason was the 1966 NFL Championship Game after they won the Eastern Conference with a 10-3-1 regular season record, but they were defeated by the Green Bay Packers, 34-27. One year later, the Cowboys finished with a 9-5 record and had their first playoff victory: a 52-14 affair over the Cleveland Browns. They went on to face the Packers in the 1967 NFL Championship game, with the winner advancing to Super Bowl II. The game, which happened on December 31, 1967 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, turned out to be the coldest NFL game in history (about -13° F with a -40° wind chill). The Cowboys lost 21-17 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Packers quarterback Bart Starr. The game would later come to be known as the "Ice Bowl".

[edit] 1970s

In the 1970s, the NFL underwent many changes as it absorbed the AFL and became a unified league, but the Cowboys also underwent many changes. Meredith and Perkins retired in 1969 and many new players were joining the organization, like Cliff Harris, Lee Roy Jordan, and Dan Reeves, plus Pro Football Hall of Famers Rayfield Wright, Mike Ditka, Herb Adderly and Roger Staubach. Led by quarterback Craig Morton, the Cowboys made it to their first Super Bowl, a mistake-filled Super Bowl V, where they lost 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts courtesy of a field goal by Colts' kicker Jim O'Brien with five seconds remaining in the contest.

The Cowboys moved from the Cotton Bowl to Texas Stadium in week six of the 1971 season, but Dallas stumbled out of the gate by going 4-3 in the first half of the season, including losses to the mediocre New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. Landry named Staubach as the permanent starting quarterback to start the second half of the season, and Dallas was off and running. The Cowboys won their last seven regular season games before dispatching of the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs to return to the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl VI, behind an MVP performance from Staubach and 252 yards rushing, the Cowboys crushed the upstart Miami Dolphins, 24-3, to finally shake the moniker of "Next Year's Champions". That game remains (through February 2006) the only Super Bowl where a team has held their opponent without a touchdown.

The Cowboys were now beginning to grow in popularity not just in Dallas, but nationwide. Their televised appearances on Thanksgiving Day games beginning in 1966 helped bring the Cowboys to a nationwide audience. Under Coach Landry, the so-called "Doomsday Defense" became a powerful and dominating force in the NFL and their offense was also exciting to watch.

The Cowboys faltered slightly in 1974, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years. However, the Cowboys drafted well following the season, adding new legends like future Hall of Famer Randy White and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. The fresh influx of talent helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl X, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-17. But the Cowboys would again taste Super Bowl victory, defeating the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. Bob Ryan, an NFL films editor, would dub the Cowboys "America's Team" following this season, a nickname that has earned derision from non-Cowboys fans but has stuck through both good times and bad.

The glory days of the Cowboys in the 1970s were coming to an end. They would reach one final Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIII, losing once again at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31, despite a last-minute effort by Staubach which failed. Staubach retired following the 1979 season.

[edit] 1980s

While the Cowboys would return to the playoffs 5 times and win 2 Division Championships, the team failed to claim a single Conference Championship in the 1980s and would not return to the Super Bowl during that decade.

In the 1981 NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers on a touchdown pass from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in the final minute of play. Clark's famous leap in the end zone would come to be known as "The Catch" and represented a changing of the guard in the NFC from the dominant Cowboys teams of the 1970s to the dominant 49ers teams of the 1980s.

In 1984, H.R. "Bum" Bright purchased the Dallas Cowboys from Murchison, but following seasons that were getting progressively worse (1985: 10-6; 1986: 7-9; 1987: 7-8; 1988: 3-13), Bright sold the Cowboys to Jerry Jones on February 25, 1989. Jones promptly fired Tom Landry, the only coach the Cowboys had ever known, and replaced him with University of Miami head coach, Jimmy Johnson. With the first pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman (yet another future Hall of Fame inductee) and traded away veteran running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for five veteran players and eight draft choices. The Cowboys finished the 1989 season with a 1-15 record, the worst record since the team's inception, but the foundations for the Cowboys' return to glory had been set.

[edit] 1990s

In 1990, the Cowboys drafted running back Emmitt Smith out of the University of Florida with the 17th overall pick in the first round, and the trifecta of quarterback Aikman, running back Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin was now set. The Cowboys finished 7-9, but Smith was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year and Johnson was selected as Coach of the Year. By 1991, the Cowboys finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time in six years.

