Dallas Cowboys
| Year founded: 1960 |
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| City |
Irving, Texas |
| Other nicknames |
The 'Boys |
| Team colors |
Royal Blue, Metallic Silver, Blue, and White |
| Head Coach |
Bill Parcells |
| Owner |
Jerry Jones |
| General manager |
Jerry Jones |
| Fight song |
None |
| Mascot |
Rowdy [2] |
| Local radio |
| Flagship stations: KLUV (98.7 FM) |
| Announcers: Babe Laufenberg, Kristi Scales, and Brad Sham |
| League/Conference affiliations |
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National Football League (1960-present)
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| Team history |
- Dallas Cowboys (1960-present)
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| League titles |
| League Championships (5)
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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
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| Home fields |
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The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area, and play their home games in the suburb of Irving. They currently belong to the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Cowboys 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 fanbase 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 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) and the most Super Bowl appearances (8). 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), and are tied with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers for having the most of Super Bowl wins (5).
Franchise history
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. 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 tune, 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 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. For their first years, the Cowboys were always playing second fiddle to Lamar Hunt's Dallas Texans of the AFL because the Texans were the more established team and had the better record. But in 1963 when the Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cowboys became the only professional football draw in town. 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. Since they didn't leave Dallas County, there were no moves to change the name of the team.
In 1967, 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 Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship game. The game, which happened on December 31, 1967 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, turned out to be one of the coldest NFL games on record (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."
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, Rayfield Wright, Dan Reeves, plus Pro Football Hall of Famers Mike Ditka 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 as time expired. However, the disappointing Super Bowl loss was made up for the next year when the Cowboys, led by Staubach, won their first NFL Championship in 1971, Super Bowl VI, a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
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 Tom 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 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. Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season (replaced by punter Danny White, who did double-duty as quarterback and punter for a few years) and the Cowboys' stardom seemed to fade in the NFL.
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 80's 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. This also led to the retirement of quarterback-punter Danny White, who (like Roger Staubach) worked closely with Landry. With the first pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected quarterback Troy Aikman 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.
1990s
In 1990, the Cowboys drafted running back Emmitt Smith and the trifecta of Aikman, 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 Jimmy 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 13-3 (second best in the league) and exacted their revenge on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 30-20. The Cowboys went on to defeat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, 52-17. Jimmy 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 went 12-4, again defeating the 49ers in the NFC Championship and again defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, this time by a margin of 30-13. The Cowboys sent an NFL record 11 players to the Pro Bowl: Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Thomas Everett, Daryl Johnston, Russell Maryland, Nate Newton, Ken Norton Jr, Jay Novacek, Mark Stepnoski and Erik Williams.
However, Jimmy Johnson and 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 lost in the NFC Championship game to the 49ers, 38-28. However, another 12-4 season in 1995 would earn the Cowboys a fourth straight Division Championship (17th total) and send the Cowboys to the playoffs once more where they claimed their 8th NFC Championship title by defeating the Green Bay Packers, 38-27. The Cowboys eventually defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 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 and injuries began taking their toll. The Cowboys went 6-10 in 1997, with discipline and off-field problems becoming major distractions, and in January of 1998, Switzer resigned. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take over head coaching duties. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998, but was let go after an 8-8 season in 1999.
2000s to present
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 expansion 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 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 Quincy Carter was suddenly terminated for drug use in favor of 40-year-old veteran Vinny Testaverde, brought to the Cowboys from the New York Jets by his former coach in the off-season. The Cowboys started strong, with victories against 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 deadline for either the City of Arlington or the Dallas Cowboys to back out of the deal for the new stadium has passed. 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 the entire 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 a 3-4 defense, which he believes favors the talents (speed and athleticism over power) of the current lineup. Jerry Jones also added a number of savvy veteran players, acquiring nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Anthony Henry via free agency, and linebacker Scott Fujita via the Kansas City Chiefs. 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. (Price's contribution to the team was meager, and he was released at the end of the 2005 season.) During his tenure, Parcells has made a point of signing players that have played for him in the past, including Bledsoe and wide receiver Terry Glenn (both with the Patriots); cornerback Aaron Glenn, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and fullback Richie Anderson (all with the Jets; Anderson is no longer with the Cowboys).
The Cowboys finished an up-and-down 2005 season with a 9-7 record, and in 3rd place in the NFC East. On March 18, 2006, the Cowboys announced the signing of highly controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens, who found himself out of a job after essentially getting kicked off the last two teams he played for (the 49ers and Eagles) due to what can basically be described as extreme insubordination. It is thought that only someone like Parcells could control Owens.