In 1992, the Cowboys finished with a 13-3 record (second best in the league) and finally avenged their 1981 NFC Championship Game loss to San Francisco by defeating the 49ers in the conference title game, 30-20, in a muddy Candlestick Park. The Cowboys went on to crush the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, 52-17, forcing a Super Bowl record 9 turnovers. Coach Johnson became the first coach to claim a National Championship in college football and a Super Bowl victory in professional football. The following season, the Cowboys finished with 12-4, again defeating the 49ers in the NFC Championship, only this time at Texas Stadium, and again defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13. The Cowboys sent an NFL record 11 players to the Pro Bowl: Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Thomas Everett, Daryl Johnston, Russell Maryland, Nate Newton, Ken Norton Jr, Jay Novacek, Mark Stepnoski and Erik Williams.

However, Johnson and owner Jerry Jones had a falling out, so Johnson left the organization prior to the 1994 season. Jones hired former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer to be the team's new head coach. The Cowboys would finish 12-4, but failed to win a consecutive third Super Bowl in a loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 38-28. In 1995, Jones lured All-Pro Cornerback Deion Sanders away from San Francisco and Dallas once again posted a 12-4 regular season record. The Cowboys won their fourth straight Division Championship (17th total) and advanced to their 8th NFC Championship title by defeating the Green Bay Packers at Texas Stadium, 38-27. The Cowboys eventually defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17 at Sun Devil Stadium, in Super Bowl XXX, getting revenge against the Steelers for the two four-point losses in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII.

However, the glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to dim as free agency, age, and injuries began taking their toll. The Cowboys went 6-10 in 1997, with discipline and off-field problems becoming major distractions. As a result, Switzer resigned as head coach in January of 1998 and former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take his place. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998, but was let go after an 8-8 playoff season in 1999, becoming the first Cowboys coach who did not win a Super Bowl.

[edit] 2000s

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons, with his fate likely being sealed by an opening day loss in 2002 to the brand-new Houston Texans. Many fans and media were beginning to blame Jerry Jones for the team's ills, noting that he refused to hire a strong coach, preferring to hire coaches who didn't want to be involved with personnel duties so that Jones himself could manage them.

However, Jones proved them wrong in 2003 by luring Bill Parcells out of retirement to coach the Cowboys. The Cowboys became the surprise team of the 2003 season, posting a 10-6 record and a playoff berth with the best overall defense in the NFL. However, the 2004 season was one of turmoil. Injuries and persistent penalty problems hobbled the Cowboys, but a preseason quarterback controversy also caused trouble when starting quarterback Quincy Carter was suddenly released for alleged drug use in favor of 40-year-old veteran Vinny Testaverde, brought to the Cowboys from the New York Jets by his former coach, Parcells, in the off-season. The Cowboys started strong, with victories over the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, but quickly fell off to a 3-5 record by midseason, finishing the season 6-10.

In November of 2004, a vote was passed by the City of Arlington in Tarrant County to build a new stadium adjacent to the existing Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The team will begin playing at the new site in 2009 after thirty-eight years playing in the City of Irving, and forty-nine years in Dallas County.

The Cowboys improved their defense before the 2005-2006 season with the additions of first round draft picks Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears. Parcells drafted these two in the hopes of jumpstarting the team's transition from the traditional 4-3 defense to his preferred 3-4 defense, which he believes favors the talents of the current lineup (speed and athleticism over power). Jerry Jones also added a number of savvy veteran players, acquiring nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Anthony Henry via free agency. On offense, the Cowboys felt the need to upgrade their passing game to complement their top 2004 draft pick, running back Julius Jones, acquiring both quarterback Drew Bledsoe and wide receiver Peerless Price via free agency. Bledsoe had a solid year and gave the Cowboys stability at the QB position,as Dallas has had problems at this position ever since Troy Aikman retired. Price battled injuries and a lack of playing time, and Price was released at the end of the 2005 season. The Cowboys finished an up-and-down 2005 season with a 9-7 record, and in 3rd place in the NFC East.

[edit] 2006 season

The 2006 season so far has been up and down. The Cowboys entered the season with high hopes but got off to a mediocre 3-2 start. Then came the important Monday Night Football game against division rivals, the New York Giants, during which the Cowboys suffered a tough 36-22 loss despite "a changing of guard" at the QB position. After that game, and with the next three games on the road, speculation grew that the Giants would run away with the division for a second straight year. The Cowboy's chance to challenge that belief fizzled when they also lost to the Washington Redskins at Fedex Field thanks to a last second field goal. However, the Giants entered a slump, and the Cowboys new QB has proven to be one of the biggest successes. Tony Romo has revitalized the Cowboys, with a 27-10 win over the Cardinals, a well-earned (21-14) victory over the previously unbeaten Colts, and a thorough routing of Tampa Bay (38-10) on Thanksgiving Day. During that home game, Romo would solidify his position as QB and hush any remaining skeptics by throwing 22-of-29 for 306 yards plus an amazing 5 touchdowns (tying a franchise record held by NFL Hall of Famer, former Cowboys QB Troy Aikman). The win gives the Cowboys a 7-4 record and moves them into lead over the Giants by one game. With records for the Redskins and Eagles slipping as well in the division race, it appears to be between the Giants and Cowboys, and the rivals will meet again this season on Dec. 3rd.

Further information: 2006 Dallas Cowboys season

[edit] Logo and uniforms

Image:Dalcowboys.jpg
Dallas Cowboys current home uniform (bottom) and away uniform (top).

When the Dallas Cowboys debuted in 1960, the team's logo was a simple blue star adorned atop white helmets. The team wore blue jerseys with white sleeves and a small white star on each shoulder for home games and the negative opposite for away games. Their socks also had two horizontal stripes overlapping the blue.

In 1964, the logo would later be modified to include a white border outlining the blue star and in 1967 the team changed the star once more by making the white a pinstripe. This would be the team's present logo to this day.

In 1965, the Cowboys opted for more of a simple look and changed their jerseys/socks to one solid color with three horizontal stripes on the sleeves. A year later in 1966, the team narrowed the stripes to two per sleeve/sock and this version of the uniform has seen little change to this present day. The only notable changes in the last 40 years to the jerseys were from 1970-1973 when the "T.V." numbers were moved from the shoulders to the sleeves above the stripes and the 1996 the addition of the word "Cowboys" in the center of the neckline which lasted until 1998 on the white jerseys but currently remains on the dark ones.

The Cowboys were the first NFL team to primarily wear their white jerseys at home, as it was an unofficial rule that teams wear their colored jerseys at home. This tradition started in the 1960s by then-general manager Tex Schramm, who wanted fans to see a variety of opponents' colors at home games. [3] Since then, two other NFL teams, the Dolphins and the Redskins, have adopted the practice of wearing their white jerseys at home. Throughout the years, it is a popular Cowboys superstition that the blue jerseys have been viewed to be "jinxed" because the Boys' often seem to lose when they wear them.[citation needed] As with NFL rules, the home team picks what color jerseys they want to wear and with most teams wearing their dark jerseys at home, the Cowboys will often be seen in their whites. There have been some seasons where the team has only worn the dark jerseys once. But on occasions to possibly play on the superstition, opposing teams will purposely wear their white jerseys at home to try and jinx the Cowboys. But those that do not buy into the myth, believe it is more likely due to the hot climates in the opposing teams respective cities.

The Cowboys have lost the following playoff games when wearing their dark jerseys:

Currently, the white "home" jerseys have royal blue solid socks, numbers, lettering, and two stripes on the sleeves outlined in black. The "home" pants according to the Dallas Cowboys official Media Guide are a unique metallic silver-green color which helps to further bring out the blue in the uniforms. The navy "away" jerseys (nicknamed the "Stars and Stripes" jersey) have white lettering and numbers with navy pinstripes. A white/gray/white stripe are on each sleeve as well as the collared V-neck and Cowboys star logo was placed upon the stripes. The "away" pants are a pearlish silver-color and like the "home" pants, enhance the navy in the uniforms. The Cowboys use a serifed font for the lettered player surnames on the jersey nameplates.

The changes to the Cowboys dark jerseys over the years are numerous compared to the white ones. Some of the most notable are:

  • The original royal blue color as opposed to the darker shade of navy worn today.
  • The numbers and stripes were changed from solid white to silver with white borders in 1981.
  • The solid blue V-neck collar.

The team's helmet has remained the same since 1964, in that the Cowboys star logo is emblazoned on each side and three vertical blue/white/blue stripes are placed down the middle of the crown. During the 1976 season, the team honored the United States Bicentennial by having the centerstripes down their helmets be red, white, and blue. The color of the helmet has changed over the years from a solid silver, similar to the Oakland Raiders, to a more metallic silver-blue tint, referred to as "Cowboys blue". The Dallas Cowboys are the only team that place blue Dymo tape imprinted with player names or surnames on the white stripe in back of the helmet.