Logo and uniforms
When the Cowboys debuted in 1960, the team's logo was a simple blue star. The team wore blue jerseys with white sleeves and giant stars on their shoulders. They also wore white helmets with the blue star logo.
Dallas started to use their current logo and uniform design in 1964. The star logo now also includes a white border. The uniform design consists of silver pants, silver helmets, and either white jerseys or blue jerseys. The white jerseys have royal blue numbers and lettering. The colored jerseys feature a darker shade of blue as background (similar to that of the star logo) with white numbers and lettering.
Although the white jerseys have remained the same since 1964, the blue jerseys have received minor modifications. Silver numbers appeared on the blue jerseys in 1981 and the Cowboys logo was added to the sleeves in 1996.
In 1994, the team introduced an alternate jersey that featured giant stars on their shoulders. However, they were discarded after the 1995 season.
Dallas is one of the three NFL teams that primarily wear their white jerseys at home (the others being the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins). However, they may wear their colored jerseys at home during special occasions. In the 2003 season, the Cowboys revived their 1962 throwback uniform for special occasions such as Thanksgiving and a September 19, 2005 game against the Washington Redskins. That particular game was the Cowboys' first ever home game against the Redskins in which they opted to dress in their colored jerseys.
Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
^At the end of the 2005 NFL season, the Cowboys All-Time Record is 424-314-6 (including playoffs).
Players of note
Current players
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DEPTH CHART
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Receivers
Special Teams
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Offensive line
Linebackers
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Defensive backs
Defensive line
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Practice squad
Injured reserve
Physically unable to perform
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Due to the rich history of the Cowboys from the 1960's, 1970's and 1990's, one would assume that the Cowboys would have a large number of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, 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 1970's. On the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 1970's 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.
However, those that would argue with the conspiracy theorists 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 1970's 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: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060203/SPORTS08/602030433/1296 http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA020406.1C.COL.FBNharvey.cowboys.21f0406f.html
(*)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.
Super Bowl MVPs
With the Dallas Cowboys holding the NFL record for the most Super Bowl appearances (8) and tied at 5 (with the 49ers and Steelers) for the most Super Bowl victories, it stands to reason that the team would at least be tied for the most Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Awards. They aren't...tied, that is. The team actually holds the record for the most SB MVP honors (7).
- Chuck Howley's performance as Dallas' linebacker in Super Bowl V earned him the honor, despite his team's loss to the Baltimore Colts in the big game. (As a linebacker, he was the first defensive player to win the award, which had been given to quarterbacks previously and his honor marks the only time in NFL history where a player from the losing team was chosen as MVP.)
- Roger Staubach became the fourth QB to earn MVP honors in Dallas' win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
- Super Bowl XII saw the first and only (through Super Bowl XL) tie as two Cowboys were chosen for MVP honors: DT Randy White and DE Harvey Martin.
- Troy Aikman became the second Dallas QB to earn the MVP honor as he led the Cowboys back to victory in 1993 in Super Bowl XXVII.
- Dallas earned its first back-to-back victory thanks in part to running back, and Super Bowl XXVIII MVP, Emmitt Smith.
- Cornerback Larry Brown returned with the championship Cowboys team to his third Super Bowl in just four years. His two key interceptions helped Dallas win Super Bowl XXX and earned him the first MVP award ever given to a cornerback.
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.
The most recent inductees were: Aikman, Smith and 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 (Cowboys lost 14-13).
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.
Not to be forgotten
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:
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 |
(25-24) |
Current Staff
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). 2005 will be Brad Sham's 26th year with the organization; 18 of those years as play-by-play announcer. Babe Laufenberg is the color analyst, and Kristi Scales is the sideline reporter.
The Cowboys Radio Network for many years was on KRLD; today it is now on 98.7 KLUV.
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 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.
- 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.
Notable moments
- 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.
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.[3]
- 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. [4] 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, defensive tackle Kevin Williams returned a 64-yard punt and was able to slide the last ten yards on one knee into the end zone, with one arm in the air. The press dubbed it as the Statue of Liberty play.
- With the score 14-13 with 15 seconds left in the game, Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich attempted a 41-yard game winning 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.
- Ironically, there would never again be precipitation at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.
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 dislocating his 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, 1994, 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). [5]
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, slamming the ball into the Cowboys star logo. [6] On the second touchdown, Dallas safety George Teague caught up with Owens and knocked him out of the star, leading to his ejection from the game. The 49ers won the game, 41-24. 49ers coach Steve Mariucci suspended Owens for a week, docking him a week's pay.
- In a rematch between the teams on Dec. 31, 2001, Teague broke up a pass to Owens in the end zone, then flung Owens to the turf. [7] 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 ran in 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 Dec. 18th 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.
See also
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_Cowboys under GFDL