On a November 24 1994 Thanksgiving day game against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas unveiled a white alternate jersey entitled the "Double-Star". This jersey was somewhat a more modern version of the 1960-63 jerseys and displayed a giant Cowboy star on each shoulder, representing the team's back-to-back championships in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII during the previous two seasons. It featured a white torso with royal blue sleeves, lettering, and numbers with a white pinstripe. This design was also one of the first jerseys to have a chest crest with the word "Cowboys" under the Cowboys star logo. The silver "away" pants and socks were worn with this jersey. The Double-Star jerseys were later worn during the December 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the December 19 Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, the December 24 contest versus the New York Giants, and throughout the 1994 season playoffs. Traditional Cowboy fans shunned the "Double-Star", but due to its unofficial retirement and rarity, it arguably remains one of the most popular and highly sought after jerseys in the NFL.[citation needed] A version of the "Double-Star" was seen in the 1994 film Little Giants featuring solid blue colored pants with a giant star on each hip, but it was never actually used by the Dallas Cowboys.

At the time, the NFL scrutinized Jerry Jones for having three jerseys as their rule only allowed each team to wear two jerseys during the season, a white and a dark (Ironically, off of their Thanksgiving Throwback weekend promotion several years later, the league allowed all teams to don a "3rd" jersey of any color in their color pallete). Therefore, for the following 1995 season the Cowboys reverted back to their traditional whites, but wore navy versions of the Double-Star instead of their normal blue jerseys. In 1996 the Cowboys unveiled the "Stars and Stripes" jersey and it has been a fixture ever since. The navy Double-Star jerseys were not seen again until Thanksgiving games against the Denver Broncos in 2001, the Washington Redskins in 2002, and the Miami Dolphins in 2003.

In the 2004 season, the Cowboys revived their 1962 throwback uniforms featuring white helmets and pants for their Thanksgiving showdown against the Chicago Bears. The 1962 uniforms became the team's alternate jersey in 2005, as they wore them during a September 19 Monday night game against Washington as well as another Thanksgiving game against Denver. In 2006, the team thus far has worn them in one preseason game and against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thanksgiving Day.

[edit] Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

Season W L T Finish Playoff Results
1960 0 11 1 7th West --
1961 4 9 1 6th East --
1962 5 8 1 5th East --
1963 4 10 0 5th East --
1964 5 8 1 5th East --
1965 7 7 0 2nd East --
1966 10 3 1 1st East Lost NFL Championship Game (Packers)
1967 9 5 0 1st Capitol Won Divisional Playoffs (Browns)
Lost NFL Championship Game (Packers)
1968 12 2 0 1st Capitol Lost Divisional Playoffs (Browns)
1969 11 2 1 1st Capitol Lost Divisional Playoffs (Browns)
1970 10 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Lions)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Lost Super Bowl V (B. Colts)
1971 11 3 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Won Super Bowl VI (Dolphins)
1972 10 4 0 2nd NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (49ers)
Lost Conference Championship (Redskins)
1973 10 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
Lost Conference Championship (Vikings)
1974 8 6 0 3rd NFC East --
1975 10 4 0 2nd NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (L.A. Rams)
Lost Super Bowl X (Steelers)
1976 11 3 0 1st NFC East Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
1977 12 2 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears)
Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Super Bowl XII (Broncos)
1978 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons)
Won Conference Championship (L.A. Rams)
Lost Super Bowl XIII (Steelers)
1979 11 5 0 1st NFC East Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
1980 12 4 0 2nd NFC East Won Wild Card Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons)
Lost Conference Championship (Eagles)
1981 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Buccaneers)
Lost Conference Championship (49ers)
1982 6 3 0 2nd NFC Conf. Won First Round (Buccaneers)
Won Second Round (Packers)
Lost Conference Championship (Redskins)
1983 12 4 0 2nd NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
1984 9 7 0 4th NFC East --
1985 10 6 0 1st NFC East Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
1986 7 9 0 3rd NFC East --
1987 7 8 0 4th NFC East --
1988 3 13 0 5th NFC East --
1989 1 15 0 5th NFC East --
1990 7 9 0 4th NFC East --
1991 11 5 0 2nd NFC East Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bears)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Lions)
1992 13 3 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Won Super Bowl XXVII (Bills)
1993 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Won Super Bowl XXVIII (Bills)
1994 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers)
Lost Conference Championship (49ers)
1995 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles)
Won Conference Championship (Packers)
Won Super Bowl XXX (Steelers)
1996 10 6 0 1st NFC East Won Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Panthers)
1997 6 10 0 4th NFC East --
1998 10 6 0 1st NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Cardinals)
1999 8 8 0 2nd NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings)
2000 5 11 0 4th NFC East --
2001 5 11 0 5th NFC East --
2002 5 11 0 4th NFC East --
2003 10 6 0 2nd NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Panthers)
2004 6 10 0 3rd NFC East --
2005 9 7 0 3rd NFC East --
*2006 8 4 0 1st NFC East --
Totals 429 316 6 (1960-2005, including NFL playoffs)

* = Current Standing

[edit] Players of note

[edit] Current players

 

view • talk • edit</span> 

DEPTH CHART

Quarterbacks


Running backs

Receivers


 

Offensive line

Linebackers


 

Defensive backs


Defensive line


Special Teams


 

Practice squad


Injured reserve


Physically unable to perform

  • (to come)


[edit] Pro Football Hall of Famers


Due to the rich history of the Cowboys from the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s, one would assume that the Cowboys would have a large number of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, they do not. Many have raised strong arguments asking why many Cowboys legends have been snubbed by the Hall's induction committee, especially those who played during the decade of the 1970s. On the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 1970s all-decade team (selected by the same group as the one charged with picking the inductees), there are six Dallas Cowboys (Drew Pearson, Rayfield Wright, Roger Staubach, Harvey Martin, Bob Lilly, and Cliff Harris) and eight Pittsburgh Steelers (Lynn Swann, Mike Webster, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, LC Greenwood, Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert)*. Of those, only three Cowboys have been inducted (Wright, Staubach and Lilly) versus seven Steelers (all but Greenwood). Not including the two kickers and one punter on the team, the three Cowboys are among only eleven players on the forty-five man roster not in the Hall.

Others point out that many of the teams ahead of Dallas in number of inductees have been around much longer. The top five teams (the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins, respectively) were all founded in 1933 or before. The Cowboys were founded in 1960. Others argue that the defensive players for the Cowboys in the 1970s operated under an ingenious system devised by Head Coach Tom Landry (see above) which inflated the public's perception of their supposed skill. The debate over an anti-Cowboys bias still rages today. [4][5]

(*)The NFL does not officially identify players with the team with whom they played most of their career. All teams for whom a player played are recognized equally.

(**)Numbers do not include players who played a minority of their career with the Cowboys or other teams. For example, Lance Alworth played for the San Diego Chargers from 1962-1970, and with the Cowboys from 1971-1972. He is not included in the nine for the Cowboys, nor is Mike Ditka, who played for 8 years with the Bears and Eagles before ending his career with a four-year stint with the Cowboys.

[edit] Super Bowl MVPs

Although the Cowboys are tied with the 49ers and Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories with 5, Dallas actually holds the record for the most Super Bowl MVPs with 7:

1) Linebacker Chuck Howley - Super Bowl V

Howley was named the MVP for Super Bowl V despite the Cowboys' loss to the Baltimore Colts. He is the only member of a losing team to win the award. In recording two interceptions and a fumble recovery during the game, Howley was the first defensive player to win the honor.

2) Quarterback Roger Staubach - Super Bowl VI

Staubach became the fifth quarterback overall to be awarded the MVP trophy after Dallas' win over the Miami Dolphins. He completed 12 out of 19 passes for 119 yards, threw 2 touchdown passes, and rushed 5 times for 18 yards.

3) and 4) (Tie) Defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin - Super Bowl XII

Super Bowl XII marked the first time that two players won MVP honors. White and Martin, who helped the Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos, became the first defensive linemen to win the award.

5) Quarterback Troy Aikman - Super Bowl XXVII

Aikman became the second Cowboys quarterback to earn the MVP honor as he led the Cowboys to victory against the Buffalo Bills. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns, while also rushing for 28 yards.

6) Running back Emmitt Smith - Super Bowl XXVIII

Smith's 30 carries for 132 yards, 4 receptions for 26 yards, and two touchdowns led Dallas to a victory over the Buffalo Bills. In that same year, Smith became the first player to win the NFL rushing title (i.e. lead the league in rushing), the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and Super Bowl MVP all in one season.

7) Cornerback Larry Brown - Super Bowl XXX

Brown became the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP, recording two interceptions for a total of 77 return yards in . The Cowboys sealed the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers by converting both of Brown's interceptions into touchdowns.

[edit] Retired numbers/"Ring of Honor"

Unlike many NFL teams, the Cowboys do not retire jersey numbers of past standouts as a matter of policy. Instead, the team has a "Ring of Honor", which is on permanent display encircling the field at Texas Stadium in Irving. The first inductee was Bob Lilly in 1975 and by 2005, the hallowed ring contained 17 names, all former Dallas players except for one head coach and one general manager/president.

However, some numbers of retired players, such as Roger Staubach #12 and Bob Lilly # 74, are unofficially kept "active" to prevent them from being worn by current or future players. Troy Aikman #8, and Emmitt Smith #22, are other examples of this unofficial "rule."

The most recent inductees were: Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, known as "The Triplets". The Cowboys waited until Smith had retired as a player before inducting Aikman and Irvin, so all three could be inducted together, which occurred during half time at a Monday Night Football home game against the arch-rival Washington Redskins on September 19, 2005.

Although the team doesn't officially retire jersey numbers, in the 2005 season, the numbers of "Ring of Honor" inductees Aikman (8), Staubach (12), Meredith (17), Hayes and Smith (22), Perkins and Harris (43) and Lilly (74) were not being worn by any Cowboys player.

[edit] Other notable alumni

The following is a list of players who also made valuable contributions to the Dallas Cowboys, but are not in either the Pro Football Hall of Fame or the Ring of Honor:


[edit] Head coaches

The following table shows each coach's record while with the Cowboys. (Since some coached other NFL teams, their overall record may differ.)

1960-1988 Tom Landry (270-178-6) Ranked 3rd All-Time (5 Super Bowl appearances, 2 victories) 20 Straight winning seasons.
1989-1993 Jimmy Johnson (51-37) (2 Super Bowl appearances, 2 victories)
1994-1997 Barry Switzer (45-26) (1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 victory)
1998-1999 Chan Gailey (18-14)
2000-2002 Dave Campo (15-33)
2003-Present Bill Parcells (25-23)

[edit] Current Staff

[edit] Broadcasters

The Cowboys franchise has a rich history of producing well-known sportscasters over the years: the most famous of which is Verne Lundquist, who served as voice of the Cowboys from 1972 until 1984. Bill Mercer and Frank Glieber also were Cowboys announcers from the early days of the organization until Lundquist's arrival as a color analyst. Verne's new analyst, Brad Sham, joined him in 1977, became the new play-by-play announcer in 1984 and has been with the Cowboys ever since, except for a three-year hiatus between 1995 and 1998 (when Dave Garrett was the play-by-play announcer). 2006 will be Brad Sham's 27th year with the organization; 19 of those years as play-by-play announcer. Charlie Waters is the color analyst, and Kristi Scales is the sideline reporter. Brad also does double-duty as a play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports' coverage on the NFL on days when the Cowboys do not play on a Sunday.

The Cowboys Radio Network for many years was on KRLD, 103.5 KVIL and then on 98.7 KLUV-FM. Starting in 2006, Cowboys games will be heard on 1310 The Ticket KTCK-AM and 93.3 The Bone KDBN-FM. It was confirmed that Brad Sham and Kristi Scales were to return, however Babe Laufenberg was not retained, On May 4, 2006, The Cowboys announced former safety Charlie Waters would be taking over the color commentary duties.[6] Waters previously worked with Sham in 1979 when he missed much of the season due to an injury, including the famous Redskins-Cowboys game in which the Cowboys rallied from a 34-21 deficit to win the game in the final five minutes of the contest with two unanswered touchdowns.

Additionally, several former players and coaches for the Dallas Cowboys picked up the broadcast microphone:

  • Don Meredith - became a color commentator for ABC's Monday Night Football beginning in 1970. For years, he was paired alongside Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell. Meredith retired from sportscasting after the 1984 season, one year after Cosell's retirement.
  • Drew Pearson - has worked exclusively as a sportscaster for such networks as CBS and HBO since his retirement in 1983. He currently hosts the KLUV Dallas Cowboys post-game show.
  • Daryl Johnston - aka "Moose" is a color commentator for the NFL on Fox telecasts, teaming with Dick Stockton and Tony Siragusa on the sidelines.
  • Troy Aikman - joined Fox's NFC telecasts as a color commentator for the 2001 season. A year later, he was named to the network's lead announcing crew, teaming with Joe Buck and Cris Collinsworth. Aikman received an Emmy Award nomination for his television work in 2004, and worked Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX in January of 2005. Aikman also hosts a weekly sports radio show which airs on Thursday from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. ET on Sporting News Radio.
  • Michael Irvin - co-hosted NBC Sports studio coverage of Arena Football League games in 2003. He now co-anchors the widely-viewed Sunday football pre-game show Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown on ESPN.
  • Emmitt Smith - signed on to serve as a studio analyst on the NFL Network show, NFL Total Access in August 2005.
  • Deion Sanders - worked as a sports pre-game commentator for CBS' The NFL Today after retiring from the NFL in 2001. He remained with CBS until 2004 when contract negotiations failed. Sanders frequently made guest appearances on ESPN, especially on the ESPN Radio Dallas affiliate, and briefly hosted a show called The New American Sportsman. In 2004, he returned to professional football, playing for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring again after the 2005 season. He has returned the broadcasting working as an analyst for the NFL Network on NFL GameDay.
  • Jimmy Johnson - became a TV analyst for Fox Sports after retiring from coaching in 1999, and (as of 2005) he is part of their pregame show.
  • Butch Davis - after a stint as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, the former Defensive Coordinator and coach of the Dallas Cowboys Defensive Line is seen on NFL Playbook, an NFL Network program.
  • Darren Woodson - worked as a color analyst for two NFL Europe games in the summer of 2004, before signing on as an occasional studio analyst with ESPN.
  • James Washington - co-host of one of fastest growing Sports Talk Radio programs (Out of Bounds) available on Fox Sports Radio

[edit] Notable moments

Image:Unbalanced scales.svg
The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.
The following is a selected list of memorable Cowboys games

January 17, 1971, Super Bowl V vs. Baltimore Colts

Linebacker Chuck Howley is named Super Bowl MVP, despite the Cowboys losing to the Colts 16-13. It was the first time a defensive player was named Most Valuable Player, and the only time the MVP came from the losing team.

December 28, 1975, at Minnesota Vikings, NFC Divisional Playoff Game

The term Hail Mary pass first came to national awareness with this game. With 24 seconds left in the game, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, nicknamed "Captain Comeback", threw a desperate 50-yard winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson to defeat the Vikings, 17-14. Though Staubach didn't coin the term "Hail Mary pass", he is credited with making the expression popular.

January 3, 1983, at Minnesota Vikings

Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett sets an NFL record for the longest run from scrimmage with a 99-yard touchdown. Oddly, the Cowboys only had 10 players on the field at the time. The Vikings however won the game 31-27.

January 31, 1993, vs. Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVII

With the Cowboys holding an insurmountable 52-17 lead late in the fourth quarter, Dallas defensive lineman Leon Lett picked up a Bills fumble and appeared to be headed for a 64-yard touchdown. As Lett started to showboat just before crossing the goal line, Buffalo receiver Don Beebe raced in and knocked the ball into the end zone. The ball then rolled out of bounds for a touchback. Had Lett scored, the Cowboys would have broken the record for most points scored in a Super Bowl (the San Francisco 49ers hold that record with 55 points in Super Bowl XXIV).

November 25, 1993, vs. Miami Dolphins

On the day of the annual Thanksgiving Classic (the Detroit Lions also play every Thanksgiving), the city of Dallas would be hit with the 4th coldest weather in the town's history, causing the city $50 million worth of damage and two deaths in Dallas County.[7]
Dallas County was ill-prepared for the sudden freeze, and Texas Stadium even more so. Originally designed to be a domed roof, the prototype was too costly, leaving a hole in the middle. Though patrons of the stadium were covered, the playing field was not. [8] Before the game, a mini-bulldozer had to scrape ice off the frozen AstroTurf. The temperature with 32 degrees; the wind chill in single digits, and ice and snow continued to pour into the stadium's roof. "It was so bad that we might as well have worn ice skates," said running back Emmitt Smith, who became the 4th all-time rusher that day, surpassing 5,000 yards despite a game-ending injury the week before. On the other side, Steve DeBerg, Miami's 3rd string quarterback, was sent into the starting lineup due to injuries to the first and second string quarterbacks.
After a 77-yard touchdown run, Miami running back Keith Byars flopped down in the end zone and celebrated by making snow angels. Not to be outdone, speedy wide receiver and return man Kevin Williams returned a 64-yard punt and was able to slide the last ten yards into the end zone, with one arm in the air in a mock split, keeping his knee off the turf the entire time. The press dubbed it as the Statue of Liberty play.
Trailing 14-13 with 15 seconds left in the game, Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich attempted a 41-yard field goal. But the ball was tipped by defensive lineman Jimmie Jones and spun forward toward the Cowboys' end zone. Players from both teams stayed away from the ball, because a blocked field goal is usually ignored according to the rule book. But Lett tried to jump on the ball, and instead slid on the slick field, grazing the ball, and thus making it a live ball (i.e. a fumble). Jeff Dellenbach of the Dolphins recovered the ball at the 2-yard line, and Stoyanovich then kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired, and Miami won 16-14.

January 2, 1994, at New York Giants

In the final game of the regular season, running back Emmitt Smith rushed for 168 yards, including 41 of them in the game-winning overtime drive, despite suffering a severely 2nd degree separated shoulder in the first half of the game. After the 16-13 Cowboys victory, former Hall of Fame coach and sports broadcaster John Madden would visit Smith in the Cowboys' locker room – the only time Madden ever visited a player as a commentator.

November 18, 1996, vs. Green Bay Packers

Kicker Chris Boniol scores seven field goals, tying the NFL record for most field goals in a single game. Seven years later on September 15, 2003, Dallas kicker Billy Cundiff would tie that record against the Giants. The two kickers they tied were Jim Bakken (St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, September 24, 1967) and Rich Karlis (Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams, November 5, 1989). [9]

September 24, 2000, vs. San Francisco 49ers

Best known as the "Star Incident", 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens celebrated his two touchdowns against the Cowboys by running to the center of Texas Stadium. The first TD by holding his hands out to the heavens and the second by slamming the ball into the Cowboys star logo just before [10] Dallas safety George Teague caught up with Owens and blasted him off of the star, leading to a near midfield brawl by both teams and Teague's ejection from the game. In between Owens' two touchdowns, Emmitt Smith scored a TD of his own, ran and kneeled onto the star himself, slammed the ball down, and stared down the 49ers bench yelling "This is our house!!". This lead to the popular "Defend the Star" slogan used for Emmitt Smith's rush for the record in 2002. However, the 49ers won the game, 41-24. and the NFL fined Smith, Teague and Owens for their actions in the game. 49ers coach Steve Mariucci also suspended Owens for a week, docking him a week's pay.
In a rematch on December 31 2001 between the two teams that saw the Cowboys exact revenge on their most hated rival, Teague broke up a pass to Owens in the end zone, then flung Owens to the turf. The Cowboys won, 27-21.

September 19, 2005, vs. Washington Redskins

Three former Cowboys were picked to be placed in the Ring of Honor in 2005 - running back Emmitt Smith (1990-2002), wide receiver Michael Irvin (1988-1999), and quarterback Troy Aikman (1989-2000). Known throughout the league as "The Triplets", they were the backbone of a team that would win three Super Bowls in 4 years. The trifecta became the first players from the Jerry Jones era to be placed into the Ring. "When you look at what each of these men did for those teams that became the best in the NFL," said Jones, "and how they complimented each other, it's fitting that Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith are going in the Ring of Honor together".
Irvin, Smith and Aikman were honored during halftime, where the Cowboys enjoyed a comfortable lead over the Redskins in the 2005 season opener. It appeared that Dallas was going to get a shutout, leading 13-0 with 5:58 left in the game. But on a fourth-and-15 drive from the Dallas 39, quarterback Mark Brunell would throw to Santana Moss, who caught the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Solid defense plus a penalty against Flozell Adams put the ball back in Washington's hands. Again, Brunell would find Moss - this time, for a 70-yard touchdown pass. Dallas got the ball back, but couldn't penetrate Washington's defense.
Until that game, Washington hadn't won in Texas Stadium since 1995 and lost 14 of the last 15 meetups with Dallas; Parcells hadn't given up a 13-point lead in 58 games, while Washington had lost 25 consecutive games when they were behind in the 3rd quarter.
The teams would meet again on December 18 at FedEx Field - this time, for a spot in the [NFC East] Wild Card game. In what was called "Washington's most one-sided victory in the 45-year history of the rivalry", the Redskins defeated the Cowboys, 35-7. Though the teams had the same record at the end of the game (8-6), Washington would get the go-ahead because they'd beaten Dallas twice.

November 19, 2006, vs. Indianapolis Colts

In Tony Romo's first home NFL start, the Dallas Cowboys beat the previously undefeated 9-0 Indianapolis Colts 21-14 in what owner Jerry Jones said was the best win in at least 8-10 years [11]. Romo led the Cowboys on two fourth quarter touchdown drives to beat the Colts. This game was a major morale boost for the Dallas Cowboys, and may be the biggest step to greatness since the 1990's Cowboys dynasty.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links